Egypt teenager’s death sentence condemned

Amnesty International today condemned the death sentence handed down by a Cairo military court against a 17-year-old boy, warning that unfair military trials are corroding Egypt’s criminal justice system.

Ahmed Marous Ibrahim was 1 of 4 people sentenced to death by hanging by Cairo’s Supreme Military Court for abducting and raping a 17-year-old girl.

“The military cannot be judge, prosecutor and executioner in post-uprising Egypt,” said Amnesty International.

“If justice is truly to be done for this terrible crime, the accused must first have a fair and public hearing before a criminal court and the victim be granted the right to confront the suspects,” said the organization.

“Sentencing a minor to death is frankly abhorrent and goes against a very clear prohibition in international law“.

The other three men convicted in the case are Mohamed Tarek Ragheb, 33, Karim Dahrouj Ahmed el-Sawy, 28, and Mahmoud Ramadan Abdul Hussein, 21.

Amnesty International is calling for Ahmed Marous Ibrahim and the 3 others to be re-tried before a civilian court. The organization has also urged the Egyptian authorities to ensure that the girl who was sexually assaulted is offered support, including counselling, and sees justice being done in a open and fair trial.

Hundreds of civilians have been tried before military courts since the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), Egypt’s governing military body, took power in February 2011. The SCAF has pledged to hand over power to civilians before the end of this year.

Amnesty International opposes trials of civilians before military courts, whose judges are serving members of the military.

“These courts flout international standards for fair trial, and are grossly unjust. The faith of many Egyptians in the criminal justice system is being sorely tested by military courts”.

“Law and order cannot be restored with the summary trials and sentencing of hundreds of civilians”.

Those convicted face an uncertain future. In military trials, the right to appeal to a higher tribunal is limited to hearings before the Supreme Court for Military Appeals (SCMA) which is composed exclusively of military officers.

The SCMA only examines the law and its interpretation, rather than the evidence itself or the factual basis of the charges. The right to an effective appeal is a fundamental judicial guarantee.

On 1 April, the SCAF announced that it would permit the death penalty for convicted rapists if the victim was under 18. The law would apply to minors under 18 as well. Both Egyptian and international law prohibit the death penalty for minors.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as the ultimate form of inhumane and degrading punishment.

Source: Amnesty International, May 19, 2011

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URGENT ACTION APPEAL for Sherko Moarefi, a member of Iran's Kurdish minority, at imminent risk of execution in Iran

Sherko Moarefi, a member of Iran's Kurdish minority, was not executed on 1 May, as had been widely expected.  However, his sentence has now been sent for implementation, the final stage of the process, and he could be executed at any time. 

Sherko Moarefi had been informally told by prison officials that he would be executed on 1 May 2011, but  never received official confirmation of this. He went on hunger strike on 28 April 2011 to protest his  "unknown and unspecific" legal circumstances, though he has since ended his hunger strike. On 27 April 2011, Sherko Moarefi's file was sent it to the Office for the Implementation of Sentences (OIS) in Saqqez, in the north-western province of Kordestan after Branch 27 of the Supreme Court had upheld Sherko Moarefi's death sentence for a second time. His lawyer has said that steps have been taken to bring procedural irregularities to the attention of the court, but that as the case has passed to the OIS, the sentence could be implemented at any time. 

Sherko Moarefi was arrested in October 2008 in the village of Dowlat Ghaleh near Saqqez, after which he was sentenced to death by a Revolutionary Court. Amnesty International has for many years raised concerns about the fairness of trials before Revolutionary Courts in Iran. Sherko Moarefi was sentenced to death for "acting against national security" and "enmity against God" for his alleged links to Komala, a banned Kurdish opposition group. The sentence was upheld on appeal and confirmed by the Supreme Court. 

Another Kurdish political prisoner, Habibollah Latifi, remains at risk of execution after his execution scheduled for 26 December 2010 was called off at the last minute after domestic and international pressure (see UA 271/09, and follow ups). He is an industrial engineering student at Ilam University in western Iran convicted of membership of and alleged activities on behalf of the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK), another proscribed armed group. At least 14 other Kurdish political prisoners are known to be on death row. 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION 

Sherko Moarefi's death sentence was upheld first by an Appeal Court and then by the Supreme Court. His court-appointed lawyer stated in an interview on 18 October 2009 that his request to the Amnesty and Clemency Commission had been rejected and that he had applied for a judicial review. This, too, was denied. Sherko Moarefi was told verbally in March that his execution was scheduled for 1 May, but his lawyers were never officially informed. Under Iranian law lawyers must be notified 48 hours prior to the implementation of the death penalty for a client. He went on hunger strike on 28 April 2011 to protest his "unknown and unspecific" legal circumstances, though he has since ended his hunger strike. His family was able to visit him on 3 May 2011. 

Kurds, who are one of Iran's many minority groups, live mainly in the west and north-west of the country, in the province of Kordestan and neighbouring provinces bordering Kurdish areas of Turkey and Iraq. They experience discrimination in the enjoyment of their religious, economic and cultural rights (see: Iran: Human rights abuses against the Kurdish minority, 30 July 2008 at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE13/088/2008/en ). For many years, Kurdish organizations such as the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) and the Marxist group Komala conducted armed struggle against the Islamic Republic of Iran, although neither currently does so. An alleged member of the KDPI, Farhad Tarom, was reported by Kurdish sources to have been executed in February 2011. A further group, the Party For Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), was formed in 2004, and carried out armed attacks against Iranian security forces, but declared a unilateral ceasefire in 2009, although it still engages in armed clashes with security forces in what it terms "self-defence". Hossein Khezri, a member of Iran's Kurdish minority, is feared to have been executed on 15 January 2011 in north-western Iran after being convicted of "enmity against God" on account of his membership of PJAK. The authorities announced that a PJAK member was executed on 15 January 2011 but did not name the individual. On 16 January 2011, PJAK issued a statement pledging an "appropriate response" to what they clearly believe to have been Hossein Khezri's execution and calling for a week of "resistance" to Iran. 

Amnesty International condemns without reservation attacks on civilians, which includes judges, clerics, and locally or nationally-elected officials, as attacking civilians violates fundamental principles of international humanitarian law. These principles prohibit absolutely attacks on civilians as well as indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks. Such attacks cannot be justified under any circumstances. 

