Iran under pressure to abolish death penalty for drug trafficking

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-Q2lQv_InuPv2PBBP4U7j7OIIIDpbcDT_PJU3XoozTgnNKZta_kmqfxnCdH2oCyR2WpeAhkiMBM4hPKFWH176zsnRo73Z3qO3u7lK1cVnNJn468KRA7L5a47Vai8dz5gdPiRRAbbtAE/s1600/Execution+Iran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Public hanging in Iran" border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-Q2lQv_InuPv2PBBP4U7j7OIIIDpbcDT_PJU3XoozTgnNKZta_kmqfxnCdH2oCyR2WpeAhkiMBM4hPKFWH176zsnRo73Z3qO3u7lK1cVnNJn468KRA7L5a47Vai8dz5gdPiRRAbbtAE/s400/Execution+Iran.jpg" title="Public hanging in Iran" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Several European countries cut off financial contributions to republic's counter-narcotics campaign</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Iran is under pressure to end its use of death penalty against drug traffickers after facing a serious shortfall in the international funding of the country's counter-narcotics campaign.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">An increasing number of European countries have decided to cut off contributions even though the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) last year approved a 5-year country partnership programme for Iran that was aimed at providing about $20m (then 14.4m pounds).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The agency's latest annual appeal document, obtained by the human rights group Reprieve, which works for the abolition of death penalty, shows that Tehran has received zero in funding for 2016. The UK has confirmed in writing that it is no longer contributing. Similar indications have come from Italy, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Ireland and Norway.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 senior Iranian officials have recently complained about the lack of international support. Last week, Iran's prosecutor general, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, blamed "imperialist" powers for young people's addiction to drugs. In April, the Tehran Times quoted the interior minister as saying that Europeans were uncooperative.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Iran is a neighbour to Afghanistan, a leading producer and supplier of the world's drugs, and faces big challenges at home with a young population susceptible to a variety of cheap and abundant addictive drugs. Critics, however, say Iran's use of death penalty in this regard has done little, if anything, to address the issue.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"It is increasingly untenable for abolitionist states to contribute to the funding of law enforcement-led counter-narcotics programmes in Iran due to skyrocketing drug-related executions in Iran," Maya Foa, director of Reprieve's death penalty team, told the Guardian on the sidelines of the 6th World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Oslo.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Iran executed nearly 1,000 people last year, of which more than 1/2 were for drug offences. It is difficult to gauge public attitude to executions in Iran but Iranians increasingly favour forgiveness in cases involving murder. The number of Iranian convicts whose lives were saved last year after being pardoned outnumbered those who were known to have been put to death for murder.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There has been a considerable drop in the number of executions in Iran since the beginning of this year (around 200 executions) but activists said it was too early to say if that amounted to a change in policy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The UNODC did comment on the cooperation of the Europeans. "The programme received funding in 2015 and there are pledges for 2016 from countries. It would therefore be premature to make any judgment on funding levels for the programme, especially as we are only halfway through the year," said David Dadge, UNODC's spokesperson.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">UNODC's deputy executive director, Aldo Lale-Demoz, recently said: "You'll never be able to control the world drug problem just by investing in law enforcement and repression."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Iran has hinted that it wants to end drug-related executions. In December, more than 70 MPs introduced a bill to end such executions and officials have since signalled that Iran is pursing the matter. Iran's chief prosecutor said last week that "we are not in favour of death penalty and we don't think it's appropriate".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Madyar Samienejad, an Oslo-based human rights defender, said comments by the Iranian judicial authorities over abolishing the death penalty for drug-related offences appeared to be serious, showing there was a will to tackle the issue. "I think this is the direct result of good campaigning. Executions have contributed to a great degree in how Iran is viewed from the outside world and the Iranian authorities seem to have begun acknowledging this, at least in their words," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Executions in Iran take place at the hands of the hardline judiciary, which acts independently of the moderate administration of Hassan Rouhani. But critics say the government has failed in preventing such executions take place in public and providing enough funding for lawyers defending convicts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Asked by the Guardian, the Norwegian foreign minister, Borge Brende, said last week: "We have been very clear regarding our funding towards the UN, and that we will not be a part of funding Iran's programs which is related to this inhumane practice." The French foreign minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, however, said: "The fight against drug trafficking is one thing, the fight against the death penalty is another." He did not say whether France was still contributing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: The Guardian, June 29, 2016</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Report an error, an omission:<a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com" target="_blank"> deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> - Follow us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></span></div></div>

