Bahrainis protest over fears for three convicts on death row

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4msNTBH5ch86442X1hdULbc8riaS_Wvputth-3rruWx3FCMQQ9-es0sF6Q2bK6pqrIfrrZh3M9t7c3jzJLNIsQOZCMQ7YbMrWfIQDjyY0-aFd7tbOl1OOtPrN2-QxfpDpr9N9YB_Wv8/s1600/Death+Penalty+News.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4msNTBH5ch86442X1hdULbc8riaS_Wvputth-3rruWx3FCMQQ9-es0sF6Q2bK6pqrIfrrZh3M9t7c3jzJLNIsQOZCMQ7YbMrWfIQDjyY0-aFd7tbOl1OOtPrN2-QxfpDpr9N9YB_Wv8/s400/Death+Penalty+News.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of the Bahraini capital Manama on Saturday over reports on social media that the authorities may be <a href="http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com/2017/01/three-executions-in-bahrain-imminent.html" target="_blank">preparing to execute three Shi'ite men</a> convicted of a deadly 2014 bomb attack.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Executions are rare in Bahrain, a Western allied kingdom tucked between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The authorities have been cracking down on dissent mainly by the Shi'ite majority complaining of discrimination by the island's Sunni rulers. The last execution was carried out in 2008.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Calls for the protests were issued on social media after the families of the three young men - Abbas al-Samea, Sami Mushaima and Ali al-Singace - said they had been summoned to visit their loved ones at Jau prison.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The men, who were convicted in 2015 of a bomb attack that killed three police officers - two Bahrainis and an Emirati - had maintained their innocence and rights groups have said confessions were obtained under torture. Bahrain denies using torture.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Prison authorities did not explain the reason for the summons to the families but gave them a telephone number to collect their sons' personal belongings, according to social media reports.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">News of the possible impending executions prompted calls on social media for protests, drawing hundreds of people onto the streets. Bahraini security forces were seen deploying around areas of tension, including Duraz village, where the spiritual leader of Bahrain's Shi'ites has been confined since authorities revoked his citizenship last year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Footage on social media showed hundreds of men and women marching with placards denouncing the death sentences imposed on the three men.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"No, No to Executions," one poster carried by demonstrators in Duraz read, above pictures of the three men.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There were no reports of clashes between demonstrators and security forces, who were deployed in armored vehicles outside the village, according to social media.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Social media messages said similar protests took place in other Shi'ite villages across Bahrain.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bahrain launched a crackdown on dissidents in June last year, closing down the main Shi'ite Muslim group, al-Wefaq. It has also more than doubled a prison sentence imposed on the head of al-Wefaq, Sheikh Ali Salman, revoked the citizenship of the Shi'ite majority's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Isa Qassim, and arrested prominent activist Nabeel Rajab.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bahrain denies any discrimination against Shi'ites and accuses Iran of fanning unrest in the kingdom, a charge Tehran says is not true.</div><br />Source: Reuters, Sami Aboudi, January 14, 2017<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Bahrainis protest over fears for three convicts on death row

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of the Bahraini capital Manama on Saturday over reports on social media that the authorities may ...

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Three executions in Bahrain imminent without urgent action

<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4msNTBH5ch86442X1hdULbc8riaS_Wvputth-3rruWx3FCMQQ9-es0sF6Q2bK6pqrIfrrZh3M9t7c3jzJLNIsQOZCMQ7YbMrWfIQDjyY0-aFd7tbOl1OOtPrN2-QxfpDpr9N9YB_Wv8/s1600/Death+Penalty+News.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4msNTBH5ch86442X1hdULbc8riaS_Wvputth-3rruWx3FCMQQ9-es0sF6Q2bK6pqrIfrrZh3M9t7c3jzJLNIsQOZCMQ7YbMrWfIQDjyY0-aFd7tbOl1OOtPrN2-QxfpDpr9N9YB_Wv8/s400/Death+Penalty+News.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Families of three men on Bahrain's death row fear their executions are about to take place, which would make them the first in the Gulf kingdom since 2010.<br /><br />False confessions obtained under torture were <a href="http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com/2017/01/bahrain-cassation-court-upholds-trio.html" target="_blank">used to convict the trio</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This comes just one month after Theresa May's visit to the Gulf, and in the wake of an explicit deprioritisation of human rights in favour of trade. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The legal department at Bahrain's death-row prison called the families of Abbas al-Samea, Sami Mushaima, and Ali al-Singace this morning (14th) and told them to visit the prison today. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The authorities have refused to inform the families of the purpose of the meeting, leading to fears that it may be to inform them that their relatives either have been or will be executed imminently. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bahrain's code of criminal procedure states that under Article 330: “the relatives of the condemned will meet with him on the day appointed for the implementation of the sentence”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Several unofficial pro-government twitter accounts have tweeted about possible executions, and heightened security measures in Bahrain's prisons have also been observed. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The men's death sentences were upheld by Bahrain's highest court last Monday (9th) with unprecedented speed, removing any legal barrier to their executions and leaving the timing down to the King to decide. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One twitter account which appears to be run by a Bahraini security official claimed this morning that Bahrain's King Hamad has endorsed the executions and that they will take place soon. A former Bahraini MP has welcomed reports that the King has signed off on the executions. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">All of the men were tortured by police after their arrest and at least two say they signed false confessions under duress. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Mushaima was forced to sign documents despite being illiterate. He is a relative of a prominent opposition politician, but has never been involved in activism. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr al-Samea, a school teacher, was admitted to hospital for surgery as a result of his interrogation. He made complaints against the police which were investigated by UK-trained oversight institutions, however they claimed he had wounded himself resisting arrest. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr al-Singace was arrested as a teenager and convicted in absentia. When he was arrested, police tortured him with electric shocks. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The UK government has spent millions of pounds on human rights 'reforms' in Bahrain since protests swept the Kingdom in 2011, training police officers, prison guards at the death row jail and oversight bodies. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><h4>Commenting, Maya Foa, a director of Reprieve, said: </h4></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Reports that Bahrain is set to carry out its first executions in six years, based on confessions extracted through torture, are deeply alarming. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is appalling that the families of those facing execution are being kept in the dark, and do not know whether their loved ones are even still alive. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Britain has provided millions of pounds of funding to supposedly reform Bahrain's justice system. It must intervene to make clear that these executions cannot go ahead.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><h4>Commenting, Sayed AlWadaei, advocacy director of Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said: </h4></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Bahrain will enter a new dark era if the executions are carried out. This is the most heinous crime committed in Bahrain justice system and a shame to its rulers. This could have been avoided if the UK trained bodies were not complicit in covering up their torture. Bahrain was able to commit those crimes because it felt the international community was silent on its gross human rights violations” </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">➤ Reprieve's research into UK support for Bahrain is available <a href="http://www.reprieve.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/BelfastToBahrain.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>, while further detail about the cases is available on request.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: Reprieve, January 14, 2017. Reprieve is an international human rights organization.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Three executions in Bahrain imminent without urgent action

Families of three men on Bahrain's death row fear their executions are about to take place, which would make them the first in the Gulf ...

