[Deathpenalty] death penalty news---worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 16




JAMAICA:

Fix law to resume hanging – Sinclair



A Government senator has nudged the Andrew Holness administration to make 
changes to the law that will allow Jamaica to resume hanging, but that 
suggestion was quickly shot down by Justice Minister Delroy Chuck.

Though the death penalty remains on the books, there have been no hangings in 
Jamaica since 1988. Hanging was halted in Jamaica following the 1993 landmark 
Pratt and Morgan ruling by the United Kingdom Privy Council that it is cruel 
and inhumane to hang an inmate who has been on death row for more than 5 years.

Charles Sinclair, one of 13 government senators in the Upper House, made it 
clear on Friday that he is ready to support legislative amendments that would 
allow Jamaica “to fit within the UK Privy Council decision in Pratt and 
Morgan”.

“If we have to establish special courts to fast-track and ensure that the 
hearings go through and persons are given justice, so be it,” he said during a 
debate in the Senate on a bill that provides significantly higher fines for 
offences contained in 40 laws that fall under the justice ministry.

“Whatever the amendments that need to be made, I will support it,” declared 
Sinclair, a prominent criminal defence attorney, to applause from his 
colleagues.

But his suggestion appears to be a non-starter with Chuck, who acknowledged 
that he is personally “against hanging”.

“It is unlikely that Jamaica will resume it. That’s the present status, which 
we are unlikely to disturb”, the justice minister told The Gleaner yesterday.

Asked if he saw any merit in Sinclair’s proposal, Chuck was blunt.

“No,” he responded.

But Sinclair, in revisiting the hot-button issue, recounted that the last time 
capital punishment was put to a conscience vote in Parliament, a majority of 
lawmakers supported it. “When you listen to the commentary across Jamaica, a 
lot of persons support it ... but it is not being used at all.”

(source: Jamaica Gleaner)








SWITZERLAND:

How a Montreux bank heist led to calls for the death penalty



A deadly bank robbery carried out by two Russians in Montreux in 1907 resulted 
in public outcry and heavy prison sentences

In the early 1900s Switzerland was rocked by a wave of terror incidents by 
anarchists. A bank heist carried out by 2 Russians in Montreux in 1907, in 
which a bank clerk was shot dead, led to public calls for the death penalty.

On the morning of September 18, 1907, the town of Montreux on Lake Geneva was 
the scene of dramatic incidents straight out of a gangster movie.

Two men sprint down Avenue du Kursaal. “Stop them, stop them!” cry passers-by. 
A postal employee, Auguste Vuilliamoz, manages to throw one of them down to the 
ground; the other takes off “like a rabbit”, according to an eyewitness.

Shots ring out

Jules Favre, a notary, courageously blocks the fugitive’s way. But the man 
takes out a gun and shoots Favre in the leg, then sprints off again. A 
hairdresser, Georges Bär, who comes out of his shop meets the same fate – he 
too is shot. In Schopfergasse, a coachman, Octave Pittet, tries to stop the 
man. Another shot rings out followed by a scream. Pittet falls to the ground 
with a bullet in his stomach. The locksmith Alfred Nicklès fearlessly takes up 
the pursuit. He is more fortunate, as a bullet only grazes him. Finally, the 
police arrive. The fugitive has run out of bullets and he is arrested in Mrs 
Terribilini’s henhouse.

At the police station, the two detainees refuse to talk. However, the police 
are convinced that they are Russian anarchists.

Meanwhile, at the Banque de Montreux, Oskar Gudel, a cashier, is lying dead in 
a pool of blood. An eyewitness recounts how the robbers entered the bank to 
change money. While Gudel was counting the money, one of the robbers shot him 
in the head, the other one rushed to the open safe and stuffed cash into a 
cloth bag hanging from his neck. Then they took off. The bank director, who was 
informed by telephone, is outraged: “Poor man!” he says, with tears in his 
eyes. “Poor Gudel! He was such a decent young man!”