Abolition Austria Drug trafficking European Union France Germany Iran Ireland Islamic Law Italy Norway sharia UK UNODC Iran under pressure to abolish death penalty for drug trafficking

Several European countries cut off financial contributions to republic's counter-narcotics campaign Iran is under pressure to end its us...

Baca selengkapnya »

As Lindsay Sandiford turns 60, supporter claims there is hope for Redcar death row gran

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOaW5JUQsu30n5z7r-FvpIqqZz3PDX-OpkhAP4DgzyY9HfHM2pZrFWSoPInaH89qtEMg3B9-sJRwRplXaQRZOQwL4P7HpLwalV6l4SQoQyQaNdyDWrNGqW06cE7uUF7Samhgu0FAJtlc/s1600/British+grandmother+Lindsay+Sandiford+%2528centre%2529+on+Death+Row+in+Bali+for+smuggling+cocaine+has+set+up+a+knitting+venture+behind+bars+to+provide+desperately+needed+funds+for+a+final+appeal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="L. Sandiford (center) knitting with other inmate in a Kerobokan prison cell" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOaW5JUQsu30n5z7r-FvpIqqZz3PDX-OpkhAP4DgzyY9HfHM2pZrFWSoPInaH89qtEMg3B9-sJRwRplXaQRZOQwL4P7HpLwalV6l4SQoQyQaNdyDWrNGqW06cE7uUF7Samhgu0FAJtlc/s400/British+grandmother+Lindsay+Sandiford+%2528centre%2529+on+Death+Row+in+Bali+for+smuggling+cocaine+has+set+up+a+knitting+venture+behind+bars+to+provide+desperately+needed+funds+for+a+final+appeal.jpg" title="L. Sandiford (center) knitting with other inmate in a Kerobokan prison cell" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lindsay Sandiford (center) knitting with other inmates in a Kerobokan prison cell</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">As she marks what could be her final birthday, sources close to death row gran Lindsay Sandiford say she isn't about to be executed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The convicted Redcar drug mule will spend her 60th birthday today in the squalid Indonesian prison she's languished in since she was sentenced to death in 2012.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There were fears that the birthday would be her last, with reports she may be among one of 16 people shot following the Muslim holiday of Eid.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However a supporter, who has flown to Bali to be with her on her birthday, has told the Gazette "Lindsay is not listed for execution."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Christie Buckingham of Bayside Church jetted in from Australia to spend time with her friend during what she said was a "very sensitive time" for the grandmother.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"At this stage she is concentrating on getting her appeal in place," she added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another senior source close to the case confirmed Sandiford is not scheduled to be 1 of the 16 prisoners executed in the latest round of executions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"She is working on her appeal and still has legal avenues left which I expect her to use," said the source.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Certainly there is no indication that she will be executed in the very near future."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sandiford has been in Bali's notorious Kerobokan Prison since she admitted trying to smuggle cocaine worth 1.6m pounds on to the paradise island.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Despite her plight, it is understood she's shunned consular assistance since 2014.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Instead she has received backing from thousands of Facebook supporters as well as the church.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There had been hope she could be spared a trip to a beauty spot dubbed "death island", where the Government carry out executions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Indonesian authorities had halted executions for "economic reasons" [after they resumed in 2015], with 2 of the mum's Australian friends [Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan] killed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said: "We oppose the death penalty in all circumstances and have made repeated representations on the issue to the Indonesian government at the highest levels."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: gazettelive.co.uk, June 25, 2016</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Report an error, an omission:<a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com" target="_blank"> deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> - Follow us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></span></div></div>

Drug trafficking Indonesia L. Sandiford UK Women As Lindsay Sandiford turns 60, supporter claims there is hope for Redcar death row gran

Lindsay Sandiford (center) knitting with other inmates in a Kerobokan prison cell As she marks what could be her final birthday, sources clo...