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Saudi Arabia 'arrests two human rights activists'

<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/AVvXsEi17VPZIY7eGt7MjX2nIL_LwRdI7AbDm7J2_A5cLQyYcmSTaoTGLBxhp9zKFVhhV3RYPCPcc1r3_lsIp7o0Zq_WDBAKg5xz0mygr_F0iLIsAQaxzCo_KDVdSXhYKudWjK6-X_rIDcEeJTY/s1600/hmed+al-Musheikhis+and+Essam+Koshak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ahmed al-Musheikhis and Essam Koshak" border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17VPZIY7eGt7MjX2nIL_LwRdI7AbDm7J2_A5cLQyYcmSTaoTGLBxhp9zKFVhhV3RYPCPcc1r3_lsIp7o0Zq_WDBAKg5xz0mygr_F0iLIsAQaxzCo_KDVdSXhYKudWjK6-X_rIDcEeJTY/s400/hmed+al-Musheikhis+and+Essam+Koshak.jpg" title="Ahmed al-Musheikhis and Essam Koshak" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahmed al-Musheikhis and Essam Koshak</td></tr></tbody></table>The authorities in Saudi Arabia have arrested two human rights activists so far this year, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International say.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Essam Koshak and Ahmed al-Musheikhis were summoned for questioning by police in Mecca and Qatif last week.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Officials have not disclosed the reasons for the detentions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/01/11/saudi-arabia-2-rights-advocates-arrested" target="_blank">HRW said</a> they "fit a pattern of ongoing repression" against peaceful advocates and dissidents, at least 25 of whom have been convicted since 2011.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Many have been handed sentences as long as 10 or 15 years after being found guilty of charges including "breaking allegiance with the ruler", "sowing discord", "inciting public opinion", "setting up an unlicensed organisation", and violating the cybercrime law.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><h3>'Relentless persecution'</h3></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Koshak was detained after being summoned for interrogation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Mecca on 8 January.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 45-year-old was not allowed to appoint a lawyer and was being questioned about his Twitter account, which he mainly used to tweet about human rights issues,<a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/01/saudi-arabia-steps-up-ruthless-crackdown-against-human-rights-activists/" target="_blank">according to Amnesty</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Musheikhis, a founding member of the unregistered Adala Centre for Human Rights, was telephoned by CID officers and told to report to a police station in Qatif, in Eastern Province, on 5 January. He was subsequently transferred to the city of Dammam, where he remains in custody.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Amnesty said the 46-year-old was known for his work including helping relatives of those detained in Eastern Province as part of protests by members of the kingdom's Shia Muslim minority against what they say is discrimination against them by the Sunni-led government.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Musheikhis' brother, Yussuf, was <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde23/5236/2016/en/" target="_blank">sentenced to death</a> in January 2016 after being convicted of offences including "armed rebellion against the ruler". Amnesty said Yussuf al-Musheikhis was convicted after a grossly unfair trial at which he claimed he was tortured into "confessing".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Amnesty said another activist, Issa al-Nukheifi, had been detained in Mecca since 18 December after being summoned for questioning about his tweets.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Saudi Arabia's relentless persecution of human rights defenders is a blatant campaign aimed at deterring them from speaking about the human rights situation in the country and working on behalf of victims of violations," said Lynn Maalouf of Amnesty's Beirut office.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Saudi government has in the past insisted that its judiciary is independent, and that all trials are transparent and in line with Islamic law.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">HRW also reported on Tuesday that the Saudi authorities had recently banned Jamal Khashoggi, one of the country's most prominent journalists, from publishing any of his writings in the country.</div><br />Source: <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38583673" target="_blank">BBC News</a>, January 11, 2017<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Saudi Arabia 'arrests two human rights activists'

Ahmed al-Musheikhis and Essam Koshak The authorities in Saudi Arabia have arrested two human rights activists so far this year, Human Rights...

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Bahrain: Cassation Court upholds trio death sentence

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJyeEh7GFhdCSctM7GA91pCh1Fyz0xA4xRyg3GlzdnPi19cOmR2eX2ElXEi09RVyj5ZNahjtbOOlyUB7-JUr384thNM1N3Ft9O6fGiOVRCshhfqC72QZY3X3YIHme8JiXwzotdpGxI9I/s1600/Bahrain+Cassation+Court.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bahrain Cassation Court" border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJyeEh7GFhdCSctM7GA91pCh1Fyz0xA4xRyg3GlzdnPi19cOmR2eX2ElXEi09RVyj5ZNahjtbOOlyUB7-JUr384thNM1N3Ft9O6fGiOVRCshhfqC72QZY3X3YIHme8JiXwzotdpGxI9I/s400/Bahrain+Cassation+Court.jpg" title="Bahrain Cassation Court" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Manama, Jan. 9 (BNA): Advocate General at the Public Prosecution's Technical Office, Haroon Alzayani, said the Court of Cassation today ruled in the case of murder of first-lieutenant Tareq Mohammed Al Shehi and policemen Mohammed Raslan and Ammar Abdu Ali Mohammed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Cassation Court accepted the objection in form and rejected it in substance, upholding the death penalty ruling against the three main convicts. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The crime dates back to 3 March 2014 when the suspects planted an explosive device, lured the policemen to its location and detonated the device killing the three policemen.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Eight terror suspects were referred to the Criminal Court, of whom five were in custody and three were still at large.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The suspects were charged with organizing, running a terror group aimed to undermine the provisions of the Constitution, prevent official institutions from working, and pursued terror blasts to achieve their purposes. They recruited elements and carried out the activities of manufacturing, detonating explosive devices and targeted the public security men to kill them so as weaken the state, stir unrest and topple the regime. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The suspects from the third to the eighth were charged with joining the terror group. They along with the second suspect implemented terroristic activities and committed the crimes of murder and attempted murdering of policemen, damaged public properties, possessed, stored, handled and used explosive substances. They committed all of these crimes to achieve terroristic purposes in addition to funding their terror group and financing its activities.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The High Criminal Court deliberated the case and sentenced three suspects with death penalty and the remaining suspects with life in jail and stripping the nationality of some of them, which was also upheld by the Court of Appeals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The case was referred to the Court of Cassation in compliance with the provisions of Bahraini law which considers a death sentence automatically subject to referral to the Court of Cassation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Court of Cassation earlier cancelled the sentence and returned the case to the Court of Appeal to consider it anew. The case was deliberated by the latter court which upheld the same sentence in view of the incontestable material and verbal evidences and referred the case to the Court of Cassation once again which ruled as above by rejecting the objection and upholding the sentence.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Source: Bahrain News Agency, January 9, 2017<br /><br /><br /><h2>Bahrain uses torture evidence to sentence three more to death</h2><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Bahrain’s highest court has today (9th January) upheld the death sentences of three men, despite allegations that they were tortured into making false confessions. Their executions are now imminent.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Abbas al-Samea, Sami Mushaima, and Ali al-Singace were originally sentenced to death in February 2015.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">All three were tortured into signing false ‘confessions’ that were used against them in court.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Mushaima was forced to sign documents despite being illiterate. He is a relative of a prominent opposition politician, but has never been involved in activism.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr al-Samea was admitted to hospital for surgery as a result of his interrogation. He is a PE teacher and aspiring photojournalist who had taken pictures at a protest.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The three men’s death sentences were overturned in October 2016 after a court ruled that their initial sentences were “misjudgements.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, in December 2016, the appeals court reinstated their death sentences.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Human rights organization Reprieve wrote to Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May asking her to raise the issue of police torture and the death penalty ahead of her meeting in Bahrain last month.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Millions of pounds in UK government aid have been spent on training Bahrain’s police, prison guards and torture watchdog in recent years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Commenting, Maya Foa, a director of Reprieve, said:</div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">“It is extremely alarming that Bahrain, a close ally of Britain, is gearing up to execute three people, all of whom were convicted on the basis of false ‘confessions’ extracted through torture. Abbas al-Samea, Sami Mushaima, and Ali al-Singace will be the first people to be executed in Bahrain in six years. All three were charged with political offences and tortured into signing ‘confessions’ that were used against them in court - despite one of them being illiterate and not able to read the document. On her recent visit to Bahrain, Theresa May said that the UK 'does not uphold our values and human rights by turning our back on this issue' yet apparently declined to raise the cases of these prisoners facing imminent execution. The UK must do more to ensure its close allies do not render them complicit in the gravest abuses.”</blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><ul><li>The full text of the letter to the Prime Minister is available <a href="http://www.reprieve.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/2016_11_16_INT-Letter-to-PM-Theresa-May-about-GCC-summit-as-sent.pdf" target="_blank">on Reprieve’s website</a>.</li><li>Reprieve's research into UK support for Bahrain is available <a href="http://www.reprieve.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/BelfastToBahrain.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>, while further detail about the cases is available on request.</li></ul></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: Reprieve, January 9, 2017. Reprieve is an international human rights organization.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Bahrain: Cassation Court upholds trio death sentence