Narrowly escaped lynching

That evening, the police transfer the criminals to Lausanne to be identified. 
They have a hard time protecting the men from a crowd of several hundred 
Montreux locals threatening to lynch them. In Lausanne, anger is brewing too, 
and the officers protecting the prisoners are assaulted.

“Like in Russia,” says the La Liberté newspaper on its front page the next day. 
As well as giving the details of the Montreux drama, the paper runs an 
interview with the postal worker, who helped catch one of the criminals. “A 
dodgy looking individual with a gangster-like face was running towards me on 
the other side of the road. Without hesitation, I threw myself at him and was 
able to stop him. The witnesses who told me what had happened arrived shortly 
afterwards. One of them – a worker carrying an iron pole – was so outraged by 
this horrible crime that he wanted to beat the individual to death. I had to 
take him aside and calm him down.”

The evening papers confirm suspicions that the two criminals are from Russia. 
One claims he is Maxime Daniekoff, while the gunman calls himself Paul Nilista. 
None of the officers realises that he is joking. “Nilista” is a reference to 
“nihilism”, a well-known philosophy and political movement in Russia at the 
time, which contested the authority of state, church and family, and supported 
atheism and anarchism. Media reports describe the pair as “dark criminal 
figures”, professional criminals who had meticulously prepared the heist. Gold, 
cash, a dagger, pistols, magazines and ammunition, as well as a cloth bag for 
the loot are found in their possession.

2nd fatality

In Switzerland there is huge outcry. La Liberté reports that the men are 
“anarchists whose principles are solely focused on the abolition of law and 
order”. The fact that the coachman was shot dead fuels local anger, as does the 
media’s detailed description of the victim. “His mouth wide open as if he was 
gasping for air, his half-open eyes reflecting the horror, as well as his 
injuries are enough for us to more or less reconstruct the drama,” it recounts.

Death by screaming

Gudel reportedly screamed when the gunman threatened him. “Badly injured, Gudel 
let out another scream – a scream filled with pain and terror. He tried to hold 
onto the counter when another shot hit him just above the jaw next to his ear; 
the bullet pierced his brain and killed him,” the paper writes.

In Russia, such criminal acts happen on a daily basis, the newspaper La feuille 
d’avis du Valais explains. “One almost gets used to such newsflashes and 
doesn’t pay much attention to them, especially when they come from other 
countries. This time, however, the drama did not take place in Russia, it 
happened in Switzerland, right on our doorstep in Montreux.”

The paper also wonders how much longer Switzerland should tolerate being used 
as a test ground for anarchy and crime. “Such criminals deserve the death 
penalty. We must not allow Russian terrorists to believe that they can get away 
with their bloody gangster acts in the country that grants them asylum,” it 
adds.

Prudent voices

The newspaper’s strong words are heard. When the offenders are transfered to 
Vevey prison, hundreds of people call for the death penalty. They throw rocks 
and break the windows of their carriage, while other enraged citizens hit the 
prisoners with walking canes.

The Christian-Socialist newspaper L’Essor warns that this xenophobic movement 
could result in the restriction of freedom of expression and the tightening of 
asylum law. “A strong nation doesn’t need to deport foreign ‘elements’; it 
integrates or at least influences them,” the paper writes.

The paper suggests giving the foreigners “free courses on the origin and 
principles of our democracies, the basics of our social and individual morale 
and our civilization.” Most people are of a different opinion, however. The 
people of Vevey establish a militia group to ensure local law and order and to 
support the police. “The example of Vevey sets a precedent,” La Liberté writes. 
“It’s important that thugs of all kind know that we have had enough of their 
acts and terror.”

Finally identified

Although the prisoners give conflicting stories and lie when interrogated, the 
police manage to identify “Nilista”. His real name is Nikolay Divnogorsky. He 
is 26 years old, married and a fan of the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy; hence his 
nickname: Nicolas Tolstoy. When his mother is questioned in Russia, she says 
her son went to the countryside to live with farmers and to support the 
revolution. However, he returned with his clothes in tatters saying he wanted 
to study agriculture. Then, she says, he disappeared, and she did not hear from 
him for years.