The scope of capital crimes in Iran is broad. The death penalty is one of four possible punishments for those convicted of moharebeh, a charge often brought against those accused of armed opposition to the state. Other capital crimes include other national security offenses such as espionage. At least 13 other Kurdish men and one Kurdish woman are believed to be on death row in connection with their alleged membership of and activities for proscribed Kurdish organizations. They are Sami Hosseini, Jamal Mohammadi, Rashid Akhkandi, Rostam Arkia, Anvar Rostami, Mostafa Salimi, Mohammad Amin Abdollahi, Ghader (or Aziz) Mohammadzadeh, Hassan Talai, Habibollah Golparipour, Abdollah Sorouri, Loghman (or Loqman) Moradi, Zaniar Moradi (who was only 17 when arrested) and Zeynab Jalalian. Some have had initial prison sentences increased to death sentences. Ehsan Fattahian, a member of Komala, was executed on 11 November 2009 in Sanandaj, the capital of Kordestan province. 

December 2010 and January 2011 saw an alarming rise in the rate of executions, mainly of individuals convicted of offenses related to trafficking and possession of illegal drugs, although the rate has since declined. Additionally, since the start of 2011, up to 18 men have been hanged in public, compared to 14 such executions recorded by Amnesty International in the whole of 2010. Thirteen of those executions have taken place since 16 April 2011. On 20 April 2011, two juvenile offenders -- identified only as "A.N" and "H.B" - 

were among three individuals hanged in public in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, after being convicted over a rape and murder committed when they were only 17. A fourth man was hanged at the same time for rape. A 16-year-old member of the Ahwazi Arab minority was reportedly hanged in Khuzestan province between 5 and 7 May 2011 in the wake of clashes between Arabs and security forces on 15 April 2011. 

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible: 

- Urging the Iranian authorities not to carry out the execution of Sherko Moarefi and to grant a judicial review; 

- Calling on them to commute the death sentences of Sherko Moarefi, Habibollah Latifi and anyone else on death row, including other Kurdish political prisoners; 

- Stating that Amnesty International recognizes the right and responsibility of governments to bring to justice, in conformity with international standards for fair trial, those suspected of criminal offenses, but opposes the death penalty as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. 

APPEALS TO: 

Leader of the Islamic Republic 

Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei 

The Office of the Supreme Leader 

Islamic Republic Street – End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street 

Tehran 

IRAN 

Email: info_leader@leader.ir

via website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter (English) 

Twitter: @khamenei_ir 

(please add #Iran in the body of the message which cannot exceed 140 characters, including spaces and 

punctuation) 

Salutation: Your Excellency 

Head of the Judiciary 

Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani 

[care of] Public relations Office 

Number 4, 2 Azizi Street 

Vali Asr Ave., above Pasteur Street intersection 

Tehran 

IRAN 

Email: bia.judi@yahoo.com

(In subject line: FAO Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani) 

Salutation: Your Excellency 

COPIES TO: 

Secretary General, High Council for Human Rights 

Mohammad Javad Larijani 

High Council for Human Rights 

[Care of] Office of the Head of the Judiciary 

Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave. south of Serah-e Jomhouri, 

Tehran 1316814737 

IRAN 

Email: info@humanrights-iran.ir (subject line: FAO Mohammad Javad Larijani) 

Salutation: Dear Sir 

Iran does not presently have an embassy in the United States. Instead, please send copies to: 

Iranian Interests Section 

2209 Wisconsin Ave NW 

Washington DC 20007 

Phone: 202 965 4990 

Fax: 202 965 1073 

Email: requests@daftar.org

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.

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Nine hanged in Ahvaz, south of Iran

This picture is from a public
execution in April this year in Shiraz.

Iran Human Rights, May 8: According to the reports from Iran nine people, among them one minor, have been executed in the city of Ahvaz south of Iran.

According to the Persian section of Alarabiya (the news website of Alarabiya TV channel), Iran’s Judiciary has announced that nine people charged with murder of the security officers and committing acts against chastity, have been executed.

Quoting the website Ahvaz news, Alarabiya reported that three of the men were hanged in public in Ahvaz, while the other six were hanged inside the prison of Ahvaz. According to these reports one of those hanged in the prison was 16 years old.

According to Ahvaz news the nine men executed were identified as follows:

Three brothers identified as Ali Heydari (25), Jasem Heydari (23) and Naser Heydari (23) were hanged in public in the Hamidiyeh area west of Ahvaz. The executions took place on Thursday May 5th according to the report.

Six others who were hanged inside the Karoun prison of Ahvaz were identified as Amir Moavi, Ali Na’ami, Amir Badvi, Ahmad Naseri (22) and Hashem Hamidi (16 years).

All those executed had been arrested in connection to the unrests in April 2011 in Ahvaz, where several people had been killed in clashes between the security forces and the inhabitants of an Arab neighborhood in Ahvaz.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of the Iran Human Rights urged the world community and the United Nations to conduct an independent investigation on the reports regarding the executions and unrest in Ahvaz.

Source: Iran Human Rights, May 9, 2011 - [فارسى]

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Four hanged in public in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran

Iran Human Rights, April 21: Four people were hanged in public in the city of Bandar Abbas, south of Iran, this morning.

According to several Iranians, the men, who were not identified by name or age, were convicted of rape and murder.

The men were hanged in the popular beach area of "Bostan-e saheli-e Ghadir" under strict security measures.

"Bostan-e- Saheli-e Ghadir" is a popular beach area used for beach sports or photographing the sunset.

This is the 8th public hanging so far in Iran.

Source: Iran Human Rights, April 21, 2011

At least two juvenile offenders among the four executed in public in Bandar Abbas

Iran Human Rights, April 25: According to the reports that Iran Human Rights (IHR) has received from reliable sources, at least two of those who were hanged in Bandar Abbas last week, were 17 years old at the time of the alleged offence.

Four young men were hanged by cranes on April 21. on a beach in the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas. Three of the men were convicted of murdering a 15 years old boy November 30th 2008. Another man was convicted of raping a girl on May 8th 2009.