Baca selengkapnya »

Husband of British-Iranian woman detained in Iran criticises Foreign Office

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJc6T5t3T-dItvh9v-cIwAfR2pVWT0qV41rBZprFaq6Y0gKHCill9TyGmYMfJVoHQKQwBaBcoUMWrqJ3sQBl2_J0MmfmSbdDohXs_MhmB2ybkRX9IXjUH-Ddn5i11yEOFuV1Q6ko5KgM0/s1600/London+UK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="London, England" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJc6T5t3T-dItvh9v-cIwAfR2pVWT0qV41rBZprFaq6Y0gKHCill9TyGmYMfJVoHQKQwBaBcoUMWrqJ3sQBl2_J0MmfmSbdDohXs_MhmB2ybkRX9IXjUH-Ddn5i11yEOFuV1Q6ko5KgM0/s400/London+UK.jpg" title="London, England" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The husband of a British-Iranian woman who has been detained without charge in Tehran for 83 days has spoken of his anger over the Foreign Office's handling of the matter, saying he feels "gamed" by officials who value trade above the welfare of British citizens and objected to his going public with the case.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Richard Ratcliffe told the Guardian he felt trade relations had been prioritised over the welfare of his wife, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, and their 2-year-old daughter Gabriella. "I don't think Nazanin and Gabriella's case, nor any of the others, is a top priority at the moment," he said, referring to 4 other British passport holders he understands are being detained in Iran. "The top priority of the Foreign Office is trade."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who works for the Thomson Reuters Foundation as a project manager, was arrested at Tehran's international airport by members of the country's Revolutionary Guard on 3 April. She had been about to return to the UK from a family visit in her home country. This month the Revolutionary Guard released a statement accusing her of fomenting a "soft overthrow" of the Islamic Republic, which her husband described as "farcical".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 37-year-old charity worker has since been held in solitary confinement under interrogation and refused access to a lawyer. If convicted of espionage charges she could face up to 20 years in prison or the death penalty.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ratcliffe did not meet Foreign Office officials until after he had made his wife's case public in May, 36 days after her arrest, and then only at his request. "It felt almost like the Foreign Office resented me for going public. I was angry, and I felt gamed," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We would have a series of calls and there would be a sort of strange dynamic where occasionally it felt like they were almost trying to get me on record as having said how helpful [they had been]. It's like dealing with a fucking insurance company trying to get out of paying a claim. This is a really odd definition of support, isn't it? It is a really odd dynamic to be covering your arse that early on."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ratcliffe describes the government's position as: "'This is a delicate matter, we'll hope the Iranians will be nice.' It's like, delicate? I mean, if this was your wife? They can use political capital to force the situation. But there has been no public statement of criticism by a senior politician, and the Iranians notice that."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Zaghari-Ratcliffe is 1 of 3 female dual-citizenship foreign nationals to have been detained by the Revolutionary Guard in the past 3 months. But whereas since March the US state department website has warned dual-passport holders not to visit Iran, the Foreign Office website does not.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gabriella's British passport was confiscated by the Iranian authorities, and she is being looked after by her grandparents. Under Iranian law only her father or mother can bring her home. Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being detained 620 miles from her daughter in Kerman prison.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We have been supporting Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's family since we were first made aware of her arrest. Minister for the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood, has met personally with the family to reassure them that we will continue to do all we can on this case."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The matter is understood to have been raised with Iranian officials, including by the foreign secretary with the Iranian foreign minister.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: The Guardian, June 25, 2016</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Report an error, an omission:<a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com" target="_blank"> deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> - Follow us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></span></div></div>

Consular assistance Espionage Iran Islamic Law sharia UK Women Husband of British-Iranian woman detained in Iran criticises Foreign Office

The husband of a British-Iranian woman who has been detained without charge in Tehran for 83 days has spoken of his anger over the Foreign O...