It is not quite clear whether the mother is just badly informed or whether she 
wants to protect her son. Nikolay Divnogorsky is the co-founder of a 
revolutionary group in St Petersburg dedicated to “propaganda in action”. Its 
members have carried out assassinations and procured means for their 
revolutionary struggle by robbing banks and blackmail.

Actors

A spy finally betrays Divnogorsky, and he is locked up in the notorious Peter 
and Paul Fortress in St Petersburg, Russia. There he pretends to be crazy until 
he is transferred to a hospital from where his friends manage to get him out 
and help him flee abroad. According to his mother, Divnogorsky suffered from 
dizziness at a young age, and in his later years, he was diagnosed with 
neurasthenia which was in fashion in the 19th century, and is what is known as 
burnout today. During his imprisonment in Switzerland he insists he gets 
hallucinations. A psychiatrist examines him and concludes that he is absolutely 
sane and in full possession of his mental faculties.

Remorse during trial

Their trial begins in May 1908. Divnogorsky’s accomplice claims he is a 
watchmaker and that his real name is Maxime Doubowsky. The two defendants admit 
they robbed the bank only to send money to the revolutionary movement in 
Russia. They never intended to kill anyone. “The shot was triggered by 
accident. I lost my mind,” Divnogorsky says. “I truly regret the death of the 
cashier.” His remorse does not help him. He is sentenced to life imprisonment 
for murder. Doubowsky is sentenced to 20 years behind bars, even though it is 
proven that he never used force.

Divnogorsky tries to commit suicide in prison. “At first, he threw himself down 
the basement stairs, but was unscathed,” L’Impartial reports. “He then tried to 
kill himself by hanging by his feet from the cell bars; however, he was taken 
down in time.” During his seventh month in prison, Divnogorsky sets his 
mattress on fire.

“Once again, the guards were able to prevent a disaster. However, the toxic 
fumes from the smoke were enough for Divnogorsky to catch pneumonia that led to 
his death, a brief newspaper report on December 13, 1908 recounted, with the 
headline: “The Epilogue of a Drama”.

Terrorist violence in Switzerland

A look at Swiss history shows that politically motivated violence was more 
frequent in the past than we might imagine today.

The first terrorist attack in this country was the assassination of the 
Austrian Empress Elisabeth, who was stabbed to death in 1898 by an anarchist 
named Luigi Luccheni. “Sisi”, as she was called, was the first victim of 
anarchist terror in Switzerland, but she was certainly not the last.

In the early 20th century Switzerland experienced a wave of terrorist attacks. 
Anarchists raided banks and even a police building in Zurich, tried to blow up 
trains, blackmailed industrialists, carried out bomb attacks and assassinated 
political opponents. Most of the attackers were foreign: Russians, Italians, 
Germans and Austrians who had sought political asylum in Switzerland.

The Swiss government reacted by deporting undesirables and making laws more 
severe. In 1894, in what became known as the “Anarchists Law”, penalties for 
crimes using explosives were increased, and preparing for them was made a 
criminal offence. But Switzerland refrained from tightening its asylum 
legislation, which ensured ongoing protection for people wanted by police 
elsewhere.

(source: swissinfo.ch)








PAKISTAN:

Pakistani police detain Hindu school principal over 'blasphemy'----Police take 
Hindu man into 'protective custody' after far-right groups attack temple and 
homes from minority community.



Pakistani police have detained a Hindu school principal in the southern town of 
Ghotki, after he was accused of committing blasphemy by a student, prompting 
riots by far-right protesters, police officials and Hindu community leaders 
say.

Notan Lal, the owner and principal of a private school in Ghotki, located about 
425km north of Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, was taken into "protective 
custody" on Sunday, senior police official Farrukh Lanjar told Al Jazeera.

"He is in protective custody and we are inquiring about what his role is [in 
the incident]," said Lanjar. "The student has also been questioned. The inquiry 
is under process."

Blasphemy is a sensitive subject in Pakistan, where at least 75 people have 
been killed since 1990 in connection with allegations of the crime, according 
to an Al Jazeera tally.