According to IHR’s sources the three men in the murder case were arrested few months after the alleged offence. At that time they were identified as "S. N." (18 years old), "A. N." (17 years old) and "H. B." (17 years old).

It is not clear whether "S.N." was 18 or 17 years old at the time of the alleged offence which was several months prior to the arrest.

The person who was convicted of raping a 17 years old girl in 2009 was identified as "S. M." (22 years old).

Iran has ratified the UN’s convention of the Child’s rights that bans death penalty for offences convicted at less than 18 years of age, and which is legally binding. But despite this fact, Iran is on the top of the world in regard to execution of minors. Iranian authorities have executed more than 25 minor offenders since 2007. According to the annual reports of IHR, at least 9 minor offenders were executed in 2007, 9 in 2008, 5 in 2009; 2 in 2010 and at least two minor offenders have been executed so far in 2011.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of IHR, urges the UN’s Special Rapporteur who is scheduled to travel to Iran during the 2011 to give special attention to the minors on the death row.

Source: Iran Human Rights, April 25, 2011 - [فارسى]
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He was 14 years, 6 months and 5 days old --- and the youngest person executed in the United States in the 20th Century

George Junius Stinney Jr.
1929-1944

In a South Carolina prison sixty-six years ago, guards walked a 14-year-old boy, bible tucked under his arm, to the electric chair. At 5' 1" and 95 pounds, the straps didn’t fit, and an electrode was too big for his leg.

The switch was pulled and the adult sized death mask fell from George Stinney’s face. Tears streamed from his eyes. Witnesses recoiled in horror as they watched the youngest person executed in the United States in the past century die.

Now, a community activist is fighting to clear Stinney’s name, saying the young boy couldn’t have killed two girls. George Frierson, a school board member and textile inspector, believes Stinney’s confession was coerced, and that his execution was just another injustice blacks suffered in Southern courtrooms in the first half of the 1900s.

In a couple of cases like Stinney’s, petitions are being made before parole boards and courts are being asked to overturn decisions made when society’s thumb was weighing the scales of justice against blacks. These requests are buoyed for the first time in generations by money, college degrees and sometimes clout.

“I hope we see more cases like this because it help brings a sense of closure. It’s symbolic,” said Howard University law professor Frank Wu. “It’s not just important for the individuals and their families. It’s important for the entire community. Not just for African Americans, but for whites and for our democracy as a whole. What these cases show is that it is possible to achieve justice.”

Some have already achieved justice. Earlier this year, syndicated radio host Tom Joyner successfully won a posthumous pardon for two great uncles who were executed in South Carolina.

A few years ago Lena Baker, a black Georgia maid sent to the electric chair for killing a white man, received a pardon after her family pointed out she likely killed the man because he was holding her against her will.

In the Stinney case, supporters want the state to admit that officials executed the wrong person in June 1944.

Stinney was accused of killing two white girls, 11 year old Betty June Binnicker and 8 year old Mary Emma Thames, by beating them with a railroad spike then dragging their bodies to a ditch near Acolu, about five miles from Manning in central South Carolina. The girls were found a day after they disappeared following a massive manhunt. Stinney was arrested a few hours later, white men in suits taking him away. Because of the risk of a lynching, Stinney was kept at a jail 50 miles away in Columbia.

Stinney’s father, who had helped look for the girls, was fired immediately and ordered to leave his home and the sawmill where he worked. His family was told to leave town prior to the trial to avoid further retribution. An atmosphere of lynch mob hysteria hung over the courthouse. Without family visits, the 14 year old had to endure the trial and death alone.

Frierson hasn’t been able to get the case out of his head since, carrying around a thick binder of old newspaper stories and documents, including an account from an execution witness.

The sheriff at the time said Stinney admitted to the killings, but there is only his word — no written record of the confession has been found. A lawyer helping Frierson with the case figures threats of mob violence and not being able to see his parents rattled the seventh- grader.

Attorney Steve McKenzie said he has even heard one account that says detectives offered the boy ice cream once they were done.

“You’ve got to know he was going to say whatever they wanted him to say,” McKenzie said.

The court appointed Stinney an attorney — a tax commissioner preparing for a Statehouse run. In all, the trial — from jury selection to a sentence of death — lasted one day. Records indicate 1,000 people crammed the courthouse. Blacks weren’t allowed inside.

The defense called no witnesses and never filed an appeal. No one challenged the sheriff’s recollection of the confession.

“As an attorney, it just kind of haunted me, just the way the judicial system worked to this boy’s disadvantage or disfavor. It did not protect him,” said McKenzie, who is preparing court papers to ask a judge to reopen the case.

Stinney’s official court record contains less than two dozen pages, several of them arrest warrants. There is no transcript of the trial.

The lack of records, while not unusual, makes it harder for people trying to get these old convictions overturned, Wu said.

But these old cases also can have a common thread.

“Some of these cases are so egregious, so extreme that when you look at it, the prosecution really has no case either,” Wu said. “It’s apparent from what you can see that someone was railroaded.”

And sometimes, police under pressure by frightened citizens jumped to conclusions rather than conducting a thorough investigation, Wu said.

Source: Bluffton Today - 'Crusaders look to right Jim Crow justice wrongs' by Jeffrey Collins - Photo: South Carolina Department of Archives and History

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Iranian lawyer revives Delara: who is responsible for her death?

The following is a recent letter on *Delara Darabi’s execution that occurred two years ago, from the blog of Mohammad Mostafaei, one of Delara Darabi’s lawyers. Delara (left) was executed in Iran on May 1, 2009.

*An alternate spelling to the name Delara is Delaram. “Del” in Persian means heart, “aram” means calm.

Who is responsible for Delara’s death?