Baca selengkapnya »

Muslim cleric who advocated death penalty for homosexual acts leaves Australia

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGJDSuCRYjluI0pd5kEmnGYBc-R2oPIhiPVnP95gxkh23EJPlnDDqy8D1kwvjmKk9VJW0RuQwDrBsrak5JrY4RnnfDLHxs2-nUl_dERbWB4-YhEtfmFxkEbGDYhBsk80sk8UpwXjIe8A/s1600/Farrokh+Sekaleshfar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Anti-gay Muslim cleric Farrokh Sekaleshfar" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGJDSuCRYjluI0pd5kEmnGYBc-R2oPIhiPVnP95gxkh23EJPlnDDqy8D1kwvjmKk9VJW0RuQwDrBsrak5JrY4RnnfDLHxs2-nUl_dERbWB4-YhEtfmFxkEbGDYhBsk80sk8UpwXjIe8A/s400/Farrokh+Sekaleshfar.jpg" title="Anti-gay Muslim cleric Farrokh Sekaleshfar" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anti-gay Muslim cleric Farrokh Sekaleshfar</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">A British sheikh who advocated death as the penalty for homosexual acts has left Australia ahead of a decision to revoke his visa.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The immigration minister, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/peter-dutton" target="_blank">Peter Dutton</a>, told Sky New on Wednesday he had already decided to cancel the sheikh’s visa and he was unlikely to be allowed to return.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Australian government <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jun/14/visa-of-anti-gay-muslim-cleric-under-review-says-turnbull" target="_blank">chose to review the visa of the Shia Muslim cleric Farrokh Sekaleshfar after a video surfaced</a> of him telling a Michigan audience in 2013 that “death is the sentence for homosexual acts” in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/islam" target="_blank">Islam</a> and this was “nothing to be embarrassed about”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sekaleshfar, British-born medical doctor and preacher, was <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/13/orlando-terror-attacks-muslim-cleric-death-for-homosexual-acts-sydney" target="_blank">due to give lectures throughout the Islamic holy month of Ramadan</a> at the Imam Husain Islamic centre in Sydney’s south-west.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On Tuesday evening Sekaleshfar left Australia. He told the ABC the Islamic centre “thought it was in my best interests and for the best interests of the community” if he left, but said he had not been asked or directed to do so by the government.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sekaleshfar said he had been “caught up in politics” and said: “Never have I incited hatred or violence against human beings. I want [everyone] from the prime minister to the people of Australia to understand that. And 99.9% of all the stories try to misconstrue that.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dutton said: “I had made a decision last night to cancel the visa, and obviously this individual has decided to leave of his own accord last night, which we welcome. And it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for him to return to our country.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Obviously this individual understood what was on the way and decided to leave before all of that process could be undertaken.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dutton explained that Sekaleshfar may have been granted a visa because he is a British citizen and may have applied electronically. “It’s difficult for the department to go through the Facebook or social media postings of millions and millions of people each year that would seek visas, and when we receive information we act quickly.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The prime minister, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/malcolm-turnbull" target="_blank">Malcolm Turnbull</a>, told 2GB radio: “The moment this man’s presence and what he had said was drawn to our attention, the minister and I spoke about it, the minister acted decisively and his visa was revoked.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The resources minister, Josh Frydenberg, added to condemnation of the Sekaleshfar’s views on Tuesday. “Certainly the views he has expressed publicly and indeed recorded on tape calling for the killing of homosexuals is completely unacceptable,” he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“They’re abhorrent, they have no place in Australia, indeed no place anywhere in the world.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jun/14/visa-of-anti-gay-muslim-cleric-under-review-says-turnbull" target="_blank">On Monday Sekaleshfar told Guardian Australia</a> the point of his sermons was not that “any Tom, Dick and Harry go and exercise the sentence”, adding that it could only be carried out by the state in a country where “the majority of people want Islamic law to be exercised”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“The death sentence isn’t against homosexuals, it’s about people who, in an Islamic country, go in public and commit the act of anal copulation,” he said. “It’s only relevant when you do that act in public.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sekaleshfar told the ABC the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/12/orlando-terror-attack-50-killed-nightclub-deadliest-mass-shooting" target="_blank">Orlando massacre</a> was not justifiable and denied that his lecture could have incited such violence.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“No speech, especially when you’re not inciting any hatred, it was given three years ago, that would never lead to such a massacre,” he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“They’re connecting me to that … to that animal, they’re connecting me to him; not at all, he was an Isis sympathiser, a follower of [Abu Bakr al-]Baghdadi – these people are criminals.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jun/15/muslim-cleric-who-advocated-death-penalty-for-homosexual-acts-leaves-australia" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>, June 15, 2016</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">- Report an error, an omission:<a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com" target="_blank"> deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> - Follow us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Death-Penalty-News-206848499362906/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></span></div>