The crime, which includes insulting the Quran (Islam's holy book), attacking 
religious sites or insulting Prophet Muhammad, can carry a mandatory death 
penalty.

At least 40 people are serving life sentences or are on death row for blasphemy 
in Pakistan, according to the United States Commission for International 
Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

On Sunday, an angry mob ransacked the school where the incident allegedly took 
place and attacked a Hindu temple, badly damaging its interior, members of the 
Hindu community told Al Jazeera.

"In the temple, they broke the windows, and the things inside, including our 
idols, were also damaged," said Mukhi Kika Ram, the leader of the local Hindu 
community.

Ram said several shops and homes were also damaged by rioters.

'Tempers high'

Police said they intervened on Sunday with a heavy deployment of personnel to 
bring the town back in order, and registered a blasphemy case for the attack on 
the temple.

"We ensured that minorities be protected and their places of worship and homes 
be protected," said Lanjar. "We have deployed additional personnel there."

Later on Sunday, government officials held talks with the religious leaders 
leading the protests to end the violence, said provincial Information Minister 
Saeed Ghani.

"We are investigating and going through every person possibly involved, but 
tempers are high and people are charged and we want to make sure the situation 
is calm before we proceed ahead and verify details," said Jamil Ahmad, a senior 
police official, adding that Lal's statement had been recorded.

On Sunday night, Ahmad said Muslim religious leaders spent the night with Hindu 
representatives of the area at the temple that was attacked as a show of 
solidarity.

"The community around the school and temple has shown great maturity. Clerics 
of every sect showed up in solidarity at the temple. And the Muslim community 
and clerics provided security to Hindu families."

Blasphemy case

The accusation against Lal centres on comments he allegedly made while sitting 
in on an Urdu lesson, said Abdul Aziz Khan, the complainant in the case.

Khan's son, 15-year-old Muhammad Ibtisam, alleges that Lal insulted the prophet 
during a lesson on his life and travel between 2 holy cities.

Khan alleged that Lal had later sent school staff to their residence to 
pressure Ibtisam to recant his statement, resulting in a violent altercation 
between Khan's family and the staff.

"We had a confrontation there, where we argued with them over this," he said, 
adding that following the violence he registered the blasphemy case at the 
local police station.

On Sunday, local religious parties, including the Sunni Tehreek and the Jamiat 
Ulema Islam, led protests in Ghotki, forcing businesses to shut and resulting 
in the attacks on the temple and school, residents told Al Jazeera. Videos from 
the protests showed Muslim leaders called for "blasphemers" to be put to death.

Khan, himself under police protective custody, condemned the violence, saying 
Lal should only face any punishment under the law.

"Whoever has done this, it is completely wrong," he said. "Our religion does 
not give permission for this. Our Prophet Muhammad, on whose name we are 
pursuing this case, says for no one to ever be harmed, even if they are 
non-Muslim.

"If one heretic has committed heresy, then the police must arrest him, the 
court must hear him and then he will face his punishment."

Hindus fear for their safety

Pakistan human rights body called the mob violence against the minority 
community "barbaric" while Amnesty International said the perpetrators of the 
attack must be held "accountable".

"The authorities must take prompt action to quell the violence and ensure the 
safety of the school principal being targeted," said the independent Human 
Rights Commission of Pakistan in a Twitter post following the violence.

"The video circulated earlier is chilling: mob violence against a member of a 
religious minority is barbaric, unacceptable."

Hindu community leaders, however, said they continued to fear for their safety 
in Ghotki.

"We are very hurt by the idea that if one person commits a mistake, then the 
whole Hindu community is punished for it," said Jewat Ram Manglani, a community 
leader. "We respect both our temples and also mosques, and people should also 
respect us."

Pakistan is home to roughly 3.3 million Hindus, a small minority in a country 
of 207 million people. The majority of the country's Hindus live in the 
southern province of Sindh, where Ghotki is located.

(source: aljazeera.com)

***************

Pakistan tracks down 2 Indian spies involved in terror activities



Pakistan has identified 2 more Indian spies actively involved in terrorist 
activities in Balochistan, sources told Geo News on Monday.