Written by Mohammad Mostafaei, Modafe, Translation by Siavosh Jalili, Persian2English

In Norouz (March) 2009, I decided to spontaneously go to Rasht prison and visit a girl [artist/painter] on death row. I was feeling very anxious, but I wanted to see Delara Darabi, the girl who was arrested when she was only 17 years old and charged with murder. I wanted to do something for her. I had read about her in the newspaper several times. I entered the visitation room after gaining permission from the judicial assistant supervisor of the prison. Several officers were also present. When I showed one of them the Judge’s order, the official looked at me and asked, “Are you Mr. Mostafaei?” I replied, “Yes, why?” He said, “Nothing. I have heard a lot about you. I hope you can do something for Delara so that she will not be executed.” The official knew that there was nothing more anybody could do. Delara Darabi’s fate was execution because a powerful person made it his mission to execute her. Her execution was certain.
The person in charge of the office picked up the phone and told the person on the other side of the line to bring Delara to the visitation room. I was really stressed out. I was about to see the girl whom I had already told the press my opinion on her case. I waited half an hour when, from behind the window, a girl with dyed hair and a bright [fair] face walked toward the room. She was accompanied by a lady who was evidently a prison guard. The closer she reached, the faster my heart palpitated.

The meeting room door was opened. The girl looked and recognized me. She could not speak. She was laughing and shedding tears of joy. “I did not think anybody would come visit me. You’re the first person who has visited me in the New Year,” [she told me]. I asked her what I could do to help. She replied, “I want you to also be my lawyer as Mr. Khorramshahi works on the case.” I asked her to tell me her story one more time.
Delara began to recount the story. She said that she was not the murderer. [She said] it was Amir Hossein (her boyfriend) who committed the murder. “I agreed to take the blame for the murder, because I was young and really liked him,” she said, [and added] that she lied to her father and said she was the murderer. [Delara] cried as she told the story. She said no one believed her, [but swore] that she did not commit the murder. She also said that the Rasht Prosecutor pulled her aside several times and threatened to execute her.
Delara’s innocent face told me that she was not the killer. She was different form all the clients I had before. She put make up on and always dyed her hair. She said that she spent most of her time drawing, [because she loved it]. She also studied. She never thought that one day she would be executed. She had suffered so much in prison that one could see the reflection of her pain and agony. I left the prison that day, and she stayed behind in the place where she was eventually executed.
The ignoble Rasht Prosecutor along with his mercenaries visited the prison [early morning] on [Labour Day] (May 1, 2009). They called Delara’s name [for execution] on a holiday, like they had gone to hunt a beautiful gazelle. Violent beasts wanted to devour this beautiful gazelle like wolves to prevent her from ever drawing again. They took her to the execution hall. They cackled, passed her the phone, and told her to call her mother to tell her that she would be executed in a few moments. She took the phone handle while her hands shook. She begged them and said, “I am not the murderer. Do not kill me.” Everybody knew she was not the murderer, but they needed to have fun on their days off. And no game was better than Delara: a stunning gazelle with excited eyes, a bright face. She called her mother and, in a shaky voice, told her about what was to happen. Her mother hung up the phone, took a copy of Qur’an and rushed to Rasht prison. She banged on the closed gates of the prison with both fists. She begged. She screamed, but nobody opened the door. The hunters had their game. The large gates of the prison opened up and an ambulance took Delara away. The [young woman] with the calm heart did not rest in peace…
I had taken part in execution ceremonies before, and I could imagine how she was executed. She could not believe that she would be hanged. She lost control. She could not think. The wolves surrounded her. She had no choice but to beg…the begs that went unanswered. They took her two hands and led her to the stool. Delara continued to implore. She was only 17 years old when the murder took place. Even if she was the murderer, given her age, she did not deserve to die; the same way no human being deserves to die.
They put a thick blue rope around her neck. The wolves indulged in the sight of Delara’s death. The Rasht Prosecutor ordered the stool to be drawn from beneath her feet. Delara was hanged. She shook, then she was in peace…the world cries in sorrow and bereft.

Many months passed. Nobody could believe that this beautiful gazelle fell victim to the violent hunting wolves.
Several days ago, I heard that Amir Hossein, who was the real murderer in the case of Delara, hung himself in Rasht prison. I knew one of his cell mates who was recently released. I was able to obtain his phone number and talk to him. He said, “Prior to Delara’s death, [Amir Hossein] had told the Rasht Prsoecutor several times that he was the [murderer, not] Delara. After Delara was executed, he wrote a letter and said that she was innocent. One time, the Prosecutor went to the prison and threatened to kill [Amir Hossein] if he said anything. Nobody wanted to hear Amir Hossein’s words. He was depressed after Delara’s execution and was having a hard time. Finally, and to ease his conscience, he hung himself”.
Delara was not a murderer, and there are hundreds of other defendants who are accused of murders they have not committed. I have seen many cases in Iran, but the violence of the leaders of the Islamic Republic [consists of] executing and killing innocent people.

Who is responsible? Who will [provide an] answer [for] this injustice? How can one revive Delara? She was innocent. Her crime was drawing paintings and playing in her [youthful] world, but her fate was execution. Was her crime being an Iranian or being in love?

Related articles: "Iran: Delara Darabi has now been scheduled for execution", Amnesty International, April 18, 2009; "Iran: Delara Darabi executed", Amnesty International, May 1, 2009

Source: Persian2English, March 31, 2011 - Click here to read this article in Persian.
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Cruel and usual: US solitary confinement

As incarceration rates explode in the US, thousands are placed in solitary confinement, often without cause. In Europe, solitary confinement has largely been abandoned, and it is widely viewed as a form of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, in violation of international human rights conventions.

The spectre of Bradley Manning lying naked and alone in a tiny cell at the Quantico Marine Base, less than 50 miles from Washington, DC, conjures up images of an American Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib, where isolation and deprivation have been raised to the level of torture.

In fact, the accused Wikileaker, now in his tenth month of solitary confinement, is far from alone in his plight. Every day in the US, tens of thousands of prisoners languish in "the hole".

A few of them are prison murderers or rapists who present a threat to others. Far more have committed minor disciplinary infractions within prison or otherwise run afoul of corrections staff. Many of them suffer from mental illness, and are isolated for want of needed treatment; others are children, segregated for their own "protection"; a growing number are elderly and have spent half their lives or more in utter solitude.

No one knows for sure what their true numbers are. Many states, as well as the federal government, flatly declare that solitary confinement does not exist in their prison systems. As for their euphemistically named "Secure Housing Units" or "Special Management Units", most states do not report occupancy data, nor do wardens report on the inmates sent to "administrative segregation".

Prosecutor, judge and jury

By common estimate, more than 20,000 inmates are held in supermax prisons, which by definition isolate their prisoners. Perhaps 50,000 to 80,000 more are in solitary confinement on any given day in other prisons and local jails, many of them within sight of communities where Americans go about their everyday lives.

