AI Ugegen die Todesstrafe - News http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de de http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=576 2010-06-27 Sonderausstellung des Neanderthal Museums in Mettmann vom 20. Februar bis 27. Juni 2010 Galgen, Rad, Scheiterhaufen. Diese drei Wörter regen unsere Vorstellungen von der Grausamkeit frühneuzeitlicher Justiz an. Was aber wissen wir heute wirklich von den Prozessen, den Richtstätten, den Verurteilten? Mit Hilfe archäologischer, anthropologischer, historischer und volkskundlicher Quellen geht diese Ausstellung den spannenden Fragen nach. Die Ausstellung schlägt einen chronologischen Bogen von den frühesten Hinweisen auf ortsfeste Hinrichtungsstätten im 13. Jahrhundert über die Zeit der Aufklärung bis zum heutigen Tag. Die Ausstellung wird begleitet von einem umfangreichen Rahmenprogramm, darunter auch die Aktionstage "Für eine Welt ohne Todesstrafe" für Schulklassen in Zusammenarbeit mit Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe. Es werden drei Workshops in Form einer Projektarbeit zur Auseinandersetzung mit dem Thema Todesstrafe für Schülerinnen und Schüler der Jahrgangsstufen 8 und 9 angeboten. Diese sind nach der Führung durch die Ausstellung aufgefordert, sich dem Thema aktiv künstlerisch mit Farbe und Pinsel in der Werkstatt des Museums zu widmen. Unter Anleitung sollen sie sich mit der Situation der verschiedenen an einer Todesstrafe unmittelbar Beteiligten - Richter, Henker und Verurteilter - rational und emotional auseinandersetzen und dies bildlich darstellen. Alle Infos dazu finden Sie hier: http://www.neanderthal.de/museum-tal/sonderausstellung/index.html http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=573 2010-04-23 Wenn Sie mehr über das Thema Todesstrafe erfahren möchten und Einblick gewinnen wollen, wie Amnesty International gegen diese Strafe arbeitet, können Sie ein Bildungsangebot wahrnehmen. Das Wochenendseminar findet vom 23. - 25. April 2010 in einer Tagungsstätte in Würzburg statt. Es ist sowohl für "Frischlinge" als auch für Amnesty-Mitglieder gedacht, die mit der Todesstrafenthematik bereits vertraut sind. Interessierte Noch-Nicht-Mitglieder sind ebenso willkommen. Es erwarten Sie interessante Vorträge und Diskussionsforen. Die Unterbringung und Verpflegung entsprechen gutem Hotelstandard. Amnesty-Mitglieder zahlen 55,- € (ermäßigt 35,- €), Nicht-Mitglieder 72,- €. Die Tagungsgebühr deckt alle Kosten inkl. Verpflegung und Unterkunft im DZ ab. Bei Interesse senden Sie uns bitte eine Nachricht an info(at)amnesty-todesstrafe.de . http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=577 2010-02-25 Amnesty International ist tief enttäuscht über die Entscheidung des südkoreanischen Verfassungsgerichts, die Todesstrafe beizubehalten. Am 25. Februar 2010 urteilte das Gericht mit fünf zu vier Stimmen, dass die Todesstrafe nicht "die menschliche Würde und den menschlichen Wert" verletzt, Werte, die die Verfassung schützt."Dies ist ein schwerer Rückschlag für Südkorea und steht im Widerspruch zum aktuellen Trend in dem Land, die Todesstrafe abzuschaffen, die seit mehr als einem Jahrzehnt dort nicht mehr vollstreckt worden ist," sagte Roseann Rife, Vizedirektorin des Asien-Pazifik-Programms bei Amnesty International. Seit dem Amtsantritt des früheren Präsidenten Kim Dae-jung im Februar 1998 haben keine Hinrichtungen mehr stattgefunden. Kim Dae-jung war 1980 selbst zum Tode verurteilt worden. Allerdings werden immer noch Todesurteile ausgesprochen. Zurzeit befinden sich 57 Menschen in südkoreanischen Todeszellen.Immer mehr Staaten wenden die Todesstrafe nicht mehr an. Mehr als 70 Prozent aller Länder haben entweder einen Hinrichtungsstopp verfügt oder die Todesstrafe gänzlich abgeschafft. "Trotz dieser Entscheidung fordern wir die Regierung von Südkorea auf, auch in Zukunft keine Hinrichtungen durchzuführen und die Todesstrafe abzuschaffen. Jeder Schritt zurück würde das internationale Ansehen Südkoreas enorm beschädigen. Als eines der wirtschaftlich stärksten Länder sollte Südkorea mit gutem Beispiel voran gehen und das Recht der Menschen auf Leben achten," sagte Roseann Rife.Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 25. Februar 2010 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=575 2010-02-20 Am 16. Februar 2010 lehnte es das Parlament in Kiew ab, die Todesstrafe wieder einzuführen. Lediglich 32 der 413 anwesenden Abgeordneten stimmten einer entsprechenden Gesetzesinitiative zu. Sie ging von der kommunistischen Partei aus, die vorgeschlagen hatte, Verbrechen wie Vergewaltigung, Raub, Betrug, Organisation von Verbrechensringen, Bestechung und andere strafbare Handlungen, die derzeit mit lebenslanger Haft geahndet werden, unter Todesstrafe zu stellen. Erst im Frühjahr 2000 hatte der Gesetzgeber nach langem Widerstand die Todesstrafe für alle Straftaten abgeschafft. Vorausgegangen war ein Urteil des Verfassungsgerichts, das am 29. Dezember 1999 die Todesstrafe für verfassungswidrig erklärt hatte. Noch im Jahr 1996 waren in der Ukraine 167 Gefangene hingerichtet und weitere 13 im Frühjahr 1997 durch einen gezielten Schuss in den Hinterkopf exekutiert worden, bevor ein Hinrichtungsstopp wirksam wurde. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 20. Februar 2010 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=572 2010-02-13 Der Binnenstaat im südlichen Afrika hat die Gelegenheit verpasst, sich dem weltweiten Trend zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe anzuschließen. Am 3. Februar 2010 entschied die nationale Verfassungskonferenz (National Constitutional Conference, NCC), die Todesstrafe in dem Entwurf einer neuen Verfassung beizubehalten. Amnesty International bedauert die Entscheidung der NCC zutiefst. Die Kommission zur Überarbeitung der Verfassung ignorierte damit nationale Empfehlungen, die Todesstrafe zu streichen. Der Entscheidung der NCC war eine kontroverse Debatte vorangegangen. Der globale Trend weg von der Anwendung der Todesstrafe hat dazu beigetragen, dass auch in den Ländern Afrikas südlich der Sahara Hinrichtungen zu seltenen Ereignissen geworden sind. Im Jahr 2008 vollstreckten weltweit lediglich 25 Länder Todesurteile, nur vier davon lagen in Afrika. In jüngster Zeit schafften Togo und Burundi die Todesstrafe vollständig ab. Von den 15 Mitgliedsstaaten der Südafrikanischen Entwicklungsgemeinschaft hat in den letzten Jahren nur noch Botsuana Hinrichtungen durchgeführt. Sambia ist eines der Länder, in dem es Bewegung in Richtung Abschaffung der Todesstrafe gibt. Erst vor einem Jahr, am 16. Januar 2009, wandelte Präsident Rupiah Banda Bwezani die Todesurteile von 53 Gefangenen in Freiheitsstrafen um. Sein Amtsvorgänger, der inzwischen verstorbene Präsident Levy Mwanawasa, hatte im August 2007 97 Gefangenen einen ähnlichen Strafnachlass gewährt. Präsident Rupiah Banda Bwezani bekräftige Anfang April 2009 gegenüber einer deutschen Parlamentarierdelegation, er werde keine Hinrichtungsbefehle unterzeichnen. Die letzten Hinrichtungen in Sambia fanden im Jahr 1997 statt, als 12 Personen gehängt wurden. Bei den Abstimmungen in der Generalversammlung der Vereinten Nationen über ein weltweites Hinrichtungsmoratorium im Dezember 2007 und 2008 hat Sambia nicht gegen die Beschlüsse gestimmt, sondern sich der Stimme enthalten. Die Abschaffung der Todesstrafe im sambischen Recht ist überfällig. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 13. Februar 2010 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=571 2010-02-03 Fünf ehemalige Armeeoffiziere, die des Mordes an Bangladeschs erstem Präsidenten Sheikh Mujibur Rahman und nahezu seiner gesamten Familie schuldig befunden worden waren, sind in der Nacht zum 28. Januar 2010 hingerichtet worden. Die Todesurteile wurden nur 13 Stunden nach der letzten richterlichen Prüfung ihrer Urteile im Zentralgefängnis von Dhaka durch den Strang vollstreckt. Das Attentat war im August 1975 verübt worden. Der Oberste Gerichtshof hatte alle fünf Todesurteile nach einer letzten Überprüfung am 27. Januar 2010 bestätigt. Mehrere Wochen zuvor waren die Gnadengesuche von drei der Gefangenen vom amtierenden Präsidenten Zillur Rahman zurückgewiesen worden. Kurz nachdem der Oberste Gerichtshof seine endgültige Entscheidung, die Todesurteile aufrechtzuerhalten, verkündet hatte, lehnte der Präsident ein weiteres Gnadengesuch ab. Nur einer der zum Tode Verurteilten hatte darauf verzichtet, ein Gnadengesuch an den Präsidenten zu richten. Im Jahr 2008 wurden in Bangladesch nach Informationen von Amnesty International mindestens 185 Todesurteile verhängt und fünf vollstreckt. Amnesty International, 29.01.2010 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=570 2010-01-31 Amnesty International hat die Hinrichtung zweier Männer in Iran scharf verurteilt. Mohammad Reza Ali-Zamani und Arash Rahmanipour sind am 28. Januar 2010 gehängt worden, nachdem sie im Oktober 2009 in unfairen Prozessen der "Feinschaft zu Gott" und der Mitgliedschaft in der Gruppierung "Anjoman-e Padeshahi-e Iran" (API), die für die Wiedereinführung der Monarchie in Iran eintritt, für schuldig befunden worden waren. Weitere Punkte der Anklage waren unter anderem "Propaganda gegen das System" und die "Versammlung und Konspiration mit dem Ziel die innere nationale Sicherheit zu gefährden". Es sind die ersten bekannten Hinrichtungen, die einen Bezug