Australia Executed for being gay Homosexuality Islam Islamic Law Islamism LGBT Orlando attack sharia UK Muslim cleric who advocated death penalty for homosexual acts leaves Australia

Anti-gay Muslim cleric Farrokh Sekaleshfar A British sheikh who advocated death as the penalty for homosexual acts has left Australia ahead ...

Baca selengkapnya »

Indonesia planning mass executions after Ramadan

<div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWj-6GKRMlVvG8ZWQApuxeuMl_xEoGoyUjWjk4nSy5x2zak6JncMxkMtlu3KAVGiEMlh92MRRn0PHlZsmbQzAV5adEZiJlBYPkV8LFImApB6BZQJDQkzmRr33fToxX504GIzJqpvepYPM/s1600/Indonesian+police+personnel+getting+ready+ahead+of+the+execution+of+eight+death+row+inmates+in+April+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Indonesia: Getting ready for a new wave of executions" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWj-6GKRMlVvG8ZWQApuxeuMl_xEoGoyUjWjk4nSy5x2zak6JncMxkMtlu3KAVGiEMlh92MRRn0PHlZsmbQzAV5adEZiJlBYPkV8LFImApB6BZQJDQkzmRr33fToxX504GIzJqpvepYPM/s400/Indonesian+police+personnel+getting+ready+ahead+of+the+execution+of+eight+death+row+inmates+in+April+2015.jpg" title="Indonesia: Getting ready for a new wave of executions" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indonesia: Getting ready for a new wave of executions</td></tr></tbody></table><i>Spokesman for attorney-general confirms that executions are set to resume after a hiatus</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Indonesia plans to put 16 convicts to death after next month’s Muslim Eid holiday, an official said Tuesday, confirming executions were set to resume after a hiatus.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The death row convicts will be executed “immediately after” the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Mohammad Rum, a spokesman for the attorney-general’s office, told AFP, but he did not give a precise date.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ramadan ends with the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which falls in Indonesia on 6 and 7 July.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rum did not say who would face the firing squad, but Indonesia has been waging a campaign against narcotics and in 2015 executed 14 drug convicts, mostly foreigners, sparking international outrage.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There have been no executions since April last year, with Indonesia saying it was pausing capital punishment to focus on fixing its slowing economy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We could not do it earlier because the government was trying to improve our economy, but now we will take some action after Eid,” Rum said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rum said the convicts would likely be put to death by firing squad on the prison island of Nusakambangan, off Java, where executions are usually carried out.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are scores of drug convicts on death row in Indonesia, among them foreigners including Frenchman Serge Atlaoui and Filipina Mary Jane Veloso, who were both pulled from the last round of executions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford is on death row in Bali after she was caught smuggling a huge stash of cocaine into the resort island.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">President Joko Widodo declared a war on drugs when he took office in 2014, saying that the country was facing an emergency due to rising narcotics use and traffickers should be severely punished.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There were two rounds of executions last year. The second round in April, which saw two Australians, a Brazilian and four Nigerians put to death, caused the most serious diplomatic backlash.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Following the executions of the Australian drug smugglers, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, Canberra temporarily recalled its ambassador from Jakarta.