Click here to read the full article.

Source: Al Jazeera, Jean Casella, March 24, 2011

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Mass executions continue in Iran

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, on February 4th said: “We have urged Iran, time and again, to halt executions. I am very dismayed that instead of heeding our calls, the Iranian authorities appear to have stepped up the use of the death penalty. (1)"

This was 33 days ago. Since then, recently, Iran executed a 16 years old child and his friend accused of murder. Iran today is the only country in the world that still executes minors (2). Iran is the leading country in the world in executing people per capita. In the name of rape, drug related charges, pornography, enemy of God and multiple other accusations. Iran has since the beginning 2011 executed over 231 people (3). What is as alarming in this spree of executions is that the execution of Kurdish activists, without fair trials and following torture, increasingly appears as a systematic, politically motivated process. (4)

The Kurds, who make up approximately 7 to 12% of Iran’s total population, are greatly deprived of cultural and linguistic rights. Within the governmental institutions in the Kurdish-populated areas, or any other institutions, the Kurdish language is prohibited. Unemployment in the Kurdish regions remains among the highest across Iran and the region is among the least developed. Activists who spread awareness of the problems and concerns are often met with extreme punishment, and have in many cases, become victims like Mr. Farhad Tarom, Mr. Hossein Khezri, Mr. Farzad Kamanger, Ms. Shirin Alam Hooli, Mr. Ali Heydarian, Mr. Farhad Vakili, and many others who have been executed.

(1) http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/02/03/iran.executions/

(2) http://hra-news.org/1389-01-28-00-30-11/7214-1.html

(3) http://www.freedomessenger.com/?p=23581

(4) http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/02/03/iran.executions/

Related video (YouTube): Iran, January 2011

Source: Kurdishrights.com, March 10, 2011

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Three hanged in Tehran's Evin prison

Tehran's Evin Prison

Iran Human Rights, March 8: Three men were hanged in Tehran’s Evin prison on Saturday March 5th, reported the government newspaper Iran today.

According to the report all three prisoners who were not identified by name, were Afghan citizens and convicted of raping a woman in Varamin in 2009.

The report didn not mention age of the three men at the time of committing the alleged offence and Iran Human Rights (IHR) can not rule out that there might be minor offenders among those executed on Saturday in Tehran.

Source: Iran Human Rights, March 9, 2011 - [فارسى]
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Teenager sentenced to death in Iran

An Iranian regime court in the province of Fars has sentenced a teenage boy to death by hanging.

According to reports from Harana news agency on Saturday, Ashkan Miri was 14 at the time of committing the crime attributed to him by the regime. He was reportedly involved in a brawl that led to the accidental death of another teenager.

Reports also indicate that Ashkan's father had given up his son to the regime's judiciary thinking that because of his young age he would not face the death penalty. But, the regime's judiciary officials sentenced him to death nonetheless.

Source: National Council of Resistance of Iran - Foreign Affairs Committee, Feb. 7, 2011

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Clemency urged for juvenile offender facing imminent execution in Yemen

Amnesty International has called on the Yemeni authorities to halt the imminent execution of a man facing the death penalty for a murder he is alleged to have committed when he was under 18 years old.

Yemeni authorities are reported to have stopped Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum's prison visits, prompting fears that his execution could be imminent. He was initially scheduled for execution on 12 January but was granted a temporary reprieve by the Attorney General.

"We urge President Ali Abdullah Saleh to show clemency in this case and prevent the state killing of Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum, a young man accused of a murder committed when he says he was still under 18," said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

"The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, and it must never be applied to juvenile offenders."

Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum was sentenced to death in September 2001 by the Criminal Court in Ibb, west Yemen, for a murder he is alleged to have committed in June 1999. He maintains that he was under 18 years old at the time of the alleged offence but does not have a birth certificate.

Another alleged juvenile offender convicted of murder, Fuad Ahmed Ali Abdullah, remains at risk of execution although he was given a temporary reprieve on 18 December 2010, the day before he was due to be executed by firing squad, following the intervention of his lawyer.

He was sentenced to death for a murder committed when he is believed to have been under 18. Yemen's Attorney General is expected to request that his age be determined by a forensic doctor.

"Executing individuals for crimes they are alleged to have committed when they were less than 18 years of age is not only inhumane but also contravenes both Yemeni law Yemen's obligations under international human rights treaties," said Malcolm Smart.

Yemen is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which expressly prohibit the execution of juvenile offenders – those convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18.

Amnesty International is aware of at least eight other people who are possible juvenile offenders on death row in Yemen and has long-standing concerns about the use of the death penalty in the country, particularly as death sentences are often passed after legal proceedings which fail to satisfy international standards for fair trial.

In 2010, at least 51 people were executed in Yemen. At least 2 more people have been executed since the start of this year. Hundreds of people are believed to be under sentence of death.

Source: Amnesty Internatnional, January 18, 2011

Halt Pending Execution of Child Offender

The Yemeni government should immediately halt plans to execute Muhammad Tahir Thabit Samum and revoke his death sentence, Human Rights Watch said today.

Samum is scheduled to be executed as early as January 19, 2011, for a murder he was accused of committing when he said he was still a child. Both Yemeni and international law prohibit imposing the death sentence on individuals who commit crimes while under age 18.

"The Yemeni government should uphold its own laws banning the execution of individuals who committed crimes as children," said Bede Sheppard, senior children's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Samum may be facing imminent execution simply for the lack of a birth certificate."

Samum was sentenced for killing 'Ammar Ahmad Husain al-Jumaili. A Yemeni child protection organization, Seyaj, contends that records in his court file prove that Samum was under 18 at the time.

Yemen retains the death penalty for a wide variety of offenses, among them murder of a Muslim, arson or explosion, endangering transport and communications, apostasy, robbery, prostitution, adultery, and homosexuality, in addition to various crimes against state security. In 1994 Yemen amended its criminal code to require non-capital sentences for crimes committed by people under 18, including a maximum penalty of ten years in prison for those who commit offenses that would carry the death penalty if they were adults.