According to details, both of the spies, namely Swami Asemanand and Goband 
Part, sneaked into Pakistan from Iran

The 2 were involved in a criminal activity in the Mastung area of Balochistan 
before fleeing to to Afghanistan.

Pakistan has shared details with Iran and Afghanistan regarding the Indian 
agents, and also penned a letter to the authorities in the 2 countries.

Indian involvement in sabotaging peace in Pakistan was confirmed when Naval 
Commander Kulbhushan Jhadav was arrested in the country back in 2016.

Jhadav admitted to have been involved in several terrorist activities in 
Balochistan and Karachi. He is currently in jail after a military court gave 
him the death penalty.

Earlier this year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that India’s 
submission pertaining to the acquittal and release of Kulbhushan Jadhav could 
not be upheld.

According to the ICJ, the conviction and sentence of Kulbhushan Jadhav were not 
to be regarded as a violation of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention.

"As regards India’s claim based on the Vienna Convention, the Court considers 
that it is not the conviction and sentence of Mr. Jadhav which are to be 
regarded as a violation of the provisions of the Vienna Convention," read the 
verdict.

The ICJ allowed India consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav and called on 
Pakistan to review and reconsider his conviction and sentence. Pakistan 
subsequently provided Indian consular access to the convicted spy.

(source: geo.tv)








THAILAND:

Asia-wide campaign seeks pardon for 2 Myanmar men facing death sentence



Myanmar civil society groups and anti-death penalty advocates across Asia have 
launched a campaign seeking royal clemency for 2 Myanmar migrant workers 
recently sentenced to death by a Thai court.

The Asia-wide campaign was launched on Thursday at the Asian People Forum held 
at Thammasat University in Bangkok.

“We want them freed from the death sentence and a further review of the case,” 
U Aung Myo Min, executive director of Equality Myanmar, told a press briefing 
on the sidelines of the conference.

Thailand’s Supreme Court on August 29 upheld the death sentence of Myanmar 
nationals Win Zaw Tun and Zaw Linn, who were convicted of the murder of 2 
British backpackers on the resort island of Koh Tao in 2014.

U Aung Myo Min said that in seeking royal clemency, their group wants to 
highlight that justice is important, not only for migrants but also for 
documented and undocumented workers.

Myanmar civil society groups have collected petitions supporting the call for 
clemency for the 2 men.

The Asian People Forum was held to discuss justice, peace, equality, 
sustainability and democracy in Southeast Asia. Over 1000 participants from 
civil society groups in Asia joined the 3-day conference.

The team of lawyers defending the 2 Myanmar men plans to submit an appeal for a 
royal pardon to spare their lives.

(source: Myanmar Times)

*****************

Death sentence for a serial murderer who killed 5 including his pregnant wife 
and her father



The murder of Kanyarat Kingkaew and her father was captured on CCTV footage 
which subsequently went viral online. The killer gunned down his father in law 
first and then shot his wife as she comforted her parent. He then drove to 
another home where he took the life his mother-in-law and her 2 sisters.

A Thai criminal court this week sentenced a 37-year-old man to death for the 
serial murder of his pregnant wife and 4 members of her family on Sunday, 
January 13th this year. The killing occurred just nine days after a Catholic 
priest in Chonburi filed a criminal complaint with the police after loaning the 
man nearly ?30 million which was never repaid.

The killing took place in the northern Thai province of Uttaradit. The man fled 
the scene in one of a number of cars he owned.

Teerapol Pinamorn who was originally from Ranong province in southern Thailand, 
went berserk that day after he learned that his wife Kanyarat Kingkaew was 
planning to leave him.

The crazed Thai man drove to his father-in-law’s home where his wife was 
staying and while arguing with her in vain to make up, suddenly turned on his 
father-in-law and shot him dead while the older man was washing a vehicle and 
keeping an eye on the 2 estranged partners. He later told police he developed 
an uncontrollable rage when his wife rejected his offer of reconciliation.