Manama, Jan. 9 (BNA): Advocate General at the Public Prosecution's Technical Office, Haroon Alzayani, said the Court of Cassation today ...

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Indonesia secures release of man on death row in Saudi Arabia

<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/AVvXsEgEyIeCbSFDX-xFveWN7Wfjpkpkhf0RMJYGpmBkSaD-zC6jN5o-0RZJr7YGbAODbAHhe3cvAp3M6cOLkhkjLzCSwYu0mC14CallOmwncwBv8eQm53w2TXHsTqD8ToXf4pwrD2XOyiQViUc/s1600/Syarif+Hidayat+Anang+%2528center%2529%252C+arrives+in+Jakarta+after+being+spared+from+death+row+in+Saudi+Arabia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Syarif Hidayat Anang (center), arrives in Jakarta after being spared from death row in Saudi Arabia." border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyIeCbSFDX-xFveWN7Wfjpkpkhf0RMJYGpmBkSaD-zC6jN5o-0RZJr7YGbAODbAHhe3cvAp3M6cOLkhkjLzCSwYu0mC14CallOmwncwBv8eQm53w2TXHsTqD8ToXf4pwrD2XOyiQViUc/s400/Syarif+Hidayat+Anang+%2528center%2529%252C+arrives+in+Jakarta+after+being+spared+from+death+row+in+Saudi+Arabia.jpg" title="Syarif Hidayat Anang (center), arrives in Jakarta after being spared from death row in Saudi Arabia." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Syarif Hidayat Anang (center) arrives in Jakarta after being spared<br />from death row in Saudi Arabia.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">The Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh has secured the release of an Indonesian man who had been on death row in Saudi Arabia for alleged murder, the Foreign Ministry revealed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The man, identified as Syarif Hidayat Anang, was arrested by Saudi authorities in 2013 on allegations of being complicit in the murder of another Indonesian citizen, Enah Nurhasan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He was detained alongside three Saudi citizens in Ahsa in the country's east, according to a statement by the ministry's directorate for the protection of Indonesian nationals and entities abroad.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">From the outset, the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh had provided legal assistance, having appointed Saudi lawyer Abdullah Al Mohaemeed to represent Syarif until 2015. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since May 2016, defense duties were taken over by Muhammad Ahmad al-Qarni, another legal adviser.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"From the results of an investigation into the case files by the Indonesian Embassy's protection team, we were certain that Syarif was not involved in the murder, and that's why we went all out to secure his release," Dede Rifai, the embassy's consular attaché who coordinated the legal efforts, said on Saturday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Syarif was acquitted on all charges on Dec. 12 last year, while the remaining suspects remained on death row. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He arrived in Jakarta late on Friday in the company of his legal adviser, following the issuance of his release earlier this week, the ministry revealed. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Source: <a href="http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/01/07/indonesian-spared-from-death-row-in-saudi-arabia.html" target="_blank">The Jakarta Post</a>, Tama Salim, January 7, 2017<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; 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Indonesia secures release of man on death row in Saudi Arabia

Syarif Hidayat Anang (center) arrives in Jakarta after being spared from death row in Saudi Arabia. The Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh has sec...

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Qatar court confirms death penalty for 2 from Tamil Nadu, India

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwXFFX2_cXxKc0CvM2m-Ax0SxkhY7aFj2Lopr_tsJ0mZ170h5AFYyW5iJG3bd0MA4SMs4X-AdK27ejpk7lSl9HgmRlLtj9_yBF5CuzY_sF6fUT-Y8UGR-04DY7hqRiseApUw0Xcvb2nE/s1600/Doha+Qatar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Doha, Qatar" border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwXFFX2_cXxKc0CvM2m-Ax0SxkhY7aFj2Lopr_tsJ0mZ170h5AFYyW5iJG3bd0MA4SMs4X-AdK27ejpk7lSl9HgmRlLtj9_yBF5CuzY_sF6fUT-Y8UGR-04DY7hqRiseApUw0Xcvb2nE/s400/Doha+Qatar.jpg" title="Doha, Qatar" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The highest court of Qatar on Monday upheld death penalties awarded to 2 labourers from Tamil Nadu and commuted the life sentence of a third to 15 years' imprisonment. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Court of Cassation's decision means that Alagappa Subramanian and Chinnadurai Perumal - on death row - and Sivakumar Arasan have exhausted their legal options. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">All 3 were convicted of the 2012 murder of a woman who was a Qatari citizen.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The court also rejected the prosecution's appeal to have the death penalty awarded to Mr. Arasan. The only options left to these men is a clemency petition to the Emir of Qatar. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Indian Embassy will have to do this," said Nizar Kochery, a lawyer engaged by the Indian Embassy to represent the 3 men.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The case has gone through 3 tiers of the country's judiciary. The Indian Embassy stepped in only after the 2nd tier in July 2016, ahead of the deadline to file appeals papers after a Doha appeals court upheld a lower court's December 31, 2014 sentences.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The case came to light after Suresh Kumar, a Nagercoil-based lawyer, travelled to Qatar to meet the convicts. He had been informed of the case by C. Rajammal, Mr. Perumal's wife. "I have informed Rajammal of today's verdict. I also reached out to Sivakumar's family. Subramanian's family remains untraceable," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr. Kumar said that Mr. Subramanian maintained that he was from Pudukkottai but those living in the address he provided said they did not know him. Perumal hailed from Virudhunagar district while Mr. Arasan was from Kallakurichi in Villupuram. After Ms. Rajammal submitted a memorandum, the Tamil Nadu government released Rs. 9.5 lakh for their legal expenses. "I have advised Ms. Rajammal to try to meet the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. Perumal is a kidney patient and received treatment within the jail," said Mr. Kumar.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We have to always respect the local laws and work through the local governments and authorities," said Dyaneshwar M. Mulay, Secretary (CPV & OIA), Ministry of External Affairs, when asked about the case during a press conference on Tuesday. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The last Indian to be executed - by a firing squad - in Qatar was Arun Abraham from Kerala, in March 2003.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: The Hindu, January 3, 2017</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Qatar court confirms death penalty for 2 from Tamil Nadu, India