However, Yemen lacks adequate mechanisms for determining ages of defendants who lack birth certificates, including adequate forensic facilities with staff trained to determine a defendant's age. According to the United Nations Childrens' Fund (UNICEF), only 22 percent of births in Yemen are officially registered, highlighting the importance of having other reasonable procedures for allowing defendants to establish their ages.

"When governments fail to guarantee universal birth registration, the only fair approach is to give great deference to any available evidence suggesting that the defendant was under age," Sheppard said.

Since 1993, Yemen is known to have executed only one juvenile offender, ‘Adil Muhammad Saif al-Ma'amari, in February 2007. A court in Rawna sentenced al-Ma'amari to death on October 19, 2002, for the murder of a relative in an argument when he was 16. Al-Ma'amari told the court that he was under 18 at the time of the murder. Although the judge ordered a medical examination that resulted in an October 10, 2001 finding that he was under age 17, the court nevertheless imposed a death sentence. Al-Ma'amari had no legal assistance during the trial. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights - international treaties to which Yemen is a party - ban the execution of offenders who committed a crime when under age 18. Only three countries - Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan - are known to have executed an individual since the beginning of 2009 for a crime committed before age 18.

Source: Human Rights Watch, January 18, 2011

URGENT APPEAL for Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum and Fuad Ahmed Ali Abdulla, two juvenile offenders at imminent risk of execution in Yemen

Amnesty International has received information that alleged juvenile offenders Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum and Fuad Ahmed Ali Abdulla are at imminent risk of execution in Yemen. They could be executed as early as 19 January. 

Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum was sentenced to death in September 2001 by the Criminal Court in Ibb, south-west Yemen. He was convicted of a murder he was alleged to have committed in June 1999 while still under 18 years old. His death sentence was upheld by an appeal court in May 2005, confirmed by the Supreme Court in April 2010 and has since been ratified by the President of Yemen. He is being held in Ibb prison. 

He maintains that he was under 18 years old at the time of the alleged offense, but does not have a birth certificate. He was scheduled for execution on 12 January 2011 but was granted a temporary stay of execution by the Attorney General. This followed an intervention by his lawyer who applied to submit a vaccination card and school certificates which would indicate that he was under 18 years old at the time of the alleged crime. However, the application was rejected and the Attorney General has since indicated that the execution of Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum can be carried out. He has yet to sign the order for the execution. 

Fuad Ahmed Ali Abdulla was sentenced to death after being convicted of a murder he was alleged to have committed while still under 18 years old. Although the court considered that he was over 18 years old at the time of the alleged crime, it is unclear how it determined this. He was scheduled for execution on 19 December but this was halted following an intervention by his lawyer. The Attorney General’s office is expected to request that his age be determined by a forensic doctor. Amnesty International has received information that his birth certificate states he was born in 1988 and that his alleged crime took place in June 2004, meaning that he would have been 16 or 17 years old at the time and around 22 years old now. He is being held in Ta’izz prison. 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION 

Yemen is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil  and Political Rights, both of which expressly prohibit the execution of juvenile offenders – those convicted  of crimes committed when they were under 18 years of age. The application of the death penalty on juvenile offenders is also expressly prohibited in Article 31 of Yemen’s Penal Code. 

Yemen has made significant progress in the prohibition of the use of the death penalty against juveniles, but courts continue to sentence alleged juvenile offenders to death. The legal progress to prohibit the use of the death penalty against juveniles followed the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the government in 1991. At that time the prohibition of the use of the death penalty against juveniles was limited to offenders below the age of 15 at the time of the crime. However, this categorical prohibition was extended in 1994 to include individuals below the age of 18 at the time of the commission of capital offenses. This is stipulated in Article 31 of the Penal Code, Law 12 of 1994, and marks a positive progress bringing Yemen’s laws into line with Article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which categorically prohibit the use of the death penalty against anyone under 18 years of age at the time of commission of any crime. 

Yemen’s legislative progress in this regard has not been consistently matched by the practice of the courts, which have sometimes imposed the death penalty on offenders who were below the age of 18 at the time of the offense. Amnesty International is aware of at least eight other people who are possible juvenile offenders under sentence of death in Yemen. 

Amnesty International has long-standing concerns about the use of the death penalty in Yemen, particularly as death sentences are often passed after proceedings which fall short of international standards for fair trial. 

In 2009, at least 53 people were sentenced to death and at least 30 people were executed. In 2010, at least 51 people have been executed. In 2011, at least two people have been executed so far. Hundreds of people are believed to be under sentence of death. 

Amnesty International acknowledges the right and responsibility of governments to bring to justice those suspected of recognizably criminal offenses, but is unconditionally opposed to the death penalty in all cases as the ultimate cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment, and as a violation of the right to life. 

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible: 

- Calling on the President of Yemen to halt the execution of Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum; 

- Calling on the authorities to commute the death sentences of Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum and Fuad Ahmed Ali Abdulla; 

- Reminding the authorities that they should act in accordance with their obligations under international law, particularly Article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and end the use of the death penalty against juvenile offenders. 

APPEALS TO: 

President 

His Excellency Ali Abdullah Saleh 

Office of the President of the Republic of Yemen 

Sana'a 

REPUBLIC OF YEMEN 

Fax: 011 967 1 274 147 

Salutation: Your Excellency 

Attorney General 

His Excellency 'Abdullah al-'Ulufi 

Office of the Attorney General 

Sana'a 

REPUBLIC OF YEMEN 

Fax: 011 967 1 374 412 

Salutation: Your Excellency 

COPIES TO: 

Minister of Human Rights 

Her Excellency Dr Huda Ali Abdullatef Alban 

Ministry for Human Rights 

Sana'a, 

REPUBLIC OF YEMEN 

Fax: 011 967 1 419 700 (please keep trying) 

Email: mshr@y.net.ye

Salutation: Your Excellency 

Ambassador Abdulwahab A. Al Hajjri 

Embassy of the Republic of Yemen 

2319 Wyoming Ave NW 

Washington DC 20008 

Fax: 1 202 337 2017 

Email: ambassador@yemenembassy.org

counselor@yemenembassy.org

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.