Wife ran to her father when he was gunned down

His brave wife, pregnant at the time with his child, rushed to her father and 
while she held him in her arms, the killer shot her too. Mr Teerapol then drove 
to a house in the Pichai district where he shot his mother-in-law Namphueng 
Kingkaew, and her two sisters. He attempted to kill other members of the family 
but they escaped from his wrath.

The murder of Mr Teerapol’s wife and her father was captured on CCTV footage 
and widely shared online in the days after the murders.

Fled the scene and the subject of a manhunt

The killer fled the scene but was captured days later by a huge police and army 
manhunt which located him in a wooded area in Ranong. It is believed that he 
was trying to flee into Myanmar.

Reenactment of the murders in Uttaradit

Following his arrest, he was taken back to Uttaradit province where police 
conducted a reenactment of the murders at a police station. It is understood 
that feelings in the local community were very high and at the time and it was 
considered wise not to bring him back to the real scene of the 1st crime scene.

Ekkarat Khamheag, Mr Pinamorn’s brother in law, the husband of the younger 
sister of Kanyarat Kingkaew, came out and demanded the death penalty for the 
man following the funeral rites for his wife’s family members. Police 
subsequently charged Mr Teerapol with premeditated murder.

Catholic police had filed a complaint against him 9 days before the murders 
seeking nearly ?30 million

This came at the same time as it was revealed Joseph Chaiyo, a 66-year-old 
Catholic priest, had filed a police complaint in Chonburi province against Mr 
Teerapol. The complaint revealed that the cleric had wired nearly ?30 million 
to his bank account as a loan supported by documents to a land sale. This was 
understood to be the title deeds of a 35 million property in Phuket. The 
complaint had been made to police in Chonburi on January 4th 2019 some 9 days 
before the killer’s frenzied and murderous outburst.

Escalating arguments about property and assets

It is understood that before the deadly rampage and the breakdown of the killer 
on that doomful Sunday, he had begun to argue with his wife’s relations over 
what he claimed were assets belonging to him that he had been deprived of by 
members of his wife’s family circle. He told police that he had been driven by 
anger and frustration on the day he carried out a serial killing.

History of jail time and no less than different 10 ID cards in 40 years 
revealed by police

Police later revealed that Mr Teerapol had served time in prison for drug 
offences and had obtained no less than 10 different national identity cards 
between 1979 and 2018. It also came to light that his wife had reported her 
husband to police on 2 occasions for violent assault but that no official 
proceedings had resulted.

(source: thaiexaminer.com)








SINGAPORE:

Man who wore t-shirt in protest of death penalty claims he was stopped from 
participating in Yellow Ribbon Prison Run



Singaporean runner Nafiz Kamaruddin was reportedly stopped from participating 
in the annual Yellow Ribbon Prison Run yesterday — all because he had worn a 
t-shirt protesting the death penalty in Singapore.

At least, that’s what his side of the story tells.

The annual event was organized as part of a 15-year-old campaign to rally more 
support from the community in giving ex-offenders a second chance at life. This 
year’s run took place from 6am to 1pm yesterday, with runners gathering at The 
Civil Service Club in Changi.

One hour into the event, Nafiz, who had signed up for the 10km competitive run, 
took to Facebook to say that he had been refused from the event because he was 
wearing a t-shirt that had the words “‘2ND CHANCES’ MEANS NOT KILLING THEM” 
emblazoned on the front.

In his post, he said: “So they did not allow me to run, despite being clear on 
their site that runner(s) can use any other tops other than their official 
(event) T-shirt.”

Nafiz added: “This will not stop me from achieving my goal on my birthday. I 
will be running parallel to them. Screw the medal.”

The same words were also printed on Nafiz’s original running bib before he was 
later asked by organizers over the phone to replaced it with only his name, as 
the message was “not in line” with the Yellow Ribbon Project’s cause. It also 
appears that the call came days after Nafiz showed off his bib on Facebook on 
Aug. 31.

In response to the organizer’s request for his bib to be replaced, Nafiz wrote 
his explanation in another post last Thursday, saying: “Does that sound stupid 
to you? They’re promoting giving ex-offenders a ‘2nd Chance’ but they do not 
agree that in order for 2nd chances to be given, you have to first not hang 
them to death.”