zu den Unruhen nach den Präsidentschaftswahlen in Iran im Juni des vergangenen Jahres haben. "Diese schockierenden Hinrichtungen zeigen, dass die iranischen Behörden vor nichts halt machen, um die friedlichen Proteste nach den Wahlen auszumerzen," sagte Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Direktorin des Nahost- und Nordafrika-Programms bei Amnesty International. "Diesen Männern wurde zuerst ein unfairer Prozess gemacht, dann wurden sie ungerechterweise getötet. Es ist nicht einmal klar, ob sie tatsächlich Verbindungen zu der API hatten, denn ihre "Geständnisse" scheinen erzwungen worden zu sein." Laut iranischen Behörden befinden sich in Iran gegenwärtig mindestens neun weitere Personen im Todestrakt, die nach den Wahlen in ähnlichen Schauprozessen verurteilt worden sind. Weitere Verfahren sind noch nicht abgeschlossen. "Wir haben die Sorge, dass diese Hinrichtungen nur der Anfang einer Welle von Hinrichtungen sein könnten für diejenigen, die aufgrund ähnlich vage formulierter Anklagen zum Tode verurteilt wurden," sagte Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui. "Die Hinrichtungen verdeutlichen, wie das Justizsystem als Repressionsinstrument missbraucht wird. Sie sind eine Warnung an diejenigen, die möglicherweise den Wunsch haben, ihr Recht auf friedlichen Protest gegen die Regierung wahrzunehmen." Amnesty International, 28. Januar 2010 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=569 2010-01-14 Am 14. Januar 2010 kündigte Staatspräsident Tsakhilganiin Elbegdorj vor dem Parlament in Ulan Bator an, sein Land werde keine Gefangenen mehr hinrichten. Bereits verhängte Todesurteile sollen in 30-jährige Haftstrafen umgewandelt werden. Der Politiker der Demokratischen Partei hatte bei der Präsidentenwahl Ende Mai 2009 den damaligen Amtsinhaber Nambaryn Enkhbayar besiegt. Der zentralasiatische Staat grenzt im Norden an Russland und im Süden an die Volksrepublik China. "Die Mehrheit der Länder hat sich dafür entschieden, die Todesstrafe abzuschaffen", sagte der Staatschef. "Diesem Weg sollten wir folgen." Er fügte hinzu, dass diese Strafe ein "Schandfleck für den guten Namen des Landes" sei. Sie habe keine abschreckende Wirkung und Fehler bei den Urteilen könnten nicht ausgeschlossen werden. Die endgültige Abschaffung der Todesstrafe sei allerdings nur mit breiter Mehrheit im Parlament möglich. Die Opposition hatte dies bislang stets abgelehnt. "Die Regierung der Mongolei hat durch die Einführung eines Todesstrafen-Moratoriums ihr starkes Engagement für die Menschenrechte bewiesen. Amnesty International fordert andere Länder in dieser Region auf, dem Beispiel der Mongolei zu folgen", sagte Roseann Rife, stellvertretende Direktorin der Menschenrechtsorganisation für den Asien-Pazifik-Raum. Asien exekutiert weiterhin mehr Menschen als der Rest der Welt zusammen. Amnesty International schätzt, dass im Jahr 2008 mindestens 1.838 Personen in 11 Ländern Asiens hingerichtet wurden. Die Anwendung der Todesstrafe unterlag in der Mongolei strikter Geheimhaltung. Die Behörden gaben keine Informationen zur Zahl der Todesurteile und Hinrichtungen im Land bekannt. Menschenrechtsverteidiger erhielten keinen Zugang zu den zum Tode verurteilten Gefangenen. Die Behörden benachrichtigten auch Familienmitglieder nicht, wenn Gefangene im Todestrakt exekutiert wurden. Nach Informationen von Amnesty International sind zuletzt 2008 Menschen hingerichtet worden. Das Strafgesetzbuch sieht die Todesstrafe für sieben Verbrechen vor, darunter Mord und unter besonders schweren Tatumständen begangene Vergewaltigung. Exekutionen wurden von Erschießungskommandos ausgeführt. Mehr Informationen finden Sie hier. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 14. Januar 2010 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=567 2009-12-29 Unfaire Verfahren bei Todesstrafe und politische Prozesse bewiesen: China weit entfernt von Rechtsstaatlichkeit Amnesty International hat die Hinrichtung des Briten Akmal Shaikh wegen Drogenschmuggels in China scharf verurteilt. "Die Exekution zeigt die Ungerechtigkeit und Unmenschlichkeit der Todesstrafe", sagte Dirk Pleiter, China-Experte von Amnesty International in Deutschland. "Das Verfahren gegen Akmal Shaikh wie auch der Prozess gegen den Dissidenten Liu Xiabo verdeutlichen, wie weit China von einem rechtsstaatlichen System entfernt ist." Mit Blick auf Berichte über eine psychische Erkrankung des Briten, kritisierte Pleiter, dass bei dem Prozess nicht, wie vom chinesischen Recht vorgesehen, strafmildernde Umstände berücksichtigt wurden. "Den chinesischen Behörden war es wohl wichtiger, auf die nicht belegte abschreckende Wirkung der Todesstrafe zu setzen, als die psychische Erkrankung von Akmal Saikh strafmildernd zu berücksichtigen", sagte Pleiter. In China können derzeit etwa 70 Straftatbestände mit dem Tode geahndet werden. Die Bandbreite reicht von Mord, Geiselnahme und Vergewaltigung über "konterrevolutionäre" Aktivitäten wie Verschwörung zum Sturz der Regierung und Verrat von Staatsgeheimnissen über Wirtschaftsdelikte wie Steuerhinterziehung und Korruption bis hin zu anderen Vergehen, bei denen keine Gewalt angewendet wurde wie Zuhälterei und Drogendelikte. 2008 wurden in China mindestens 1.728 Menschen hingerichtet, 7.003 wurden zum Tode verurteilt. Weltweit lag die Zahl der Hinrichtungen 2008 bei mindestens 2.390 (1.252 in 2007), die der Todesurteile bei mindestens 8.864 (3.347 in 2007). Mehr als 20.000 Menschen sitzen derzeit weltweit im Todestrakt. Zum harten Kern der Staaten, die Menschen hinrichten, gehören China, Iran, Saudi-Arabien, Pakistan und die USA. 2008 waren diese fünf Länder für 93 Prozent aller Hinrichtungen verantwortlich. Zahlen und Fakten zur Todesstrafe im Jahr 2009 wird Amnesty International voraussichtlich im März 2010 veröffentlichen. Amnesty International, Pressemitteilung, Berlin, 29. Dezember 2009 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=566 2009-12-17 Am 17. Dezember endete das Leben des 23-jährigen Mosleh Zamani gegen 4.00 Uhr früh am Galgen in einem Gefängnis der Stadt Kermanshah im Westen Irans. Etwa 200 Personen demonstrierten vor dem Gefängnis gegen die Hinrichtung. Mosleh Zamani war wie verlautet für schuldig befunden worden, eine etwa 10 Jahre ältere Frau, mit der er angeblich eine Beziehung hatte, entführt und zum Geschlechtsverkehr gezwungen zu haben. Mosleh Zamani war zur Tatzeit mutmaßlich 17 Jahre alt. Ein Mitglied seiner Familie hat gegenüber Amnesty International angegeben, dass Mosleh Zamani während seines Prozesses und in den Berufungsverhandlungen nur unzureichend anwaltlich vertreten war. 2006 verhängte ein Gericht das Todesurteil gegen ihn. Amnesty International erfuhr, dass Mosleh Zamanis angebliches Opfer versucht hat, sein Leben zu retten, indem sie angab, einvernehmlichen Sex gehabt zu haben. Der Berufungsrichter weigerte sich jedoch, dies zu berücksichtigen, und sprach sich stattdessen für die Vollstreckung des Todesurteils an Mosleh Zamanizu aus, um ein Exempel zu statuieren als Warnung für andere junge Iraner. Eigentlich hätte diese Hinrichtung gar nicht stattfinden dürfen. Iran ist Vertragsstaat des Internationalen Pakts über bürgerliche und politische Rechte und des UN-Übereinkommens über die Rechte des Kindes, nach denen die Verhängung der Todesstrafe wegen Straftaten, die eine Person als Minderjähriger begangen hat, ausdrücklich verboten ist. Bereits fünfmal hat sich Iran im Laufe des Jahres über das Völkerrecht hinweggesetzt. Philip Luther, stellvertretender Leiter des Nahost- und Nordafrika-Programms von Amnesty International, wirft die Frage auf, "wie viele Jugendliche noch sterben müssen, bevor Iran diese schreckliche Praxis stoppt?" Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 17. Dezember 2009 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=562 2009-12-07 In Saudi-Arabien ist ein junger Mann auf besonders grausame Weise hingerichtet worden: Man enthauptete den Delinquenteinen am 7. Dezember nicht nur mit dem Schwert, sondern kreuzigte seine Leiche anschließend auch noch. Der Körper wurde zusammen mit dem abgetrennten Kopf auf einem Pfahl befestigt und "zur Abschreckung" auf einem öffentlichen Platz zur Schau gestellt. Ort der makaberen Urteilsvollstreckung war die im Norden Saudi-Arabiens gelegene Stadt Hail. Laut Zeitungsberichten vom 3. November 2009 soll der 22-jährige Täter vier Jungen entführt und sexuell missbraucht haben. Ein Gericht verurteilte ihn dafür im Februar 2009 zum Tode. Über das Gerichtsverfahren ist sehr wenig bekannt. Todesurteile werden jedoch in Saudi-Arabien nach unfairen und im Geheimen geführten Verfahren verhängt. Der 22-Jährige hatte während des Verfahrens keinen Zugang zu einem Anwalt und Berichte deuten darauf hin, dass er an einer psychischen Störung gelitten haben könnte. Das Todesurteil mit anschließender Kreuzigung wurde vom Kassationsgericht bestätigt und dem Obersten Justizrat zur abschließenden Ratifizierung durch den König zugeleitet. Mindestens 158 Menschen wurden 2007 in Saudi-Arabien exekutiert, mehr als 102 in 2008 und in diesem Jahr weitere 62. In Saudi-Arabien können zum Tode Verurteilte hingerichtet werden, ohne dass das Hinrichtungsdatum vorab ihnen oder ihren Familien bekannt gegeben werden muss. Die Gerichtsverfahren entsprechen bei Weitem nicht den internationalen Standards für ein faires Gerichtsverfahren. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 07. Dezember 2009 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=564 2009-12-04 Die irakischen Behörden planen die Hinrichtung von mehreren hundert Gefangenen. Die Betroffenen sollen bereits alle verfügbaren Rechtsmittel zur Anfechtung der Todesurteile ausgeschöpft haben, und die Todesurteile sollen vom Präsidialrat bestätigt worden sein. Dies bedeutet, dass die Gefangenen jederzeit exekutiert werden könnten. Berichten zufolge befinden sich derzeit mehr als 900 Menschen im Todestrakt, darunter 17 Frauen. Die Gefangenen sind wegen Straftaten wie Entführung und Mord zum Tode verurteilt worden. Allem Anschein nach ergingen die Todesurteile in den meisten Fällen nach unfairen Gerichtsverfahren. In diesem Jahr sind in Irak bereits mindestens 120 Menschen hingerichtet worden. Die irakischen Behörden wollen die anstehenden Todesurteile offenbar noch vor den für Januar 2010 geplanten Parlamentswahlen (die jedoch wahrscheinlich verschoben werden) vollstrecken - trotz des nationalen und internationalen Drucks, der sich gegen die Anwendung der Todesstrafe richtet. Irakischen Presseberichten zufolge will die Regierung ihre Härte im Vorgehen gegen Verbrechen demonstrieren und im Vorfeld der Parlamentswahlen beweisen, dass sie die schwierige Sicherheitslage im Land unter Kontrolle hat. Politikerinnen und Politiker der Opposition befürchten jedoch, dass die Todesurteile vollstreckt werden könnten, um der Regierungspartei angesichts der bevorstehenden Wahlen politische Vorteile zu verschaffen, und fordern deshalb von der Regierung, alle Hinrichtungen auszusetzen. "Die irakische Regierung muss den internationalen Appellen Folge leisten und Hinrichtungen stoppen", kommentierte Philip Luther, stellvertretender Leiter des Nahost- und Nordafrika-Programms von Amnesty International. Seit der Wiederzulassung der Todesstrafe im August 2004 sind mindestens 1.000 Menschen in Irak zum Tode verurteilt und Hunderte hingerichtet worden. Es gibt keine offiziellen Angaben über die Zahl der zum Tode Verurteilten oder Hingerichteten. Drängen Sie bei den Behörden darauf, die anstehenden Hinrichtungen umgehend zu stoppen und die Todesurteile umzuwandeln. Mehr Informationen dazu finden Sie hier. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 04. Dezember 2009 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=563 2009-11-12 Die chinesische Regierung muss sicherstellen, dass die Angeklagten im Zusammenhang mit den Aufständen in der Autonomen Region Xinjiang im Juli 2009 ein faires Gerichtsverfahren erhalten. Es dürfen keine weiteren Todesurteile verhängt werden. Chinesischen Medienberichten zufolge stehen seit dem 9. November 2009 weitere 20 Personen vor Gericht. Ihnen wird Mord, Brandstiftung und Raub während der Unruhen vorgeworfen. Zuvor hatten die chinesischen Behörden bereits acht Uiguren und einen Han-Chinesen hingerichtet. Drei Personen erhielten die Todesstrafe auf Bewährung, neun weitere Beschuldigte langjährige Haftstrafen. Insgesamt dauerte der Prozess gegen die 21 Angeklagten nur einen Tag. "Die unfairen Prozesse und schnell durchgeführten Hinrichtungen setzen jene Ungerechtigkeiten fort, die überhaupt erst zum Ausbruch der Unruhen in Xinjiang geführt haben", sagt Roseann Rife, Leiterin des Asia-Pazifik Programms von Amnesty International. Nach Meinung von Amnesty International waren die Bedingungen für ein faires Verfahren von Anfang an schlecht. Die Angeklagten konnten ihre Verteidiger nicht selbst wählen und Menschenrechtsanwälte wurden von der Justizbehörde in Beijing unter Druck gesetzt, keinen der Fälle zu übernehmen. Unbeteiligte Beobachter waren zum Prozess nicht zugelassen. Zudem hatte der Parteisekretär der Kommunistischen Partei in der Provinzhauptstadt Urumqi bereits kurz nach den Unruhen auf einer Pressekonferenz angekündigt, dass die "brutalen Kriminellen zum Tode verurteilt" würden. Aufgrund der vielen Verhaftungen nach den Aufständen fürchtet Amnesty, dass es weitere Hinrichtungen geben wird. Amnesty International fordert die chinesische Regierung auf, alle Fälle von Gewalt während der Aufstände im Juli aufzuklären. Dazu gehört auch die möglicherweise übermäßige Gewaltanwendung durch chinesische Sicherheitskräfte gegen friedliche uigurische Demonstranten. Die chinesische Regierung muss dafür Sorge tragen, dass künftige Prozesse internationalen Menschenrechtsstandards entsprechen und keine Todesurteile mehr ausgesprochen werden. "Nur durch eine faire und offene Untersuchung der Unruhen können jene Spannungen beigelegt werden, die die Ursache der Gewalt waren", sagt Roseann Rife. Amnesty International, 11. November 2009 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=561 2009-10-27 Rahim Mohammadi wurde am 5. Oktober 2009 wegen homosexueller Handlungen in Iran gehängt. Der Vater einer zwölfjährigen Tochter war mit Kobra Babaei verheiratet. Die iranischen Behörden hatten den Anwalt von Rahim Mohammadi nicht über die bevorstehende Hinrichtung informiert, obwohl dies nach iranischem Recht vorgeschrieben ist. In einem Interview Anfang 2009 hatte Mohamad Mostafaei, der Anwalt von Kobra Babaei und Rahim Mohammadi, erklärt, das Ehepaar habe nach einer langen Zeit der Arbeitslosigkeit versucht, durch Prostitution seinen Lebensunterhalt sicherzustellen. Kobra Babaei und Rahim Mohammadi wurden daraufhin des Ehebruchs für schuldig befunden und zum Tode durch Steinigung verurteilt. Gegen Rahim Mohammadi erging außerdem wegen "homosexueller Handlungen" das Todesurteil, wobei die Hinrichtungsmethode bei dieser "Straftat" vom Richter festgelegt wird. Rechtsanwalt Mostafaei betrachtet die Hinrichtung von Rahim Mohammadi als rechtswidrig. Er macht geltend, dass es keine Beweise für homosexuelle Handlungen seines Mandanten gebe, und er davon ausgehe, dass diese Anklage gegen seinen Mandanten erhoben wurde, damit die Behörden ihn durch den Strang hinrichten konnten und nicht durch Steinigung. Rahim Mohammadi befand sich bis zu seiner Exekution im Gefängnis von Tabriz, einer im Nordwesten Irans gelegenen Stadt. 2002 verfügte die Oberste Justizautorität Irans (Leiter der Justizbehörden) ein Moratorium für Hinrichtungen durch Steinigung. Dennoch sind seit 2002 wenigstens fünf Männer und eine Frau zu Tode gesteinigt worden. Nach Kenntnis von Amnesty International droht derzeit weiteren sieben Frauen und zwei Männern die Steinigung. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 27. Oktober 2009 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=560 2009-10-12 Behnoud Shojaee ist 17 Jahre alt, als er bei dem Versuch, eine Rauferei zu schlichten, einen der Kontrahenten tötet. Ein Teheraner Strafgericht erkennt auf vorsätzlichen Mord und verurteilt ihn am 2. Oktober 2006 zum Tode. Während seines Prozesses wurde Behnoud Shojaee keine anwaltliche Vertretung gewährt, so dass er gezwungen war, eine Überprüfung seines Falls und ein Wiederaufnahmeverfahren selbst zu beantragen. Vergeblich, denn obwohl Widersprüche in dem Verfahren nie untersucht wurden, bestätigte der Oberste Gerichtshof das Todesurteil gegen ihn am 30. Juni 2007. Nach Protesten unter anderem von Amnesty International und der Europäischen Union wurde die geplante Hinrichtung von Behnoud Shojaee am 6. Mai 2008 ausgesetzt. Es sollte den Familien Gelegenheit gegeben werden, sich auf ein "Blutgeld" anstelle der Hinrichtung zu einigen. Doch alle Bemühungen, die Familie von Behnoud Shojaees Opfer zur Gnade zu bewegen, scheiterten. Der letzte der insgesamt sechs Hinrichtungsbefehle setzte den Vollzug der Todesstrafe schließlich auf den frühen Morgen des 11. Oktober 2009 fest. Es wird berichtet, dass nachdem die Schlinge um den Hals des 21-Jährigen gelegt worden war, die Mutter des Mordopfers und ihr Mann gemeinsam den Stuhl unter Behnouds Füßen weggezogen hätten. Die Islamische Republik Iran hat in diesem Jahr unter Bruch geltenden Völkerrechts bereits vier zur Tatzeit minderjährige Straftäter hingerichtet. Iran ist Vertragspartei des Übereinkommens über die Rechte des Kindes. Danach ist es verboten, Personen zum Tode zu verurteilen, die zur Tatzeit noch nicht das 18. Lebensjahr erreicht hatten. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 12. Oktober 2009 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=559 2009-10-09 Immer weniger Staaten richten Menschen hin, doch einige wenige Staaten richten immer mehr Menschen hin. Das ist das Fazit von Amnesty International anlässlich des Internationalen Tages gegen die Todesstrafe am 10. Oktober. 139 Staaten haben die Todesstrafe im Gesetz oder in der Praxis abgeschafft. Demgegenüber steht eine Minderheit von 58 Staaten, die an der Todesstrafe festhält. "Der weltweite Trend zu einer Welt ohne Todesstrafe dauert an und ist unumkehrbar. Die Staaten mit Todesstrafe sollten dieses Signal verstehen und endlich Schritte ergreifen, um die Todesstrafe zu überwinden", sagte Oliver Hendrich, Anti-Todesstrafen-Experte bei Amnesty International Deutschland. "Die Todesstrafe ist ein Auslaufmodell und ihre Abschaffung überfällig." 2009 schafften Burundi und Togo die Todesstrafe vollständig ab, in Kenia wurden bei einer Generalamnestie sämtliche Todesurteile umgewandelt. Doch gleichzeitig dokumentiert Amnesty International steigende Hinrichtungszahlen. 