The highest court of Qatar on Monday upheld death penalties awarded to 2 labourers from Tamil Nadu and commuted the life sentence of a third...

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Iraq: 88 executed over terrorism charges in 2016

<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg06Hyxprlzrq7VZKp1CytZa1qClMrGEeAbcq0GFIW7whiu8AVfCRsZ4igInjnEjbGjFZt5VRibmGeP-BMdLQpRFKDR3Qquc64PBtfFZsK-ZMApzRRkJNRKPdr2zHbojoQTf8yKsiWvEFQ/s1600/noose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg06Hyxprlzrq7VZKp1CytZa1qClMrGEeAbcq0GFIW7whiu8AVfCRsZ4igInjnEjbGjFZt5VRibmGeP-BMdLQpRFKDR3Qquc64PBtfFZsK-ZMApzRRkJNRKPdr2zHbojoQTf8yKsiWvEFQ/s400/noose.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>December 30, 2016: The Iraqi authorities executed 88 terrorists convicts in 2016, despite the international calls to stop this punishment in this country.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the beginning of 2016, Iraqi Justice ministry announced the execution of the first convict on 3 February, after three years of his conviction and issuance of capital punishment against him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On 24 May, 2016, 22 convicts were executed after the approval of the Iraqi president on the verdicts, but no details were given on their identities. In 3 July, the Shiite parties attacked the Iraqi presidency and government for not executing terrorist convicts following an explosion in mid of Baghdad (Karrada area) that resulted in killing 300 and wounding 200 more, according Iraqi Health Ministry estimates.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After one day of Karrada explosion, Iraqi Justice Ministry announced executing 5 terrorists, thus the total of the executed convicts reached to 37 till that date.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Justice Ministry used to execute criminals without determining dates in order not to stir the criticism of the international ant-death penalty organizations.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On 5 July, Justice Minister announced executing two convicted terrorists, as well as announcing on 18 July, 2016 that the number of the executed convicts reached to 45.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Due to the internal criticism against Iraqi President Foad Ma'soum, it was announced on 13 July the approval on execution verdicts against terrorist, without announcing their numbers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On 23 July, Premier Haidar al-Ibadi formed a governmental committee to "finalize the dossiers of death-convicted criminals and expedite endorsing and implementing them".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On 21 August, Justice Ministry announced the execution of 36 convicts following Spicher's massacre. The convicts were executed in Nassiriya Central Prison, Thi Qar province, south east of the country, thus the total figure jumped to 81 convicts. According to official Iraqi sources, about 1700 military cadets in Spicher Base were killed on 12 June, 2014, following Da'ish (ISIS) control of Tikrit city, Salahal-din province, north of Baghdad, where Da'ish gunmen controlled the air academy and killed the cadets present there.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On 31 August, 2016, 7 convicts were also executed in Nassiriya Central Prison. It was reported that the convicts were from Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, the Sudan, Palestine, Syria and Jordan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">By this last convicted group, the figure reached to 88 executed convicts, according to official sources.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the other side, the Justice Ministry disclosed that there are about 300 death-convicts in Iraqi prisons, but the execution verdicts were not implemented till now.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Iraqi government restored death punishment in 2004, after its suspension following the entry of the US forces into Iraq in 2003.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The return of the executions stirred international anti-death-verdicts and called for their abrogation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to UNAMI reports, more that 12.000 Iraqis were killed, mostly military and 14.000 were wounded in violent and terrorist attacks in 2016. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sources: Iraq TradeLink, HOC, December 30, 2016</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Iraq: 88 executed over terrorism charges in 2016

December 30, 2016: The Iraqi authorities executed 88 terrorists convicts in 2016, despite the international calls to stop this punishment in...

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Kuwait sentences parents to death for torturing, killing toddler

<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/AVvXsEjx89fF1zts_zgFoCq0pn4_P22nnNixx4mekekli8d27LFWRQE6Q8048mNRIfnAJwFjeiFJ8GJCHan6nXisshBVLabRyHuRW7OlKbL2UnEfuoVLkhDP5B077Pum3UwUFUrv0z8MsoYhewc/s1600/Kuwait+execution+April+1%252C+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Triple execution in Kuwait on April 1, 2013" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx89fF1zts_zgFoCq0pn4_P22nnNixx4mekekli8d27LFWRQE6Q8048mNRIfnAJwFjeiFJ8GJCHan6nXisshBVLabRyHuRW7OlKbL2UnEfuoVLkhDP5B077Pum3UwUFUrv0z8MsoYhewc/s400/Kuwait+execution+April+1%252C+2013.jpg" title="Triple execution in Kuwait on April 1, 2013" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Triple execution in Kuwait on April 1, 2013</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Kuwait's interior ministry says the parents were drug addicts</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A court in Kuwait on Monday, January 2, sentenced a couple to death after finding them guilty of torturing their 3-year-old daughter until she died, it said in a statement.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The parents, both Kuwaitis, were arrested in May and accused of beating and torturing the girl until she died and then keeping her body in a freezer for a week.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The court statement only gave the verdict but, according to media reports at the time of their arrest, they had been annoyed by their daughter's constant crying.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The father, 26-year-old Salem Buhan, and mother, 23-year-old Amira Hussein, were charged with murder after police found burn marks on the shoulders and legs of the toddler's body, according to the interior ministry.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The ministry also said they were drug addicts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The verdict is not final as it must be reviewed by the appeals and supreme courts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Executions in Kuwait are carried out by hanging.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Barring the execution of 5 men in mid-2013, the Gulf emirate has stopped executing people since 2007 although dozens of men and women are on death row.</div><br />Source: rappler.com, January 2, 2017<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=JBVXEBZLP3WKW" target="_blank">DONATE!</a></b></div><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_blank"><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/fr_FR/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" /></div></form><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>

Kuwait sentences parents to death for torturing, killing toddler

Triple execution in Kuwait on April 1, 2013 Kuwait's interior ministry says the parents were drug addicts A court in Kuwait on Monday, J...