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: Agence France-Presse, June 14, 2016</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">British pair may face firing squad during new 'wave' of executions in Indonesia</span></b></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOaW5JUQsu30n5z7r-FvpIqqZz3PDX-OpkhAP4DgzyY9HfHM2pZrFWSoPInaH89qtEMg3B9-sJRwRplXaQRZOQwL4P7HpLwalV6l4SQoQyQaNdyDWrNGqW06cE7uUF7Samhgu0FAJtlc/s1600/British+grandmother+Lindsay+Sandiford+%2528centre%2529+on+Death+Row+in+Bali+for+smuggling+cocaine+has+set+up+a+knitting+venture+behind+bars+to+provide+desperately+needed+funds+for+a+final+appeal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Lindsay Sandiford (center) and Kerobokan prison inmates" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOaW5JUQsu30n5z7r-FvpIqqZz3PDX-OpkhAP4DgzyY9HfHM2pZrFWSoPInaH89qtEMg3B9-sJRwRplXaQRZOQwL4P7HpLwalV6l4SQoQyQaNdyDWrNGqW06cE7uUF7Samhgu0FAJtlc/s400/British+grandmother+Lindsay+Sandiford+%2528centre%2529+on+Death+Row+in+Bali+for+smuggling+cocaine+has+set+up+a+knitting+venture+behind+bars+to+provide+desperately+needed+funds+for+a+final+appeal.jpg" title="Lindsay Sandiford (center) and Kerobokan prison inmates" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lindsay Sandiford (center) knitting with other Kerobokan prison inmates.</td></tr></tbody></table><i>A grandmother and a father may be among 16 executed after Ramadan ends</i><br /><br />Indonesia is to perform a wave of executions after the end of Ramadan, meaning two British people on death row may face the firing squad sooner than expected.<br /><br />The country’s government announced it plans to put 16 convicted prisoners to death after Eid holiday in early July, the first executions since the start of a hiatus in April last year.<br /><br />Lindsay Sandiford, a grandmother from Teeside convicted of trafficking cocaine with a street value of £1.6 million, was given the death penalty in August 2013 and remains on death row.<br /><br />Gareth Cashmore from Yorkshire was convicted for smuggling crystal meth in the country and has been in custody since September 2012.<br /><br />It is not yet clear whether Ms Sandiford or Mr Cashmore will be among the group of prisoners executed next month.<br /><br />Mohammad Rum, spokesman for the Indonesian attorney-general, told AFP the executions would take place soon but refused to specify who would face the firing squad or on what date.<br /><br />“We could not do it earlier because the government was trying to improve our economy, but now we will take some action after Eid,” he said.<br /><br />Executions were temporarily halted in the spring last year after the ‘Bali Nine’ drug-traffickers including two Australians were killed by firing squad in April, a case which caused international outrage and criticism of the Indonesian government.<br /><br />Indonesia claimed at the time the country’s economic troubles had forced the suspension of executions, although many argued the true motivation was political.<br /><br />Twelve foreigners were executed in 2015 in total, all on drugs charges.<br /><br />Ms Sandiford, 59, has repeatedly insisted she was manipulated and used as a mule to transport the cocaine as a means to protect her sons, aged 22 and 24.<br /><br />She launched an appeal to have her sentence reduced but it was rejected, as the majority of appeals for drug offences are.<br /><br />Despite the attempted intervention of prime minister David Cameron during a visit to Jakarta in 2014, Ms Sandiford’s position remains unchanged.<br /><br />Prosecutors said Mr Cashmore was attempting to transport crystal meth worth up to £800,000 when he was arrested at Soekarno-Hatta Airport. <br /><br />Rum confirmed the executions would take place on the island of Nusakambangan near Java, where they are typically carried out.<br /><br />Indonesian president Joko Widodo says the policy of executing drug smugglers is "necessary" because of the mounting problem with substance abuse in the country.<br /><br />The Independent has contacted the Foreign & Commonwealth Office for comment.<br /><br />Source: The Independent, June 14, 2016<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Indonesia to execute 16 inmates after Ramadan</span></b><br /><br />16 people are set to face a firing squad in Indonesia this year, with the Attorney General saying they have the budget to execute another 30 in 2017.<br /><br />Attorney General Office Spokesman Muhammad Rum has told AAP the exact timing of the executions will be decided after Indonesia's Eid al-Fitr July national holiday, Lebaran (Ramadan).Mr Rum says drug offenders will be a 'priority' but this still needs to be confirmed.