He added: “Come on, Yellow Ribbon Project, don’t be hypocritical.”

According to Singapore laws, there are 32 offences in Singapore that could 
potentially warrant death sentences. Four of them call for the mandatory death 
penalty: murder, drug trafficking, terrorism, and the possession of 
unauthorised firearms, ammunition or explosives.

Coconuts Singapore has reached out to both Nafiz and the Yellow Ribbon Prison 
Run organizers for comment and will update this story as soon as more 
information becomes available.

(source: coconuts.co)








UGANDA:

No to a mandatory death sentence----We are living precariously on the political 
and human rights front as it is; the last thing is to introduce a mandatory 
death sentence in grey areas of shaky evidence, politically-motivated arrests 
and insufficient investigative capabilities, writes Timothy Kalyegira.



President Museveni this week stated his wish for the introduction of a 
mandatory death penalty for suspects in cases of murder.

This came in the wake of the murder of his nephew Joshua Rushegera and a 
companion in the same car, Melina Tumukunde, on the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway.

In a letter, the President wrote: “We need to make this clear to the courts. It 
must be an eye for eye. Nothing less will be acceptable to the freedom fighters 
that I represent and the entirety of the electorate of Uganda that I 
represent.”

This is a dangerous development.

First, it is an act of presidential overreach. The Executive is the most 
powerful of the three branches of government, but it is just one of three 
branches. Today’s meek and submissive Judiciary might not always act the part, 
but on paper at least it is the second branch of government, independent of the 
Executive and of the third branch, Parliament.

Uganda’s legal community must stand up to this development.

In a country such as the United States with its solid separation of powers and 
strong criminal justice system, we have seen many instances of suspects jailed 
for years or decades, only for new evidence or new forensic technology to show 
that the original homicide conviction was made in error.

How much more for a country like Uganda with weak investigative capabilities at 
best and where there is always the risk of politically-motivated charges? The 
President has been steadily calling for tougher measures against violent crime 
over the years, starting over a decade ago when he wondered why suspects are 
granted bail in murder cases.

The rearrest of the Opposition leader Col Kizza Besigye in 2005 after the High 
Court had granted him bail and last week’s rearrest of suspects in the murder 
of the senior police officer Andrew Kaweesi reflect this pattern of thinking.

(source: monitor.co.ug)








SYRIA:

Assad issues amnesty again, reduces sentences



Syria's state-run news agency SANA says President Bashar Assad has granted 
amnesty for all crimes committed before Sept. 14.

According to the pardon issued Sunday, life-long terms would replace death 
sentences, and a 20-year-long sentence at hard labor would replace life-long 
sentences at hard labor, and a 20-year sentence would replace long-life 
sentences.

Prisoners with incurable diseases including cancer would be freed.

The decree stipulates for granting a general amnesty for military deserters to 
turn themselves in within 3 months for those inside the country, and 6 months 
for those outside the country.

Similar amnesties have been issued on several occasions - most recently last 
year - since Syria's conflict began in March 2011.

Syrian opposition sources said that more than 500,000 prisoners remain inside 
the prisons of the Syrian regime.

A report issued by the rights group on 30 April stated that 14,009 prisoners 
had been killed due to severe torture inside regime prisons since the start of 
the Syrian civil war in 2011.

At least 3,618 cases of arbitrary arrests were documented by the Syrian Network 
for Human Rights (SNHR) since the start of 2019.

Rosemary DiCarlo, the U.N. political chief, said last August that reports 
suggest that more than 100,000 people in Syria have been detained, abducted or 
gone missing during the eight-year conflict, with the government mainly 
responsible.

DiCarlo urged the warring parties Wednesday to heed the Security Council's call 
for the release of all those arbitrarily detained, and to provide information 
to families about their loved ones as required by international law.

She also reiterated U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' call for the 
situation in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court.

The 8-year-old war has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands and forced 13 
million people from their homes, half of whom have left their shattered 
homeland.

(source: Zaman Al Wasl)