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Saudi executes 153 in 2016: Amnesty International

<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/AVvXsEhDfN8wQG-3XirCKSl7YLHJNwzBPuGFa-E7OFgn14eN09eUA-os_fEH_JFDh0-8wbzlve4BEV8y0135chbHMEwkQfX5wsdcxWtAhcz-1CuSuk5P3UNwoaz5x0cyEhzICv5K-WsembhZQN0/s1600/Public+execution+of+a+Burmese+woman+in+KSA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Public execution of a Burmese woman in Saudi Arabia in 2016" border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfN8wQG-3XirCKSl7YLHJNwzBPuGFa-E7OFgn14eN09eUA-os_fEH_JFDh0-8wbzlve4BEV8y0135chbHMEwkQfX5wsdcxWtAhcz-1CuSuk5P3UNwoaz5x0cyEhzICv5K-WsembhZQN0/s400/Public+execution+of+a+Burmese+woman+in+KSA.jpg" title="Public execution of a Burmese woman in Saudi Arabia in 2016" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Public execution of a Burmese woman in Saudi Arabia in 2016</td></tr></tbody></table><i>Saudi Arabia executed more than 150 prisoners in 2016 for breaking kingdom's strict Islamic laws</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Saudi Arabia executed more than 150 prisoners under their strict Islamic laws, new figures have shown.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The ultra-conservative kingdom, one of the world's most prolific executioners, punishes crimes such as murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape, homosexuality and apostasy with the death penalty.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to Amnesty International a total of 153 executions were carried out in 2016, slightly down in the 158 carried out the previous year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Murder and drug trafficking cases account for the majority of Saudi executions, although 47 people were put to death for 'terrorism' offences on a single day last January.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They included prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, whose execution prompted Iranian protesters to torch Saudi diplomatic missions, leading Riyadh to sever relations.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Most people put to death in Saudi Arabia are beheaded with a sword and the grisly event can often draw a small crowd.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Human rights group Amnesty International says the number of executions in Saudi Arabia last year was the highest for 2 decades.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And the level of executions was criticised today by Allan Hogarth, Amnesty International UK's head of policy and government affairs, who said the kingdom is 'making a mockery of justice'.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Hogarth told the Independent: 'The death penalty is always cruel and unnecessary, but the Saudi justice system lacks evens the basics of a fair trial system.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">'It's truly frightening that its courts are sentencing so many people to death... Saudi Arabia is making a mockery of justice and dozens of people are paying with their lives.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">'It's time that 'strategic allies' like the UK started speaking out about this shocking state of affairs. For too long Downing Street has bent over backwards to avoid 'offending' the Saudi royals.'</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: dailymail.co.uk, December 31, 2016</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><h2>Saudi executes 153 in 2016</h2></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Saudi Arabia carried out 153 executions in 2016, according to an AFP tally based on official announcements, slightly down from the year before.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The ultra-conservative kingdom is one of the world's most prolific executioners and has a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape, homosexuality and apostasy are all punishable by death.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rights group Amnesty International said Saudi Arabia carried out at least 158 death sentences in 2015, coming third after Iran and Pakistan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Amnesty's figures do not include secretive China.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Murder and drug trafficking cases account for the majority of Saudi executions, although 47 people were put to death for "terrorism" offences on a single day in January.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They included prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, whose execution prompted Iranian protesters to torch Saudi diplomatic missions, leading Riyadh to sever relations.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: Agence France-Presse, December 31, 2016<br /><br /><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Saudi Arabia: Generosity of Saudi Man Saves Indian from Execution</h2><br />December 28, 2016: Limbadri, an Indian worker, never had it in his wildest dreams that he would escape death sentence especially after he had spent eight years behind bars waiting for execution. <br /><br />He thought his head would be separated from his body in an implantation of a court rule which sentenced him to capital punishment after killing a Saudi during a fight. <br /><br />With the date of execution coming closer, Awad bin Guraiah Al-Yami, a Saudi businessman, intervened with the family of the victim to pardon the killer offering them SR1.3 million as diyah (blood money). <br /><br />Yami’s good offices were fruitful when the family accepted the blood money and pardoned the murderer. <br /><br />The court endorsed the pardon and the Indian worker is now waiting to be released from prison. <br /><br />The Indian was working in a farm in Najran.<br /><br />Source: saudigazette.com.sa, December 18, 2016</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=JBVXEBZLP3WKW" target="_blank">DONATE!</a></b></div><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_blank"><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/fr_FR/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" /></div></form><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>

Saudi executes 153 in 2016: Amnesty International

Public execution of a Burmese woman in Saudi Arabia in 2016 Saudi Arabia executed more than 150 prisoners in 2016 for breaking kingdom's...

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Jordan: Five ISIS militants, four drug traffickers sentenced to death