<br /><br />He says the most likely site for the executions is Nusakambangan - the notorious island prison where Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were shot by firing squads in April last year. Under the state budget a further 30 people are scheduled to face the death penalty next year, Mr Rum said.<br /><br />But, Mr Rum said, the location also still needs to be confirmed.<br /><br />'One thing for sure, it's after Lebaran, 16 people. That's all,' he added.Speaking after a hearing into the budget in parliament on Monday, Attorney General HM Prasetyo told Metro TV: 'We will not stop the execution ... The budget is ready'.<br /><br />'We still have 58 death convicts of drugs cases and 152 for all kinds of crimes - murder and there's also terrorism. All we will (execute).'<br /><br />Security Minister Luhut Panjaitan has previously said he did not want to see a repeat of the 'drama' or 'soap opera' such as that which occurred in the lead up to the Australians' executions, where Indonesia faced intense diplomatic pressure, as well as strident international appeals and pleas from family members.<br /><br />Indonesian law stipulates authorities only need to give 3 days' notice of an execution taking place.<br /><br />Speaking during the anniversary of Chan and Sukumaran's death this year, their Indonesian lawyer and long time anti-death penalty campaigner Dr Todung Mulya Lubis said while he could not see the abolition of the death penalty in the country happening 'any time soon', he hopes a bill tabled before parliament might provide a middle way.<br /><br />Under the proposed changes, if people show they have rehabilitated themselves, they could see their execution commuted to a life sentence.<br /><br />Source: Sky News, June 14, 2016<br /><br /><br /><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">21 Nigerians are among the 121 prisoners on death row in Indonesia.</span></b><br /><br />30 of the prisoners will be executed before the end of 2017. 18 of them will be executed after July 6, the Eid el-Fitr Muslim holiday, which ends the holy month of Ramadan.<br /><br />Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora to President Muhammadu Buhari, disclosed this to Independent on Monday.<br /><br />Bambang Waluyo, Indonesian Deputy Attorney General, announced the execution schedule during a parliamentary hearing in Jakarta. The Justice Ministry said those on death row in Indonesia are mostly convicted of drug-related crimes and that at least 35 of them are foreigners.<br /><br />In 2015, Indonesia had equally executed 14 convicts, all but 2 of them foreigners, in a move that drew international condemnation. Dabiri-Erewa noted that one Nigerian was executed in the last batch of execution. Under Indonesian law, each convict would face a squad of 10 gunmen.<br /><br />Dabiri-Erewa, who was chairman, House of Representatives' Committee on Diaspora before her present appointment, noted that when a Nigerian delegation visited Indonesia in 2010 to plead for Nigerians on death row, that the Indonesian government made it clear that the death penalty is the law.<br /><br />"As the world keeps appealing to Indonesia not to kill them, we must also admonish our citizens to avoid crime and be good ambassadors wherever they find themselves", she said.<br /><br />Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who took office in 2014, has taken a tough stance against drug trafficking, saying that the country is facing a drug emergency.<br /><br />Source: nigeriatoday.ng, June 14, 2016<br /><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Report an error, an omission:<a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com" target="_blank"> deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> - Follow us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Death-Penalty-News-206848499362906/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></span></div></div>

David Cameron Drug trafficking Indonesia Joko Widodo L. Sandiford Mary J. Veloso Nigeria Ramadan Serge Atlaoui UK Indonesia planning mass executions after Ramadan

Indonesia: Getting ready for a new wave of executions Spokesman for attorney-general confirms that executions are set to resume after a hiat...

Baca selengkapnya »