Yemeni authorities called upon to commute juvenile offender's death sentence

Amnesty International today called upon the Yemeni authorities to halt the imminent execution of a young man for a crime he is alleged to have committed at the age of 15. (More here)

"We are urgently appealing to President Ali Abdullah Saleh to show clemency in the case of alleged juvenile offender Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum," said Philip Luther, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa. "We call for him to be saved from execution -- the ultimate cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment -- and for his death sentence to be commuted."

As President Ali Abdullah Saleh has now ratified Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum's death sentence, he is at imminent risk of execution. Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum has been sentenced to death for a murder he is alleged to have committed in May 2002. Although he does not have a birth certificate, he maintains that he is now 24 years old, which would make him 15 years old at the time of the offence.

Another alleged juvenile offender, Fuad Ahmed Ali Abdulla, whose death sentence was due to be carried out on 19 December, had his execution halted by the Yemeni authorities on 18 December. His case is now to be reviewed.

In both cases, it is unclear how the court determined their ages.

"Yemen has the right and responsibility to bring to justice those suspected of recognizably criminal offences, but Amnesty International is unconditionally opposed to the death penalty in all cases," said Philip Luther.

"Executing individuals for crimes they are accused of committing while apparently under 18 is not only inhumane but also in contravention of Yemen's obligations according to both Yemeni and international law."

Yemen is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which expressly prohibit the execution of juvenile offenders -- those convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18.

The application of the death penalty on juvenile offenders is also expressly prohibited in Article 31 of Yemen's Penal Code.

Amnesty International is aware of at least eight other people who are possible juvenile offenders on death row in Yemen and has long-standing concerns about the use of the death penalty in the country, particularly as death sentences are often passed after proceedings which fall short of international standards for fair trial.

In 2009, at least 53 people were sentenced to death and at least 30 people were executed in Yemen. In 2010 so far, at least 19 people have been executed. Hundreds are believed to be on death row.

Note for editors

Yemen has made significant progress in the prohibition of the use of the death penalty against juveniles, but courts continue to sentence alleged juvenile offenders to death. The legal progress to prohibit the use of the death penalty against juveniles followed the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the government in 1991. At that time the prohibition of the use of the death penalty against juveniles was limited to offenders below the age of 15 at the time of the crime. However, this categorical prohibition was extended in 1994 to include individuals below the age of 18 at the time of the commission of capital offences. This was stipulated in Article 31 of the Penal Code, Law 12 of 1994, and marked a positive development, bringing Yemen's laws into line with Article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which categorically prohibit the use of the death penalty against anyone under 18 years of age at the time of commission of any crime.

Click here to take action now.

Source: Amnesty International, December 21, 2010

Iraq has executed 257 since 2005: Minister

The derelict Khan Bani Saad Correctional
Facility, about 12 miles northeast of Baghdad

December 16, 2010: Iraq has executed 257 people, including six women, since 2005, deputy justice minister Busho Ibrahim told AFP on Thursday, amid calls from the United Nations for Iraq to abolish capital punishment.

Ibrahim also said the country was embarking on a major prison rebuilding and renovation programme that would see all of its 33 jails upgraded to what he said would be international standards by 2015.

"Executions began in August 2005, and 37 people are presently ready to be executed, following approval from the presidency council," Ibrahim said.

He said 251 men and six women had been executed since Iraq lifted the moratorium on the death penalty it adopted after the 2003 US-led invasion that overthrew Saddam Hussein.

This year, Iraq has executed just 17 people, sharply down on 2009 when it put 124 people to death, four of them women.

Ibrahim gave no explanation for the fall but Iraq has been without a government for much of this year and under the constitution all executions have to approved by a member of the three-man presidency.

Ibrahim also said that Iraq was embarking on a massive prison revamping programme, due to be completed in 2015.

"There are some plans to build new prisons because most of our current prisons are very old," he said. "Only the prisons that were built by the Americans are of good quality. All of the Saddam-era prisons, except for Badoush in Mosul (northern Iraq), need to be rebuilt, renovated or modernised.

"By 2014 or 2015, all prisons in Iraq should be fully updated or rebuilt," Ibrahim said, putting the current capacity of the 33 prisons operated by the justice ministry, two of which are not being used, at 28,530.

Iraq's fractured penal system means that while all convicted prisoners are sent to justice ministry jails, the ministries of interior and defence operate their own pre-trial detention facilities.

Ibrahim said that as of December 9, a total of 24,783 people were being held in justice ministry prisons, including both convicts and remand prisoners.

Among them are 130 minors convicted of offences and 45 awaiting trial. A total of 341 adult women are serving sentences, while 241 are on remand.

Overall, he put prison operating costs at between 180 and 190 dollars per prisoner per month -- 150 dollars a month for food, with the remainder being spent on clothing, healthcare and other basic services.

Related article: 'Iraq has 835 prisoners on death row', AFP, December 13, 2010

Source: AFP, December 16, 2010

URGENT APPEAL for 2 juvenile offenders at imminent risk of execution in Yemen

Amnesty International has received information that the President of Yemen has signed the death sentences of two alleged juvenile offenders. One of them has been scheduled for execution on 19 December. They are both at imminent risk of execution.

Fuad Ahmed Ali Abdulla has been scheduled for execution on 19 December. He was sentenced to death after being convicted of a murder he was alleged to have committed while still under 18.

Although the court considered that he was over 18 years old at the time of the alleged crime, it is unclear how it determined this. Amnesty International has received information that his birth certificate states he was born in 1988 and that his alleged crime took place in June 2004, meaning that he would have been 16 or 17 years old at the time and around 22 years old now. He is being held in Ta'izz prison.

In another case, Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum was alleged to have committed a murder in May 2002. He maintains that he is aged around 24 years old, which would have made him around 15 years old at the time of the offense. He does not have a birth certificate. It is unclear as to how the court determined his age.

In both cases, the President of Yemen has ratified their death sentences. Fuad Ahmed Ali Abdulla has since been scheduled for execution and Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum is also at imminent risk of execution.