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaoZq7QNEnAnhKYsUEkPyY5wp-9pq2pzeXualAPariFsq3o0hwiPmidpqhLjiE_KNibnxC3ozRfHx7j4G-CxbomzvK92gc-A-sPPISlnndNhJifJxFG4ZYShIlLkYI0smRR4xUYvHtzo/s1600/Jordanian_Police_Officers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Jordanian police officers" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaoZq7QNEnAnhKYsUEkPyY5wp-9pq2pzeXualAPariFsq3o0hwiPmidpqhLjiE_KNibnxC3ozRfHx7j4G-CxbomzvK92gc-A-sPPISlnndNhJifJxFG4ZYShIlLkYI0smRR4xUYvHtzo/s400/Jordanian_Police_Officers.jpg" title="Jordanian police officers" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">December 28, 2016: A Jordanian court sentenced five members of an ISIL cell to death by hanging for acts of terrorism. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The state security court in Amman also handed jail terms of between three and 15 years to another 16 Jordanians in the same case. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They were found guilty of deadly "acts of terrorism", the manufacture of explosives and "possession of weapons and ammunition for use in terrorist acts" and recruiting people for "terrorist organisations". </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The group of 21 were members of an ISIL cell that was broken up in March during a large-scale security operation in the northern town of Irbid, near the border with Syria. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Seven suspected militants and a member of the Jordanian security forces were killed during the operation. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The authorities announced later that they had foiled ISIL attacks in the kingdom, which had already been hit by deadly attacks over the past year. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ten people were killed in a shooting rampage on December 18 in the popular tourist destination of Karak. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The attack was claimed by ISIL and marked the first time the group had targeted civilians in Jordan. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Two days later, the authorities arrested a man suspected of funding the attack in a raid on a house in Karak province.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">December 26, 2016: A state security court sentenced four Jordanians to death for murdering a member of the security forces involved in the fight against drugs trafficking, a judicial source said. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, the source said the four were sentenced to die by hanging for killing the policeman in September in Aqaba province some 300 kilometres (180 miles) south of Amman. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The four were also convicted of "possession of automatic weapons... leading to the death of a person", the source added. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A fifth defendant in the same case was sentenced to 18 months in jail for possessing an unlicensed firearm. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The policeman had been taking part in an operation to arrest a person accused of drugs possession when he was fired on by gunmen in two cars. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In August, the authorities said more than six tonnes of illegal drugs had been seized and more than 13,000 people suspected of smuggling, possessing or using drugs were arrested during the first half of the year. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The interior ministry says 85 percent of drugs seized in Jordan are destined to be smuggled abroad. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: Agence France-Presse, December 26-28, 2016<br /><br /><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Security Court hands down death sentence for killer of slain writer Nahed Hattar</h2><br />December 20, 2016: Jordan's Deputy Director General of the State Security Court sentenced the killer of writer Nahed Hattar to death by hanging, al-Ghad newspaper reported. <br /><br />Military judge Ziad al-Adwan added in a statement that the court had also investigated a second defendant who sold the weapon to the murderer, and a third defendant who acted as a middle-man in buying the weapon. Each were sentenced to one year in jail and fines. <br /><br />Riad Ismail Abdullah, the primary suspect in Hattar's murder was convicted on charges of carrying out acts of terrorism, murder, and carrying and possession of a firearm without a license. <br /><br />Hattar was gunned down on September 25 on the steps of the supreme court, and Abdullah was arrested immediately after committing the crime. <br /><br />The prosecutor general of the State Security Court concluded its investigation on October 18 and referred the case file to the court for sentencing.<br /><br />Source: albawaba.com, December 20, 2016</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Jordan: Five ISIS militants, four drug traffickers sentenced to death

December 28, 2016: A Jordanian court sentenced five members of an ISIL cell to death by hanging for acts of terrorism. The state security co...

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Attempt to remove UN’s LGBT rights expert defeated in narrow vote; still 10 nations where the penalty for gay sex is death

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgridpsJh9oYU0WYmeFPog-OJLQQtRJSfnRhHidba3v60Tuyyfwq21sEO5_MQgx1e3tEg_9oW-sdddrUCmTFqEvzSYrwaQOfK_8u3DjG9Z7_pU9qtOEk4911Qa4aBP1nb6ad3NBZueajow/s1600/UN_Headquarters_NYC_USA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="UN building NYC" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgridpsJh9oYU0WYmeFPog-OJLQQtRJSfnRhHidba3v60Tuyyfwq21sEO5_MQgx1e3tEg_9oW-sdddrUCmTFqEvzSYrwaQOfK_8u3DjG9Z7_pU9qtOEk4911Qa4aBP1nb6ad3NBZueajow/s400/UN_Headquarters_NYC_USA.jpg" title="UN building NYC" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Ten nations with large Muslim populations have laws providing for the death penalty for same-sex activity. Only a few actually impose the death sentence. Exactly how many is a difficult question.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another attempt to remove the United Nations expert on LGBT rights has been defeated.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/06/30/united-nations-votes-to-create-first-ever-lgbt-rights-watchdog/" target="_blank">The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council voted in June</a> to appoint an independent LGBT expert for the first time to monitor “violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity” around the world.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/11/05/the-uns-new-lgbt-expert-watchdog-may-lose-his-job/" target="_blank">Thai professor Vitit Muntarbhorn took up the role</a>, beginning to investigate abuse that the global LGBT community suffer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However a number of challenges have been brought by homophobic countries attempting to revoke his position – with a plot to axe the role <a href="http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/11/22/un-vote-to-keep-first-expert-on-lgbt-rights/" target="_blank">thwarted by a narrow margin last month.</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This week, the block of countries bitterly opposed to the role – including Russia, China and a number of African states – pushed a surprise amendment to the Human Rights Council’s annual report that would have indefinitely halted the work of the LGBT rights expert.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The amendment was voted down by a narrow margin, with 77 countries voting in favour and 84 against, with 16 abstentions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">870 human rights organisations from 157 countries around the world had signed an <a href="https://www.ishr.ch/sites/default/files/article/files/joint_sogi_letter_listofsignatories12152016.pdf" target="_blank">open letter</a> urging the governments represented in the General Assembly to continue the expert’s work.</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The result has been welcomed by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Vpfk1nqxbb4Y_m4W4c9d7hZ7CybfEO0jGgZqsL25Z8uhPvTJXyiiftlhgnZ8Ho7KaDcY8QC0b41zIIbv-KBcJ_M__F16Y6Rtgmq8ihl9sOATlzXYNqT6KOweXm5-3-VmdQ1AySdfdi8/s1600/Vitit+Muntarbhorn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Vitit Muntarbhorn" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Vpfk1nqxbb4Y_m4W4c9d7hZ7CybfEO0jGgZqsL25Z8uhPvTJXyiiftlhgnZ8Ho7KaDcY8QC0b41zIIbv-KBcJ_M__F16Y6Rtgmq8ihl9sOATlzXYNqT6KOweXm5-3-VmdQ1AySdfdi8/s400/Vitit+Muntarbhorn.jpg" title="Vitit Muntarbhorn" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Professor Vitit Muntarbhorn</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">ILGA’s co-Secretaries General Helen Kennedy and Ruth Baldacchino said: “ILGA is delighted that the mandate has once again been safeguarded.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Once more, States have reaffirmed the importance of monitoring human rights violations against people on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity, a crucial leap towards a world where all are treated free and equal.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">André du Plessis, UN Programme and Advocacy Manager at ILGA explained: “We commend what human rights defenders from all over the world were able to do by highlighting the need for states to respect the authority of the Human Rights Council.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“This outcome is important not only because it shows that States believe that violence and discrimination faced by LGBT persons around the world deserve attention, but also because it confirms the authority of the UN Human Rights Council, the leading human rights body in the world.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Never before had a country or group of countries attempted to challenge a special procedures mandate by the Human Rights Council with a fully functioning mandate holder.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“If the General Assembly would have reopened the Council’s annual report to block or defer resolutions with a selective approach, it would have fundamentally undermined the authority granted to the Council by the General Assembly, setting a dangerous precedent for the whole human rights framework.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Renato Sabbadini, Executive Director at ILGA said: “We are confident that the SOGI Independent Expert will work to build bridges, rather than to widen the gaps between our communities and those who think that we are seeking ‘special rights’.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Now more than ever, our communities need allies to ensure that ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,’ as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly states, is a reality and not only a dream.”</div><br />Source: <a href="http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/12/19/attempt-to-remove-uns-lgbt-rights-expert-defeated-in-narrow-vote/" target="_blank">Pink News</a>, Nick Duffy, December 19, 2016<br /><br /><h2>10 nations where the penalty for gay sex is death</h2><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Ten nations with large Muslim populations have laws providing for the death penalty for same-sex activity.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Only a few actually impose the death sentence. Exactly how many is a difficult question.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The <a href="http://ilga.org/downloads/02_ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2016_ENG_WEB_150516.pdf" target="_blank">2016 State-Sponsored Homophobia report</a> from ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, lists 13-14 places that threaten the death penalty for homosexuality, including the basic 10 plus several specific variations:</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li>One where executions occur — and go unpunished — despite the fact that there is no death-penalty law (Iraq);</li><li>One that has approved a death-penalty provision but has not yet incorporated it into the nation’s laws (Brunei);</li><li>One that conducts executions but is not recognized as a nation (the Islamic State, also known as Daesh, ISIS and ISIL);</li><li>One where, in theory, a particular interpretation of its laws would provide for the death penalty but, in practice, no executions have been reported (United Arab Emirates)</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The ILGA list is quite similar to this blog’s list of those 14 countries, printed below:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A best-information-available list of countries/regions where executions for homosexual activity are carried out or are provided by current or future law:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: justify;">Nations with such laws on the books; executions have been carried out</h3><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/saudi-arabia/" target="_blank">1. Iran</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/saudi-arabia/" target="_blank">2. Saudi Arabia</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: justify;">Nations with such laws on the books; no recent executions reported</h3><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/sudan/" target="_blank">3. Sudan</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/yemen/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">4. Yemen</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: justify;">Nations with such laws on the books in part of the country; no verified executions for homosexual activity</h3><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/nigeria/" target="_blank">5. Nigeria</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/somalia/" target="_blank">6. Somalia</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: justify;">Nations with such laws on the books; no executions reported</h3><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/mauritania/" target="_blank">7. Afghanistan</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/mauritania/" target="_blank">8. Mauritania</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/pakistan/" target="_blank">9. Pakistan</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/qatar/" target="_blank">10. Qatar</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Those are the “ten nations with large Muslim populations” mentioned in this article’s first paragraph.” In addition, executions and possible executions are an issue in four other places:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: justify;">Nation with no such a law on the books; executions are carried out by militias and others</h3><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/iraq/" target="_blank">11. Iraq</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: justify;">Not recognized as a nation; carries out executions</h3><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">12. Daesh/the <a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/islamic-state/" target="_blank">Islamic State</a> (ISIS/ISIL)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: justify;">Nation where such a law was scheduled to take effect in 2016 (but might not)</h3><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/brunei/" target="_blank">13. Brunei Darussalam</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: justify;">Nation where some interpretations of existing law would provide for the death penalty, but no executions have been reported</h3><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/united-arab-emirates/" target="_blank">14. United Arab Emirates</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">News coverage in all of those nations is unreliable at best, so specific evidence of executions for same-sex intimacy is rare. What’s known about some specific countries is cited below.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In Somalia, <a href="http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com/2013/03/gay-teen-stoned-to-death-in-somalia.html" target="_blank">a gay teenager was reportedly stoned to death</a> in 2013, but those reports have not been verified.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In Nigeria, <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6940061.stm" target="_blank">the BBC reported in 2007</a>, “More than a dozen Nigerian Muslims have been sentenced to death by stoning and for sexual offences ranging from adultery and homosexuality. But none of these death sentences has actually been carried out as they were either thrown out on appeal or commuted to prison terms as a result of pressure from human rights groups.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMZHK-o0UzZoXtkw3L9fnIiAHYqJ0vLmH5MgICH7pLc8Td43JlTdjsTRUi-x64eSmOSnJbcmtaSJxRjxxe2RokmuW-rNkX6LT0wEVLSrVkt3oaVjV3yOdsz21sKDn-FLKVxP3MUxgR8A/s1600/Homophobe+Bar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMZHK-o0UzZoXtkw3L9fnIiAHYqJ0vLmH5MgICH7pLc8Td43JlTdjsTRUi-x64eSmOSnJbcmtaSJxRjxxe2RokmuW-rNkX6LT0wEVLSrVkt3oaVjV3yOdsz21sKDn-FLKVxP3MUxgR8A/s400/Homophobe+Bar.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In Sudan, the death penalty is in frequent use, but there are no recent reports of executions for same-sex intimacy. In 2014, Sudan ranked at No. 6 worldwide in number of executions (23+) for various offenses, just below the United States, with 35, <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/act50/0001/2015/en/" target="_blank">according to Amnesty International</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Similarly, Yemen is No. 7 in frequency of executions overall, but the death penalty apparently has not been imposed recently for homosexual activity. <a href="http://www.refworld.org/docid/41501c7615.html" target="_blank">Researchers for Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board reported</a> more than 10 years ago, “Information on whether such sentences have been carried out was not found.” More recently <a href="http://www.thetower.org/article/will-yemens-gay-community-survive-the-iran-backed-militias-trying-to-take-over/" target="_blank">an article on Yemen’s gay community</a> in The Tower magazine stated, “Traditionally, that death penalty is not enforced, but citizens have been imprisoned for their sexual orientation.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Saudi Arabia is No. 3 among the world’s most avid executioners, with 90+ in 2014. At least in the past, beheadings were imposed for homosexual behavior, including <a href="http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?docid=3f7d4e1238" target="_blank">three men in 2002</a>. Imprisonment and lashings are <a href="http://wikiislam.net/wiki/Persecution_of_Homosexuals_%28Saudi_Arabia%29" target="_blank">a more common punishment for same-sex activity</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Iran is No. 2 in the world for frequency of executions, behind China. Those include executions for homosexual activity, although the facts are often unclear or misrepresented in such cases. (See, for example, <a href="https://76crimes.com/2015/07/20/bogus-hanging-in-iran-bogus-tweets-in-egypt/" target="_blank">“Bogus hanging in Iran, bogus tweets in Egypt”</a> and <a href="https://76crimes.com/2014/08/11/series-of-public-hangings-in-iran-including-2-for-sodomy/" target="_blank">“Series of public hangings in Iran, including 2 for sodomy.”)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Evidence is a bit clearer about two war-torn areas — <a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/iraq/" target="_blank">Iraq</a> and the territory controlled by Daesh/the <a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/islamic-state/" target="_blank">Islamic State</a> (ISIS/ISIL). The ILGA report of 2015 noted that “Iraq, although [the death penalty is] not in the civil code, clearly has judges and militias throughout the country that issue the death sentence for same-sex sexual behaviours. … We are also aware that in the Daesh(ISIS/ISIL)-held areas the death penalty is implemented (although a non-State actor, it is listed in the report). ” For examples, see:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><a href="https://76crimes.com/2012/09/28/iraq-has-become-a-death-trap-for-gay-men/" target="_blank">Iraq has become a death trap for gay men</a> (September 2012)</li><li><a href="https://76crimes.com/2015/05/07/islamic-state-has-reported-15-lgbti-executions/" target="_blank">‘Islamic State’ has reported 15 LGBTI executions</a> (May 2015)</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In some nations, the death penalty is on the books but is not imposed. ILGA in 2015 stated:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Brunei Darussalam is <a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/brunei/" target="_blank">due to activate the death penalty for same-sex sexual acts in 2016</a>, but it seems likely that like <a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/pakistan/" target="_blank">Pakistan</a>, <a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/afghanistan/" target="_blank">Afghanistan</a> and <a href="https://76crimes.com/tag/qatar/" target="_blank">Qatar</a> although it is on the statute, it will not be implemented.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">ILGA reported in 2016 about Brunei: “there is no sign that the threatened death penalty is to be implemented.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to the U.S. Department of State, Mauritania belongs in this category too. A <a href="https://cablegatesearch.wikileaks.org/cable.php?id=09NOUAKCHOTT815" target="_blank">U.S. Department of State cable from 2009, released by WikiLeaks in 2011,</a>indicated that Mauritania has never imposed the death penalty for homosexual activity or any other crime.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">ILGA reported in 2016 that “although is understood that the United Arab Emirates has not implemented [the death penalty] under the Sharia code, it remains a possibility under interpretations current in the Emirates.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>For more information:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/02/24/here-are-the-10-countries-where-homosexuality-may-be-punished-by-death/" target="_blank">Here are the 10 countries where homosexuality may be punished by death</a> (Washington Post)</li><li><a href="http://old.ilga.org/Statehomophobia/ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2015.pdf" target="_blank">State-Sponsored Homophobia — 2015</a> (pdf) (ILGA)</li><li><a href="http://ilga.org/downloads/02_ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2016_ENG_WEB_150516.pdf" target="_blank">State-Sponsored Homophobia — 2016</a> (pdf) (ILGA)</li><li><a href="https://76crimes.com/2016/02/16/report-somalia-too-risky-for-lgbt-people/" target="_blank">Report: Somalia too risky for LGBT people</a> (February 2016, 76crimes.com)</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Source: <a href="https://76crimes.com/10-nations-where-the-penalty-for-gay-sex-is-death/" target="_blank">76Crimes.com</a>, Colin Stewart, December 2016 (?)</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Attempt to remove UN’s LGBT rights expert defeated in narrow vote; still 10 nations where the penalty for gay sex is death