Amnesty International is aware of at least eight other people who are possible juvenile offenders on death row. Yemen is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which expressly prohibit the execution of juvenile offenders – those convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18. The application of the death penalty on juvenile offenders is also expressly prohibited in Article 31 of Yemen's Penal Code.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Yemen has made significant progress in the prohibition of the use of the death penalty against juveniles, but courts continue to sentence alleged juvenile offenders to death. The legal progress to prohibit the use of the death penalty against juveniles followed the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the government in 1991. At that time the prohibition of the use of the death penalty against juveniles was limited to offenders below the age of 15 at the time of the crime. However, this categorical prohibition was extended in 1994 to include individuals below the age of 18 at the time of the commission of capital offenses. This is stipulated in Article 31 of the Penal Code, Law 12 of 1994, and marks a positive progress bringing Yemen’s laws into line with Article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which categorically prohibit the use of the death penalty against anyone under 18 years of age at the time of commission of any crime.

Yemen's legislative progress in this regard has not been consistently matched by the practice of the courts, which have sometimes imposed the death penalty on offenders who were below the age of 18 at the time of the offense.

Amnesty International has long-standing concerns about the use of the death penalty in Yemen, particularly as death sentences are often passed after proceedings which fall short of international standards for fair trial.

In 2009, at least 53 people were sentenced to death and at least 30 people were executed. In 2010 so far, at least 12 people have been executed. Hundreds of people are believed to be on death row.

Amnesty International acknowledges the right and responsibility of governments to bring to justice those suspected of recognizably criminal offenses, but is unconditionally opposed to the death penalty in all cases as the ultimate cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment, and as a violation of the right to life.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:

- Calling on the President of Yemen to halt the execution of Fuad Ahmed Ali Abdulla and Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum;

- Calling on the authorities to commute the death sentences of Fuad Ahmed Ali Abdulla and Muhammed Taher Thabet Samoum;

- Reminding the authorities that they should act in accordance with their obligations under international law, particularly Article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and end the use of the death penalty against juvenile offenders.

APPEALS TO:

President

His Excellency Ali Abdullah Saleh

Office of the President of the Republic of Yemen

Sana'a

REPUBLIC OF YEMEN

Fax: 011 967 1 274 147

Salutation: Your Excellency

Attorney General

His Excellency 'Abdullah al-'Ulufi

Office of the Attorney General

Sana'a

REPUBLIC OF YEMEN

Fax: 011 967 1 374 412

Salutation: Your Excellency

COPIES TO:

Minister of Human Rights

Her Excellency Dr Huda Ali Abdullatef Alban

Ministry for Human Rights

Sana'a, REPUBLIC OF YEMEN

Fax: 011 967 1 419 700

(please keep trying)

Email: mshr@y.net.ye

Salutation: Your Excellency

Ambassador Abdulwahab A. Al Hajjri

Embassy of the Republic of Yemen

2319 Wyoming Ave NW

Washington DC 20008

Fax: 1 202 337 2017

Email: ambassador@yemenembassy.org

counselor@yemenembassy.org

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.

Japan jury hands down death sentence to minor

Execution chamber
at Tokyo Detention Center

TOKYO — Japanese jurors Thursday sentenced a teenager to hang for a double murder, the first death penalty given to a minor under the nation's newly-introduced jury system, court officials said.

The 19-year-old defendant, whose name was withheld, was convicted of stabbing to death both the sister and a friend of his girlfriend at their house in Miyagi, northern Japan, in February this year.

Under Japanese law, people under 20-years-old are tried as minors.

The teenager, who committed the murders after his girlfriend tried to end their relationship, also seriously injured another man in the attack.

"We cannot say he is fully aware of the graveness of the case," presiding judge Nobuyuki Suzuki told the Sendai District Court in Miyagi, according to Jiji Press.

"The possibility of his rehabilitation is extremely low," the judge said, adding that age was not a "decisive" factor on death penalties. The defendant was 18 years and seven months old when he killed the victims.

The sentence -- decided by six members of the jury and three professional judges -- was the first time the death penalty was handed down to a minor since Japan introduced the so-called lay-judge system in May last year.

Last week, jurors at the Yokohama District Court sentenced a 32-year-old man to death for a double murder.

Apart from the United States, Japan is the only major industrialised democracy to carry out capital punishment, a practice that has earned Tokyo repeated protests from European governments and human rights groups.

Source: Agence France-Presse, November 25, 2010

Death penalty given to minor for 1st time in lay judge trial

SENDAI (Kyodo) -- A 19-year-old male accused of killing two women and seriously wounding a man earlier this year in Miyagi Prefecture was sentenced to death Thursday, the first time capital punishment has been given to a minor under the lay judge trial system that began last year.

A panel of three professional and six citizen judges made the decision at the Sendai District Court in northeastern Japan.

The ruling came after the Yokohama District Court last week handed down the first death sentence under the lay judge system to a 32-year-old man found guilty of brutally murdering two men last year.

In the latest case, Presiding Judge Nobuyuki Suzuki sentenced the defendant to death, finding him guilty of stabbing to death his former girlfriend's 20-year-old elder sister, Mika Nambu, and her 18-year-old friend Mikako Omori, and seriously injuring a man who was with them at the time of the crime on Feb. 10 in Ishinomaki.

He then took away his former girlfriend, 18, and injured her in the left leg, the court's findings showed.

The name of the defendant is being withheld as he is a minor under 20.

Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for the defendant who committed the crime while on probation in a separate criminal case, arguing it is unlikely he could be rehabilitated in the future.

The defendant had pleaded guilty as charged.

Source: The Mainichi Daily News, November 25, 2010

Texas: Former DR inmate Nanon Williams ordered released from prison

Abolition Movement member Lucha Rodriguez just received a phone call from Morris Moon, one of several attorneys for former death row prisoner Nanon Williams and he told her that Federal Judge Nancy Atlas has today ordered Nanon released from prison.

On August 17 Judge Atlas held a de novo on Nanon's case on the issue of ineffective assistance of counsel.

Now, the state of Texas has 30 days to appeal this ruling by Judge Atlas. To appeal, they would have to go to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. But it was the 5th Circuit that ordered Nanon's case sent back to the Federal District Court for a de novo hearing. It seems unlikely the 5th Circuit would deny Atlas' ruling.

Nanon Williams was only 17 years old when he was arrested for capital murder in 1992. He was on Texas death row until the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed the execution of juveniles in 2005. Nanon Williams is now 36 years old and at the Ramsey Unit south of Houston serving a life sentence.

Source: TX Death Penalty Abolition Movement, November 25, 2010