Ten nations with large Muslim populations have laws providing for the death penalty for same-sex activity. Only a few actually impose the de...

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Saudi executions pass 150 this year, nearing 2015 total

<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/AVvXsEhPqWs1key3STc6Nk2cYxxQnQBBmzx0gjkUNWbKNHqoprDKDyHQgeb0NYp95HHn6o_fdAU3nsxG_lHmBi238Wsmm1x5Nt7fcVRRuAlZH_nGtPd8EyB8AIC7ujARV7UMpYxZWzmMNHaTi9g/s1600/Public+execution+Saudi+Arabia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Public execution in Saudi Arabia" border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqWs1key3STc6Nk2cYxxQnQBBmzx0gjkUNWbKNHqoprDKDyHQgeb0NYp95HHn6o_fdAU3nsxG_lHmBi238Wsmm1x5Nt7fcVRRuAlZH_nGtPd8EyB8AIC7ujARV7UMpYxZWzmMNHaTi9g/s400/Public+execution+Saudi+Arabia.jpg" title="Public execution in Saudi Arabia" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Public execution in Saudi Arabia</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Saudi Arabia has executed at least 153 people this year, nearing last year's record high of 158, according to figures collated by human rights organization Reprieve.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Among those executed this year were at least 4 juveniles who were killed as part of a mass execution of 47 people in January this year. One of them, Ali al-Ribh, was arrested in school, tortured into a false ‘confession’ to protest-related charges, and executed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The high number of executions raises fresh concerns for the fate of three other juveniles who have been sentenced to death – Ali al-Nimr, <a href="http://www.reprieve.org.uk/case-study/dawood-al-marhoon/" style="color: #06686b;" target="_blank">Dawood al-Marhoon</a> and Abdullah al Zaher. The trio were arrested as children in the wake of protests, and tortured into ‘confessions’. They could be executed at any time, without notification to their families.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It has also emerged the juveniles continue to be mistreated on death row. According to reports, prison guards recently beat Dawood and threatened him with solitary confinement after he submitted a complaint about a previous instance of abuse. The health of the three juveniles is said to be suffering amid poor prison conditions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Some 47 of those who were executed this year were tried in the country’s secretive ‘Specialized Criminal Court’. Reprieve has raised concerns that the court is routinely used to try people who were arrested in relation to political protests, including the three juveniles, and a disabled young man named Munir Adam. Hearings often take place without a lawyer, and forced ‘confessions’ extracted under torture are frequently admitted as evidence.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to the figures, 23 of those executed this year were arrested for drug offences – of these, 14 were foreign nationals. Previous <a href="http://www.reprieve.org.uk/case-study/the-death-penalty-in-saudi-arabia/" style="color: #06686b;" target="_blank">research</a> by Reprieve has found that many of those held on Saudi Arabia’s death row for drug-related offences are trafficking victims, who were forced to carry drugs into the Gulf from overseas.   </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The figures are released as Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood meets with King Salman in Riyadh. Reprieve has <a href="http://www.reprieve.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/2016_11_16_INT-Letter-to-PM-Theresa-May-about-GCC-summit-as-sent.pdf" style="color: #06686b;" target="_blank">written</a> to Prime Minister Theresa May and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, asking them to seek a commutation of the death sentences handed to juveniles and political protestors.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mrs May said in a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/07/theresa-may-calls-on-gulf-leaders-to-press-on-with-economic-reforms" style="color: #06686b;" target="_blank">speech</a> to the Gulf Cooperation Council earlier this month that the UK would help Gulf countries to “reform” and to “embed international norms.” However, she reportedly failed to raise individual cases during a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Commenting, Maya Foa, a director at Reprieve, said: “Saudi Arabia’s 2016 execution toll is fast approaching last year’s shocking high, with some 153 prisoners killed. Among those executed were political protestors, people arrested for alleged drug offences, prisoners who were tortured into ‘confessions’, and juveniles. Meanwhile, Dawood al-Marhoon, who was arrested as a child and who languishes on death row, is being subjected to threats and beatings. These appalling abuses give the lie to the Prime Minister’s claim that the UK’s engagement with Saudi Arabia promotes ‘reform’. The Government must urgently use its ever-closer relationship with Saudi Arabia to secure genuine change – this includes the release of juveniles facing the death penalty, like Dawood.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The total number of executions in 2016 so far is estimated at 153. In 2015, the figure was 158; while in 2014 the total number of executions was estimated at 87. A breakdown of Reprieve's figures is available on request.</div><br /><br />Source: Reprieve, December 19, 2016. Reprieve is an international human rights organization.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Saudi executions pass 150 this year, nearing 2015 total

Public execution in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia has executed at least 153 people this year, nearing last year's record high of 158, accor...

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