2008 wurden mindestens 2.390 Menschen (1.252 in 2007) hingerichtet und mindestens 8.864 (3.347 in 2007) zum Tode verurteilt. Mehr als 20.000 Menschen sitzen derzeit weltweit im Todestrakt. Zum harten Kern der Staaten, die Menschen und hinrichten, gehören China, Iran, Saudi-Arabien, Pakistan und die USA. 2008 waren diese fünf Länder für 93 Prozent aller Hinrichtungen verantwortlich. Weiterhin richtet China jährlich mehr Menschen hin als jedes andere Land der Welt. Dort kann die Todesstrafe für 68 verschiedene Vergehen verhängt werden - auch für Straftaten, die keine Gewaltverbrechen sind. Iran henkt nach Beobachtungen von Amnesty International immer mehr Menschen. Allein seit den Präsidentenwahlen im Juni sind mindestens 115 Todesurteile vollstreckt worden (2008: mind. 346 Hinrichtungen). Auch in den USA wurden 2009 bereits mehr Menschen hingerichtet als im vergangenen Jahr. Allerdings schaffen immer mehr US-Bundesstaaten die Todesstrafe ab. Im März strich New Mexiko als 15. Bundesstaat die Todesstrafe aus dem Strafgesetz. Amnesty International lehnt die Todesstrafe als grausame, unmenschliche und erniedrigende Strafe ab. Die Organisation gehört wie mehr als 60 weitere Nichtregierungsorganisationen der Weltkoalition gegen die Todesstrafe an. Die Weltkoalition rief den Internationalen Tag gegen die Todesstrafe im Jahr 2002 aus. Weitere Informationen (Zahlen, Fakten, Hintergründe, Weltkarte, etc.) finden Sie unter www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de. Oliver Hendrich, Anti-Todesstrafen-Experte bei Amnesty International Deutschland, steht für Interviews gerne zur Verfügung. Kontakt: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Sektion der Bundesrepublik Deutschland e.V. Pressestelle . Postfach 28 01 08 . 10411 Berlin T: +49 30 420248-306 . F: +49 30 420248-330 . E presse@amnesty.de http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=557 2009-09-17 A new Indonesian bylaw that endorses stoning to death for adultery and caning of up to 100 lashes for homosexuality should be repealed immediately, Amnesty International said on Thursday. The local Islamic Criminal Code was passed by the Aceh Provincial House of Representatives on Monday. It forbids a number of acts including alcohol consumption, gambling, intimacy between unmarried couples, adultery and fornication, and homosexuality. Amnesty International is also concerned by provisions that criminalize adultery and homosexuality. Indonesian authorities must ensure that such provisions are repealed in conformity with international law and standards relating to physical and mental integrity and equality before the law. "The new criminal bylaw flies in the face of international human rights law as well as provisions of the Indonesian constitution," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific director. "Stoning to death is particularly cruel and constitutes torture, which is absolutely forbidden under all circumstances in international law." Indonesia's central government has indicated that the law may contravene Indonesia's existing human rights protections under the country's constitution. "We welcome the concerns expressed by different levels of the Indonesian government about these laws," Zarifi said. "But the proof is in the doing, and as long as these laws stay on the books they pose a serious threat to Indonesia's international human rights obligations." Some of these provisions, particularly punishment by caning, are not new in Aceh and already violate international human rights standards on cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. However, this is the first time that local legislators have included stoning to death (rajam) as a penalty for those who commit adultery. International human rights law and standards oppose the extension of the death penalty to new crimes. Amnesty International has urged Aceh's newly elected legislature, due to take office in October, to repeal the law as matter of urgent priority. Amnesty International has also called on the new legislature to ensure that all local regulations in Aceh are in full conformity with international human rights law and standards, and other human rights provisions set out in the Indonesian Constitution and in the 1999 Law on Human Rights. The Indonesian government should ensure that the decentralization process and regional autonomy does not come at the expense of human rights. Local Islamic Law was gradually put in place in Aceh from 1999-2000 through various autonomy packages. Caning was introduced a few years ago as a punishment meted out by Islamic courts for offences such as gambling, theft and adultery. At least 31 men and four women convicted of gambling were caned under local Islamic law in Aceh in 2005 and at least eight people (five men and three women) convicted for gambling or adultery were caned in 2006. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=556 2009-09-10 The government of Japan continues to execute prisoners who are mentally ill, according to a new Amnesty International report. Hanging by a thread: mental health and the death penalty in Japan highlights five cases where mental illness has been reported, including two cases with extensive medical documentation. These prisoners remain on death row facing execution. The exact number of death row prisoners with mental illness is unknown. The secrecy around the death penalty and prisoners' health, combined with a lack of scrutiny by independent mental health experts, has led to reliance on secondary testimony and documentation to assess the mental state of those on death row. The government has a policy of not allowing access to prisoners on death row and denied Amnesty International's request for access. Amnesty International's report also emphasises that prison conditions need to be improved to prevent inmates from developing serious mental health problems while on death row. Japan has signed up to international standards that require that those with a serious mental illness be protected from the death penalty. The country is contravening those standards by its failure to prevent the execution of prisoners who are mentally ill. As of 3 September 2009, 102 people are on death row in Japan waiting to find out if their government will put them to death. For those who have completed the legal process, death could come at a few hours' notice. Each day could be their last. The arrival of a prison officer with a death warrant would signal their execution within hours. Some live like this year after year, sometimes for decades. "To allow a prisoner to live for prolonged periods under the daily threat of imminent death is cruel, inhuman and degrading," said James Welsh, Amnesty International's Health Coordinator and lead author of the report. "Amnesty International's studies around the world have shown that those suffering mental health problems are at particular risk of ending up on death row. "Mental disorders can give rise to crimes, impair the ability of a defendant to participate in an effective legal defence, and are likely to play a significant role in the decision of prisoners to terminate appeals. In Japan, condemned inmates are also at risk of developing a serious mental illness while on death row." According to the report, Japan is breaching its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in its treatment of prisoners on death row. Conditions in prisons are harsh and prisoners on death row are especially vulnerable to developing mental health problems due to being imprisoned in isolation with little human contact. Amnesty International is concerned that prisoners are not allowed to talk to one another - a restriction enforced by strict isolation. Contact with family members, lawyers and others can be restricted to as little as five minutes at a time. Apart from visits to the toilet, prisoners are not allowed to move around the cell and must remain seated. Death row prisoners are less likely than other prisoners to have access to fresh air and light and more likely to suffer additional punishments because of behaviour that may infringe the strict rules imposed on them. "These inhuman conditions increase a prisoner's anxiety and anguish and in many cases push prisoners over the edge and into a state of mental illness," said James Welsh. The report calls on the government of Japan to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty. It also urges the government of Japan to review all cases where mental illness may be a relevant factor, to ensure that prisoners with mental illness are not executed and to improve conditions for prisoners so that prisoners will not suffer declining mental health or the development of serious mental illness. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=554 2009-09-01 Lagos, einer der einflussreichsten Bundesstaaten des westafrikanischen Staats Nigeria, hat einen wichtigen Schritt auf dem Weg zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe gemacht: Ende August 2009 sind dort drei zum Tode verurteilte Gefangene begnadigt und freigelassen worden. Die Todesurteile von weiteren 37 Gefangenen im Bundesstaat Lagos wurden umgewandelt, davon 29 in lebenslange Haft. Der Gouverneur des im Südwesten des Landes gelegenen Bundesstaats, Babatunde Fashola, sagte, dass er die Amnestie aus "humanitären Gründen" gewährt habe. Er fügte hinzu, dass er den Gefangenen "Hoffnung auf Änderung ihres Verhaltens und Rehabilitierung in die Gesellschaft" geben wollte. Zwar haben seit über zehn Jahren keine Hinrichtungen mehr im Bundesstaat Lagos stattgefunden, aber es werden weiterhin Todesurteile verhängt. Der Bundesstaat wird noch 2009 sein Strafgesetzbuch ändern. In den letzten Jahren hat es oft politische Diskussionen über die Todesstrafe in Nigeria gegeben. Unter den Militärregierungen zwischen 1970 und 1999 wurden mehr als 2.600 Todesurteile vollstreckt, die meisten davon waren von den Sondergerichten für Raub und Schusswaffen verhängt worden. Nach dem Ende des Militärregimes ging die Macht im Mai 1999 an eine zivile Regierung über und die Zahl der Hinrichtungen sank. Zwei vom damaligen Präsidenten Olusegun Obasanjo eingesetzte Expertengruppen - die Nationale Arbeitsgruppe über die Todesstrafe (2004) und die Kommission für die Reform der Justizverwaltung (2007) - empfahlen ein Hinrichtungsmoratorium. 2008 wurden in Nigeria mindestens 40 Personen zum Tode verurteilt und etwa 735 Menschen sitzen im Todestrakt, darunter elf Frauen. Amnesty International kritisiert, dass Hunderte von diesen Gefangenen kein faires Gerichtsverfahren hatten. Todesurteile werden durch den Strang vollstreckt. Seit 2002 hat Nigeria offiziell keine Hinrichtungen gemeldet. Allerdings hat Amnesty International von mindestens sieben Hinrichtungen erfahren, die 2006 heimlich durchgeführt wurden. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 01. September 2009 Mehr dazu hier: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/good-news/death-row-prisoners-freed-nigeria-20090826 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=553 2009-08-26 Nach fast sechsjähriger Unterbrechung wurde erstmals wieder im staatlichen Auftrag ein Exekutionskommando im Königreich Thailand zusammengestellt. Es richtete am 24. August 2009 zwei Männer im Bang Khwang-Gefängnis in Zentralthailand mit der Giftspritze hin. Die 45 und 52 Jahre alten Gefangenen waren Ende März 2001 des Drogenhandels überführt und zum Tode verurteilt worden. Berichten zufolge setzte man die Delinquenten erst 60 Minuten vor der Hinrichtung davon in Kenntnis, dass diese unmittelbar bevorstehe. Obwohl in Thailand nach wie vor Todesurteile gefällt werden, war es in den vergangenen sechs Jahren zu keinen Hinrichtungen mehr gekommen. Vor der jüngsten Urteilsvollstreckung waren zuletzt Mitte Dezember 2003 vier Personen exekutiert worden. Es handelte sich dabei um die ersten Todesurteile, die mittels letaler Injektion in dem südostasiatischen Land vollzogen wurden. Die Giftspritze hatte im Oktober 2003 die bis dahin gebräuchliche Methode des Erschießens abgelöst. Weltweit nehmen immer mehr Staaten Abstand von staatlichem Töten. Amnesty International bedauert daher zutiefst die Wiederaufnahme von Hinrichtungen in Thailand. Die Regierung Thailands sollte dringend ihre Anwendung der Todesstrafe auf den Prüfstand stellen. Thailand gehört zu insgesamt 16 Staaten im asiatischen Raum, die die Todesstrafe für Drogenkriminelle vorsehen. Da viele Staaten dieser Region Informationen über die Todesstrafe nicht öffentlich machen, ist es für Amnesty International unmöglich abzuschätzen, wie viele Todesurteile im Zusammenhang mit Drogenvergehen tatsächlich gefällt werden. Berichte deuten jedoch daraufhin, dass in Indonesien, Malaysia, Singapur und Thailand ein hoher Anteil der Todesstrafen auf Straftäter entfällt, die wegen Drogendelikten verurteilt wurden. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 26. August 2009 Mehr dazu hier: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA39/006/2009/en http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=552 2009-08-11 Die vergangenen acht Wochen, die zwischen den Präsidentschaftswahlen am 12. Juni und der Vereidigung von Präsident Mahmud Ahmadineschad für eine zweite Amtszeit am 5. August vergangen sind, wurden von einer ungewöhnlich hohen Zahl an Exekutionen begleitet. In diesen 50 Tagen sind nach Beobachtungen von Amnesty International nicht weniger als 115 Menschen gehängt worden. Dabei kam es am 4. Juli mit 20 Urteilsvollstreckungen und weiteren 24 am 5. August zu regelrechten Massenhinrichtungen. Iran steht damit auf Platz 2 hinter China in der beschämenden Hinrichtungsstatistik des Jahres 2009. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 11. August 2009 Weitere Informationen finden Sie hier. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=551 2009-08-04 Der kenianische Präsident Mwai Kibaki hat alle anhängigen Todesurteile in lebenslange Haftstrafen umwandelt. In den Genuss dieses Straferlasses kamen über 4.000 Gefangene, die in extrem überfüllten Gefängnissen einsitzen. Viele Todestraktinsassen sind nach Prozessen verurteilt worden, die internationalen Standards für ein faires Gerichtsverfahren nicht entsprochen haben. So hatte der Staat nicht für alle Angeklagten die Kosten für einen Rechtsanwalt übernommen, so dass einige von ihnen ohne anwaltlichen Beistand schuldig gesprochen und zum Tode verurteilt worden sind. Seit 22 Jahren ist die Todesstrafe in dem ostafrikanischen Land nicht mehr vollstreckt worden. Kenias neue Regierung, die Ende Dezember 2002 durch demokratische Wahlen ins Amt kam, hatte im Rahmen einer umfassenden Justizreform die Abschaffung der Todesstrafe in Aussicht gestellt. Doch Präsident Kibaki bekräftigte nun, dass die groß angelegte Amnestie keineswegs das Ende der Todesstrafe bedeute. Ein Antrag zur Abschaffung dieser Strafe war bereits am 1. August 2007 im Parlament gescheitert. Gleichwohl rief das Staatsoberhaupt die Öffentlichkeit, Medien und andere Interessengruppen dazu auf, die Angelegenheit zu diskutieren. Ferner erging die Order an alle relevanten Ministerien, durch empirische Studien zu prüfen, ob das Fortbestehen der Todesstrafe in den Gesetzen des Landes irgendwelche Auswirkungen auf die Entwicklung der Kriminalitätsrate habe. "Dies ist ein Schritt nach vorn für die Menschenrechte in Kenia", sagte Piers Bannister, Anti-Todesstrafenexperte von Amnesty International. "Wir hoffen, dass die Regierungsstudien zu dem Schluss kommen, dass die Todesstrafe keine besondere abschreckende Wirkung hat, dass sie die Gesellschaft brutalisiert und oft Unschuldig trifft. Die Zeit ist für Kenia gekommen, sich den meisten Ländern der Welt anzuschließen und die Todesstrafe abzuschaffen", fügte er hinzu. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 04. August 2009 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=550 2009-07-25 Am 21. Juli 2009 wurde der 36-jährige Marvallous Matthew Keene in Ohio wegen Mordes durch die Injektion eines tödlichen Gifts hingerichtet. Es war die 1000. Exekution durch die Giftspritze in den USA. Die erste Hinrichtung mit dieser Methode hatte vor gut 26 Jahren am 7. Dezember 1982 stattgefunden. Damals war der 40-jährige Charlie Brooks jr. in Texas, ebenfalls wegen Mordes, exekutiert worden. Am 16. April 2008 ging ein siebenmonatiger landesweiter Stopp aller Exekutionen zu Ende. Der Oberste Gerichtshof der USA erklärte an diesem Tag die Giftspritze als Hinrichtungsmethode für rechtens. Bis zu dieser Grundsatzentscheidung waren vorübergehend alle Hinrichtungen ausgesetzt worden. Zwei Häftlinge aus Kentucky hatten geltend gemacht, dass die Exekution mittels Giftspritze gegen das in der Verfassung verankerte Verbot "grausamer oder ungewöhnlicher Bestrafungen" verstoße. Sie führten an, dass die aus einer Kombination drei verschiedener Substanzen bestehende Giftinjektion unter bestimmten Voraussetzungen zu unsäglichen Todesqualen führen könne. Der Supreme Court entschied jedoch gegen die Kläger. Die Richter befanden, dass zum Tode Verurteilte notfalls auch Qualen bei der Vollstreckung der Todesstrafe erleiden müssen und dass sie keinen Rechtsanspruch auf eine schmerzfreie Exekution haben. Somit gaben sie der in 35 US-Bundesstaaten gebräuchlichen Hinrichtungsmethode ihr Plazet. Inzwischen wurde die Giftspritze auch in der Volksrepublik China, in Guatemala, auf den Philippinen und in Thailand angewandt. Die Staaten Indonesien und Vietnam erwägen ihre Einführung. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 25. Juli 2009 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=549 2009-07-15 Jüngste Gewalttaten haben die Behörden des Südpazifik-Staats dazu veranlasst, über die Wiederaufnahme von Hinrichtungen nachzudenken. Den Ausschlag dazu gab offenbar eine Mutter, die mutmaßlich ihre vier Kinder tötete. Justizminister und Generalstaatsanwalt Dr. Allan Marat sagte Journalisten, dass seine Behörde nun die entsprechenden Richtlinien erstellen werde, die für den Vollzug der Todesstrafe notwendig seien. Papua-Neuguinea hat seit 1954 keine Hinrichtungen mehr vorgenommen, obwohl das Parlament die Todesstrafe für vorsätzlichen Mord im Jahr 1991 wiedereinführte. Die vorgesehene Hinrichtungsmethode ist der Tod durch den Strang. "Die Regierung sollte die Todesstrafe abschaffen, anstatt sie wieder in Kraft zu setzen", mahnten die Menschenrechtsorganisationen Human Rights Watch und Amnesty International in ihrem gemeinsamen Schreiben vom 10. Juli an den Justizminister. "Die Wiederaufnahme von Hinrichtungen wäre für Papua-Neuguinea ein großer Rückschritt, der das Land von der vorherrschenden Meinung und Praxis in der Welt wegführen würde, sagt Zama Coursen-Neff, stellvertretender Direktor der Abteilung für die Rechte des Kindes bei Human Rights Watch. "Papua-Neuguinea sollte seine Strafrechtspflege stärken, aber es gibt keine Anhaltspunkte dafür, dass die Todesstrafe tatsächlich Verbrechen wirksamer abschreckt als andere Strafen." "Die Todesstrafe ist ein Verstoß gegen das Recht auf Leben und Papua-Neuguinea würde seiner Glaubwürdigkeit durch die Wiederaufnahme von Hinrichtungen schaden", erklärt Apolosi Bose, Experte von Amnesty International für die Pazifik-Region. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 15. Juli 2009 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=548 2009-07-01 Die Behörden in Belarus (Weißrussland) ignorieren weiterhin die internationalen Forderungen, ein Moratorium (Stopp) für die Todesstrafe zu erklären. Dies haben Amnesty International und das Belarussische Helsinki-Komitee am 30. Juni 2009 in einer Presseerklärung moniert. Anlass zur Kritik sind Informationen, wonach das Bezirksgericht von Brest am Vortag gegen einen 30-jährigen Mann wegen Serienmordes die Todesstrafe verhängt hat. Das Urteil ist noch nicht rechtskräftig. Das Todesurteil erging weniger als eine Woche, nachdem die Parlamentarische Versammlung des Europarates (PACE) am 23. Juni für die Wiederherstellung des Sondergaststatus des weißrussischen Parlaments beim Europarat votiert hatte. Diese Entscheidung der PACE ist jedoch daran geknüpft, dass Belarus als Vorbedingung ein Moratorium für die Vollstreckung der Todesstrafe erklärt. "Dieses Todesurteil ist der eindeutige Beweis dafür, dass es entgegen den Beteuerungen der Regierung kein De-facto-Moratorium in Belarus gibt. Wir müssen darauf gefasst sein, dass weiterhin Hinrichtungen stattfinden können", sagt Nicola Duckworth, Leiterin des Europa- und Zentralasien-Programms von Amnesty International in London. "Es ist höchste Zeit, dass sich Belarus den Ländern in Europa und Zentralasien anschließt und der Todesstrafe den Rücken kehrt, indem es ein offizielles Moratorium als ersten Schritt in Richtung Abschaffung dieser Strafe erklärt." Belarus ist das einzige Land in ganz Europa, das noch Todesurteile verhängt und vollstreckt. Am 21. Januar 2009 hatte der Generalstaatsanwalt, Gregory Vasilevich, gegenüber der Presse erklärt, dass im Jahr 2008 ein Todesurteil gefällt worden sei, während am 25. Juni der Präsident des Obersten Gerichtshofs, Valentin Sukala, von zwei Todesurteilen im vergangenen Jahr sprach. Der Vorsitzende des Belarussischen Helsinki-Komitees, Aleh Hulak, wertet solche Widersprüche als Beleg für das völlige Fehlen von verlässlichen und öffentlich zugänglichen Daten über die Todesstrafe in Weißrussland. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 01. Juli 2009 Mehr dazu hier. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=547 2009-06-24 Amnesty International begrüßt die Entscheidung, die der westafrikanische Staat Togo am 23. Juni getroffen hat. Nach einem einstimmigen Votum der Nationalversammlung wurde dort die Todesstrafe abschafft. Togo ist der 94. Staat der Erde und der 15. auf dem afrikanischen Kontinent, der nunmehr für alle Verbrechen auf die Todesstrafe verzichtet. Das Strafgesetzbuch von 1980 schrieb die Todesstrafe für zahlreiche Vergehen zwingend vor, beispielsweise für vorsätzlichen Mord und Totschlag in besonders schweren Fällen. Justizminister Kokou Tozoun erklärte am 10. Dezember 2008 bei der Verabschiedung des Gesetzentwurfs zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe im Ministerrat: "Dieses Land hat beschlossen, ein starkes Rechtssystems zu etablieren, das ... die grundlegenden Rechte des Individuums garantiert. Dieses neue System ist nicht mehr vereinbar mit einem Strafgesetzbuch, das die Todesstrafe vorsieht und damit der Justiz absolute Macht mit unwiderruflichen Folgen einräumt." Togo hat seit über drei Jahrzehnten die Todesstrafe nicht mehr vollstreckt. Die letzten Hinrichtungen von zum Tode verurteilten Personen gehen auf das Jahr 1978 zurück. Todesurteile wurden von Erschießungskommandos unter Ausschluss der Öffentlichkeit vollstreckt. Das letzte Todesurteil sprach ein Gericht im Jahr 2003. Das Votum der Abgeordneten in Togo stärkt den Trend in Afrika, die Todesstrafe zu überwinden. Erst im April 2009 hatte Burundi ein neues Strafgesetzbuch verabschiedet, das die Todesstrafe nicht mehr vorsieht. Eine Reihe weiterer Staaten, darunter Mali, unterziehen derzeit ihre Strafgesetzbücher einer Revision und erwägen ebenfalls, die Todesstrafe zu streichen. Im November 2008 verabschiedete die Afrikanische Kommission für Menschenrechte und Rechte der Völker (Afrikanische Kommission) auf ihrer 44. Sitzung im nigerianischen Abuja eine Resolution, die die afrikanischen Staaten auffordert, ein Moratorium für Hinrichtungen einzuhalten. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 24. Juni 2009 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=546 2009-05-13 Am Sonntag, 10. Mai 2009 sind in Medina fünf Männer mit dem Schwert öffentlich enthauptet worden. Zwei der Hingerichteten wurden wegen Vergehen verurteilt, die sie als 17-jährige begangen haben sollen. Die Männer waren im Jahr 2004 festgenommen aber erst im Februar 2008 von einem Gericht in Medina der Entführung und Vergewaltigung von Kindern, des Diebstahls und Konsums von Alkohol und Drogen für schuldig befunden worden. Sie galten damit als "auf Erden korrupt", ein Tatbestand, auf dem in Saudi-Arabien die Todesstrafe steht. Auf Polizeistationen sollen sie ohne Kontakt zur Außenwelt festgehalten und auch geschlagen worden sein, um ein "Geständnis" zu erzwingen. Das Kassationsgericht in Mekka bestätigte alle Urteile im Juli 2008 und dies obwohl zwei der Männer, Sultan Bin Sulayman Bin Muslim al-Muwallad und der tschadische Staatsbürger 'Issa bin Muhammad 'Umar Muhammad, zur Tatzeit der mutmaßlichen Verbrechen erst 17 Jahre alt waren. "Es ist grausam und unmenschlich, jemanden hinzurichten, aber es ist besonders empörend, wenn die Hinrichtungen nach einem grob unfairen Gerichtsverfahren stattfinden und wenn sie das Leben von Personen nehmen, die beschuldigt werden, ein Verbrechen begangen zu haben, als sie noch minderjährig waren," kommentierte Philip Luther, stellvertretender Direktor des Nahost- und Nordafrika-Programms von Amnesty International. Zwei weitere mitangeklagte Männer verurteilte das Gericht zu "heftiger Auspeitschung" und zu 15 Jahren Haft. Sie waren zur mutmaßlichen Tatzeit 13 und 15 Jahre alt. Die 1.250 und 1.500 Peitschenhiebe sollen nach und nach alle zehn Tage in der Öffentlichkeit verabreicht werden, und zwar am Ort des Vergehens. Saudi-Arabien ist Vertragsstaat sowohl des Übereinkommens über die Rechte des Kindes der Vereinten Nationen, das die Hinrichtung zur Tatzeit minderjähriger (also unter 18-jähriger) Straftäter ausdrücklich verbietet, als auch des Übereinkommens gegen Folter und andere grausame, unmenschliche oder erniedrigende Behandlung oder Strafe, das die Verhängung von Strafen wie der Auspeitschung untersagt. Amnesty International sind mit Stand Mai 2009 acht zur Tatzeit Minderjährige namentlich bekannt, denen die Vollstreckung des Todesurteils droht. Wegen der strikten Geheimhaltung im saudischen Justizsystem ist diese Angabe höchstwahrscheinlich unvollständig. Die Organisation hat vor kurzem einen Bericht über die Todesstrafe in Saudi-Arabien veröffentlicht, in dem auf die häufige Verhängung der Todesstrafe und auf die unverhältnismäßig hohe Zahl an Hinrichtungen an ausländischen Staatsangehörigen aus Entwicklungsländern verwiesen wurde. Weitere Informationen finden Sie hier. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 13. Mai 2009 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=545 2009-05-01 Im Morgengrauen des 1. Mai ist Delara Darabi im Gefängnis gehängt worden. Die junge Frau (22) war Ende Februar 2005 wegen eines Mordes, den sie im Alter von 17 Jahren begangen haben soll, zum Tode verurteilt worden. Das Völkerrecht verbietet jedoch die Verhängung der Todesstrafe gegen zur Tatzeit minderjährige Straftäter ausdrücklich. Mit der Vollstreckung dieses Todesurteils verletzt Iran einmal mehr seine eingegangenen internationalen Verpflichtungen. Laut Berichten brachen Delara Darabi und ihr damals 19-jähriger Freund Amir Hossein im September 2003 in das Haus einer 58 Jahre alten Kusine von Delaras Vater ein. Amir Hossein soll die Frau während des Einbruchs ermordet haben. Delara Darabi gestand den Mord zunächst. Ihren Angaben zufolge hatte Amir Hossein sie darum gebeten, die Verantwortung für den Mord zu übernehmen, um ihn vor der Hinrichtung zu bewahren. In der Annahme, dass sie als Minderjährige nicht zum Tode verurteilt werden könnte, willigte sie ein. Sie zog später ihr Geständnis zurück und behauptete, dass sie während des Einbruchs unter dem Einfluss von Beruhigungsmitteln gestanden habe. Seit ihrer Festnahme im Jahr 2003 befand sie sich im Gefängnis von Rasht im Norden Irans. Während dieser Zeit entwickelte sie ein anerkanntes Talent als Malerin. "Amnesty International ist empört über die Hinrichtung von Delara Darabi und auch über die Nachricht, dass ihr Anwalt entgegen der gesetzlichen Verpflichtung nicht 48 Stunden vor der Vollstreckung des Todesurteils davon in Kenntnis gesetzt wurde," sagt Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, stellvertretende Direktorin des Nahost- und Nordafrika-Programms von Amnesty International. "Das war anscheinend ein zynischer Schachzug von Seiten der Behörden, um nationale wie internationale Proteste zu vermeiden, die möglicherweise das Leben von Delara Darabi gerettet hätten." Delara Darabi wurde exekutiert, obwohl ihr erst am 19. April 2009 von der Obersten Justizautorität (Leiter der Justizbehörden) ein zweimonatiger Hinrichtungsaufschub gewährt worden war. Ihre Familie durfte nicht persönlich von ihrer Tochter Abschied nehmen. Damit wurde ihr ein vom Gesetz garantiertes Recht verweigert. Amnesty International ist der Auffassung, dass Delara Darabi kein faires Gerichtsverfahren gewährt wurde. So lehnten Gerichte später Beweismittel ab, von denen ihr Rechtsanwalt sagte, sie seien geeignet gewesen zu belegen, dass sie nicht den Mord begangen haben konnte. Seit 1990 sind in Iran mindestens 43 zur Tatzeit minderjährige Straftäterinnen und Straftäter hingerichtet worden, davon acht Personen im Jahr 2008 und zwei 2009. Die Islamische Republik Iran ist aktuell das einzige Land der Welt, von dem bekannt ist, dass es unter 18-jährige Straftäter zum Tode verurteilt und exekutiert. Die Todesstrafe wird in Iran an Jugendlichen in der Regel vollstreckt, sobald diese in der Haft das 18. Lebensjahr erreicht haben. Über 130 zur Tatzeit Minderjährige sind derzeit vom Vollzug der Todesstrafe bedroht. Nach Informationen von Amnesty International sind in diesem Jahr landesweit bereits 140 Gefangene gehenkt worden. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 1. Mai 2009 Mehr dazu in Englisch hier und auf Deutsch auch hier. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=465 2009-04-24 Mit großer Mehrheit stimmte die Nationalversammlung des ostafrikanischen Landes am 21. November 2008 für die Abschaffung der Todesstrafe. Das neue Strafgesetzbuch wurde mit 90 Stimmen und zehn Enthaltungen angenommen. Gegenstimmen gab es keine. Nach der Zustimmung auch des Senats trat das Gesetz am 24. April 2009 in Kraft. Es bannt nicht nur die Todesstrafe, sondern kriminalisiert zudem Folter, Völkermord, Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit und Kriegsverbrechen, die bislang in Burundi nicht als Straftaten gegolten hatten. Diese Entscheidung ist insofern bemerkenswert, als Burundi sich bis heute nicht von dem 1993 begonnenen Bürgerkrieg erholt hat, der mindestens 300.000 Menschen das Leben kostete. Erst Ende November 2003 war das Land zu einer Mehrparteienregierung zurückgekehrt. Das alte Strafgesetzbuch von 1981, das nun ersetzt wurde, stellte eine ganze Reihe von Verbrechen unter die Todesstrafe. Zu den Straftaten, für die die Todesstrafe zwingend vorgeschrieben war, zählten Mord und Verbrechen mit Todesfolge wie beispielsweise Raub, Entführung, Hexerei oder Kannibalismus. Raub wurde mit dem Tode bestraft, wenn eine Reihe erschwerender Umstände hinzukamen. Andere Verbrechen, die die Todesstrafe zur Folge hatten, waren Hochverrat, Spionage, Desertion von den Streitkräften in Kriegszeiten sowie die Anführung von bewaffneten Banden, Söldnertruppen oder aufständischen Bewegungen. Auch bei einem Anschlag auf das Leben des Staatsoberhauptes war die Todesstrafe zwingend vorgeschrieben. In der Praxis wurden jedoch Todesurteile in erster Linie wegen Mordes verhängt. Nachdem das neue Gesetz nun in Kraft getreten ist, müssen alle ausgesprochenen Todesurteile in lebenslange Haftstrafen umgewandelt werden. Eine burundische Menschenrechtsorganisation beziffert die Zahl der zum Tode Verurteilten auf annähernd 800. Amnesty International sah wiederholt Grund zu der Annahme, dass in den vergangenen Jahren immer wieder Menschen hingerichtet worden sind, deren Prozesse gegen nationale und internationale Rechtsnormen für einen fairen Prozess verstoßen haben. Allem Anschein nach verfügten zum Beispiel die wenigsten der in Burundi zum Tode verurteilten Gefangenen bei ihren Gerichtsverfahren über einen Rechtsbeistand. Die Bedingungen im Todestrakt des Mpimba-Zentralgefängnisses in der Hauptstadt Bujumbura galten als besonders hart. Die letzten Todesurteile, die von Zivilgerichten verhängt wurden, sind 1997 an sieben Menschen vollstreckt worden. Die letzten zwei Hinrichtungen wegen einer militärischen Straftat wurden am 19. Oktober 2000 vollzogen. Die gesetzlich zugelassenen Hinrichtungsmethoden waren der Strang und Erschießen durch Exekutionskommandos. Todesurteile wurden gelegentlich auch öffentlich vollzogen. Gerichte fällten bis in jüngste Zeit Todesurteile. Als bekannt wurde, dass die burundische Regierung die Wiederaufnahme von Hinrichtungen plante, rief Amnesty International Anfang 2005 gemeinsam mit dem früheren burundischen Minister für Menschenrechte, burundischen NGOs und internationalen Organisationen eine Koalition zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe ins Leben. Eine Initiative, die offensichtlich erfolgreich war: Burundi ist der 93. Staat der Erde, der nunmehr vollständig auf die Todesstrafe verzichtet. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 24. April 2009 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=540 2009-04-22 Ein Gericht in Lhasa hat am 7. April 2009 gegen vier Tibeter Todesurteile verhängt, zwei davon mit einem zweijährigen Aufschub des Vollzugs. Bei guter Führung können sie in lebenslange Haft umgewandelt werden. Die Verurteilten waren beschuldigt worden, Brände in Lhasa während der schweren Unruhen im März 2008 gelegt zu haben, bei denen mehrere Menschen starben. Ein weiterer Angeklagter erhielt eine lebenslange Haftstrafe. Es ist nicht bekannt, ob die Gefangenen Rechtsmittel gegen die Todesurteile einlegen werden. Allerdings werden alle Todesurteile einer Prüfung durch das Oberste Volksgericht Chinas unterzogen, bevor sie vollstreckt werden können. Soweit bekannt, handelt es sich um die ersten Todesurteile im Zusammenhang mit den Unruhen in den von Tibetern bewohnten Gebieten Chinas. Am 21. April 2009 erging gegen einen weiteren Tibeter in einem sepaaraten Verfahren ebenfalls wegen Brandstiftung das Todesurteil. Zwei Mitangeklagte erhielten eine zehnjährige beziehungsweise lebenslange Haftstrafe. Das Volksgericht in Lhasa setzte die Vollstreckung der Todesstrafe für zwei Jahre auf Bewährung aus.   Amnesty International hat die Gerichtsentscheidungen verurteilt. "Wir haben in China ein Muster von unfairen Gerichtsverfahren bei der Verhängung der Todesstrafe festgestellt. Unter diesen Bedingungen ist es sehr unwahrscheinlich, dass es sich bei diesen Todesurteilen anders verhält. Wir fordern, dass die Todesstrafen aufgehoben werden", erklärte Sam Zarifi, Direktor für die Region Asien-Pazifik bei Amnesty International. Folter ist in China nach wie vor weit verbreitet und Gerichte lassen diese so erlangten Aussagen später im Prozess als Beweismittel zu. Dies wirft Zweifel an dem Geständnis und der Behandlung eines der Gefangenen auf, gegen den im ersten Verfahren ein Todesurteil auf Bewährung erging. Nach offiziellen Berichten wurden in Februar 2009 bereits 76 Personen im Zusammenhang mit den Protesten verurteilt. Die meisten von ihnen waren wegen Brandstiftung, Plünderung, Unruhestiftens, Störung der öffentlichen Ordnung und Diebstahls angeklagt worden. Die verhängten Freiheitsstrafen bewegten sich zwischen drei Jahren und lebenslanger Haft. Nach Recherchen von Amnesty International hat es im Jahr 2008 in China mindestens 1.718 Hinrichtungen gegeben und 7.003 Menschen wurden zum Tode verurteilt. Die chinesische Regierung hält den eingeschränkten Zugang zu den tibetischen Siedlungsgebieten weiterhin aufrecht, was Befürchtungen aufkommen lässt, dass Berichte über Menschenrechtsverletzungen nicht nach außen dringen. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 22. April 2009   http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=543 2009-04-15 Die sudanesische Regierung hat am 13. April an neun Personen, die möglicherweise unschuldig sind, das Todesurteil vollstrecken lassen. Die Männer starben am Galgen im Kober-Gefängnis in der Hauptstadt Khartum. Am 2. April hatte das Verfassungsgericht die Todesstrafe gegen die neun Männer bestätigt. Einer von ihnen ist bereits 72 Jahre alt. Sie waren für schuldig befunden worden, den Herausgeber der Zeitung "Al-Wifaq", Mohamed Taha, ermordet zu haben. Dieser war am 6. September 2006 enthauptet aufgefunden worden. Der kritische Journalist hatte sich unter anderem den Zorn von IslamistInnen zugezogen, die Anstoß an seinen Zeitungsartikeln genommen hatten. Im Zuge der Mordermittlungen nahmen Polizei und andere Sicherheitskräfte in großem Umfang Festnahmen vor. Vor allem Menschen aus Darfur, die in Khartum leben, gerieten ins Visier der Sicherheitskräfte. Von den 72 festgenommenen Personen wurde die Mehrzahl wieder freigelassen, aber 19 - bis auf einen alle aus der Region Darfur - kamen vor Gericht. Die Gerichtsverfahren begannen im Februar 2007. Im August 2007 wurden neun Angeklagte freigesprochen und kamen nach fast einem Jahr in Haft frei. Die jetzt hingerichteten neun Männer gaben an, sie seien gefoltert worden, um den Mord zu gestehen, und waren gezwungen worden, Geständnisse zu unterzeichnen, die später als Beweismittel in den Prozess eingebracht wurden. Während des Gerichtsverfahrens zogen alle Angeklagten ihre "Geständnisse" zurück, doch auch das Berufungsgericht akzeptierte, dass Geständnisse als Hauptbelastungsmaterial gegen sie verwendet worden waren. Die VerteidigerInnen baten mehrfach darum, die Foltervorwürfe medizinisch untersuchen zu lassen. Dies wurde jedoch verweigert, obwohl einige der Männer Foltermale aufwiesen. "Die Hinrichtung der neun Männer ist empörend. Sie wurden willkürlich verhaftet, gefoltert und danach in einem unfairen Prozess verurteilt", erklärte Tawanda Hondora, stellvertretender Direktor für die Region Afrika bei Amnesty International. "Dieser Fall ist ein tragisches Beispiel dafür, was passiert, wenn eine unumkehrbare Strafe wie die Todesstrafe angewendet wird", sagte Tawanda Hondora. "Die sudanesische Regierung muss die Todesstrafe abschaffen, sofort." Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 15. April 2009 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=536 2009-03-24 Berlin, 24.03.2009 - In keiner Region dieser Erde wurden im Jahr 2008 mehr Menschen hingerichtet als in Asien. Allein die Volksrepublik China war mit mindestens 1.718 Fällen für über 70 Prozent aller weltweiten Hinrichtungen verantwortlich, die Dunkelziffer lag vermutlich um ein Vielfaches höher. Zu diesem Ergebnis kommt Amnesty International in ihrem jährlichen Bericht Todesstrafe, den die Menschenrechtsorganisation heute veröffentlicht hat. Insgesamt wurden im vergangenen Jahr mindestens 2.390 Menschen in 25 Ländern hingerichtet und wenigstens 8.864 in 52 Ländern zum Tode verurteilt. In Europa wendet mit Belarus/Weißrussland nur noch ein Staat die Todesstrafe an und richtete seit 1991 schätzungsweise 400 Menschen hin. "Die Todesstrafe ist eine grausame, erniedrigende und in höchstem Maße unmenschliche Strafe. Enthaupten, Erhängen, Erschießen, Steinigen, der Elektrische Stuhl und die Giftspritze haben im 21. Jahrhundert keinen Platz," sagte Oliver Hendrich, Anti-Todesstrafen-Experte bei Amnesty International in Deutschland. Viele Todeskandidaten müssen unter menschenunwürdigen Bedingungen im Todesstrakt ausharren. In Japan zum Beispiel werden die Verurteilten erst am Tag ihrer Hinrichtung über die bevorstehende Vollstreckung informiert. Ihre Familien erfahren erst viel später und nachdem die Hinrichtung erfolgt ist, von der Tötung des Angehörigen. "Die Todesstrafe ist ein legalisiertes körperliches und seelisches Folterinstrumentarium, das in der staatlich organisierten Tötung endet," sagte Hendrich. "Damit muss auch in Europa endlich Schluss sein." Belarus ist das letzte europäische Land, das die Todesstrafe verhängt und durch Erschießungen exekutiert. Im vergangenen Jahr haben mit Argentinien und Usbekistan zwei weitere Staaten die Todesstrafe aus ihren Gesetzen verbannt. Weltweit sind es 138 Staaten, die sie per Gesetz abgeschafft haben oder in der Praxis nicht mehr anwenden. "Die Welt rückt näher in Richtung weltweiter Abschaffung," urteilte Hendrich. "Doch jede Hinrichtung ist eine zuviel und noch sprechen zu viele Staaten, oft nach unfairen Strafprozessen, Todesurteile aus." Weitere Informationen finden Sie hier. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=532 2009-03-19 Im US-Bundesstaat New Mexico ist am 18. März 2009 eine wichtige Entscheidung gefallen: Gouverneur Bill Richardson setzte seine Unterschrift unter ein Gesetz, das die Todesstrafe in New Mexico abschafft. Der im Südwesten der USA gelegene Staat ist der 15. von 50 Bundesstaaten, der die Todesstrafe nicht mehr vorsieht. Zuletzt waren die US-Staaten New York und New Jersey diesen Schritt gegangen. Im Bundesstaat Maryland hingegen scheiterte eine solche Gesetzesinitiative am 3. März dieses Jahres. Nach dem Repräsentantenhaus hatte am 13. März 2009 auch der Senat in New Mexico dafür gestimmt, die Todesstrafe zu ersetzen. Neue Höchststrafe wird ab dem 1. Juli 2009 die lebenslange Haft ohne Begnadigungsmöglichkeit sein. Die Abgeordneten des Repräsentantenhauses hatten die Gesetzesvorlage mit 40 zu 28 Stimmen angenommen. Die Entscheidung im Senat fiel mit 24 zu 18 Stimmen. Beide Parlamentskammern in Santa Fe werden von Demokraten kontrolliert. In New Mexiko sitzen derzeit zwei zum Tode verurteilte Häftlinge ein. Das neue Gesetz ändert jedoch nicht die bereits gegen sie verhängte Todesstrafe. Seit der Wiederzulassung durch den Obersten Gerichtshof 1976 fand in New Mexico eine einzige Hinrichtung statt. Sie wurde am 6. November 2001 mit der Giftspritze vollzogen. Gouverneur Richardson, ein Mitglied der Demokratischen Partei, sagte bei der Unterzeichnung des Gesetzes, dass dies "die schwerste Entscheidung in meinem politischen Leben" gewesen sei. Er erklärte "...angesichts der Realität, dass unser System für die Verhängung der Todesstrafe niemals perfekt sein kann, zwingt mich mein Gewissen, die Todesstrafe durch eine Lösung zu ersetzen, die die Sicherheit der Gesellschaft wahrt". Er habe kein Zutrauen zu dem aktuellen Justizsystem, in letzter Instanz über Leben und Tod entscheiden zu können. Seit Wiederzulassung der Todesstrafe 1976 sind in den USA fast 1.160 Hinrichtungen vorgenommen worden, 20 bereits in diesem Jahr und mehr als die Hälfte davon in Texas. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 19. März 2009 Mehr dazu hier und auch hier. Presseerklärung des Gouverneurs [PDF] http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=517 2009-02-16 Die südkoreanische Regierung hat am 12. Februar 2009 über die Wiederaufnahme von Hinrichtungen beraten. Anlass dazu gab die öffentliche Empörung nach der Festnahme eines Mannes, der mutmaßlich sieben Frauen ermordet haben soll. In Südkorea sind mehrere Versuche, die Todesstrafe abzuschaffen, im Parlament gescheitert. Allerdings werden seit vielen Jahren keine Todesurteile mehr vollstreckt. Das Land hat letztmals Hinrichtungen am 30. Dezember 1997 durchgeführt, als 18 Männer und fünf Frauen gehängt wurden. In einem offenen Brief vom 13. Februar 2009 forderte Amnesty-Generalsekretärin Irene Khan den südkoreanischen Präsidenten Lee Myung-bak dringend auf, das inoffizielle Hinrichtungsmoratorium nicht zu beenden. Bei der Sitzung am 12. Februar, an der Vertreter der Regierungspartei Grand National Party, der koreanischen Nationalen Polizei und der Ministerien für Justiz sowie für öffentliche Verwaltung und Sicherheit teilnahmen, wurde diskutiert, ob die derzeit 58 in der Todeszelle einsitzenden Häftlingen hingerichtet werden sollen und ob die lebenslange Haftstrafe ohne die Möglichkeit der Begnadigung eingeführt werden soll. Die Wiederaufnahme von Hinrichtungen in Südkorea würde im Widerspruch zum universellen Schutz der Menschenrechte stehen und zu einem Zeitpunkt erfolgen, da es einen klaren Trend in Richtung weltweiter Abschaffung der Todesstrafe gibt. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 16. Februar 2009 Mehr dazu hier. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=500 2009-01-28 Die schlechte Nachricht vorweg: Der Oberste Gerichtshof Ugandas hat am 21. Januar 2009 die Todesstrafe grundsätzlich für verfassungsgemäß erklärt. Die Richter befanden, dass die Todesstrafe nicht gegen das Recht auf Leben gerichtet sei so wie es die Verfassung zusichert. Die gute Nachricht: Die Richter des Obersten Gerichts entschieden zugleich, dass rechtskräftig zum Tode Verurteilte nicht länger als drei Jahre auf ihre Hinrichtung warten dürfen. Kommt es zu einer solchen "unangemessenen Verzögerung", müssen Todesurteile in lebenslange Haftstrafen umgewandelt werden. Das Gericht angerufen hatte ursprüngliche eine ugandische Menschenrechtsorganisation im Namen von 417 Gefangenen im Todestrakt. "Dies ist eine sehr wichtige Entscheidung, weil viele der Menschen, die sich in der Todeszelle befinden, dort schon mehr als drei Jahre einsitzen", sagte Livingstone Sewanyana von der Menschenrechtsorganisation Foundation for Human Rights Initiative. Etwa 330 Todeskandidaten können möglicherweise von dem höchstrichterlichen Urteil profitieren und auf eine Strafumwandlung hoffen. Das Gericht bestätigte zudem ein Urteil des Verfassungsgerichts aus dem Jahre 2005, wonach die Todesstrafe für Verbrechen nicht zwingend vorgeschrieben werden darf. Die Richter des Obersten Gerichtshofs forderten auch den Gesetzgeber auf, "die Debatte über die Zweckmäßigkeit der Todesstrafe in der Verfassung wieder aufzunehmen". Außerdem solle das Parlament anstatt des Hängens eine weniger schmerzhafte und grausame Hinrichtungsmethode in Betracht ziehen. Die Todesstrafe wird in Uganda an Zivilisten nicht mehr, wohl aber an Militärangehörigen vollstreckt. Der Todestrakt befindet sich im Luzira Hochsicherheitsgefängnis außerhalb der Hauptstadt Kampala. Dort wurden in der Vergangenheit auch alle gegen Zivilisten verhängten Todesurteile am Galgen vollstreckt, zuletzt am 28. April 1999, als 28 Männer durch den Strang starben. Am 18. Dezember 2008 hat Uganda in der Generalversammlung der Vereinten Nationen gegen eine Entschließung für einen weltweiten Hinrichtungsstopp gestimmt. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 28. Januar 2009 Mehr dazu hier http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=495 2009-01-17 Am 13. Januar 2009 wandelte der neue sambische Präsident Bwezani Rupiah Banda die Todesurteile von 53 Gefangenen in zeitlich befristete Freiheitsstrafen oder lebenslange Haftstrafen um. Wie viele Todeskandidaten nach der Amnestie weiterhin in dem im Süden Afrikas gelegenen Land vom Vollzug der Todesstrafe bedroht sind, ist nicht bekannt. Amnesty International begrüßte diesen Schritt und erneuerte seine Forderung an die Regierung, sich dem weltweiten Trend zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe anzuschließen. Auf dem afrikanischen Kontinent haben im Jahr 2007 nur noch sieben der 53 Staaten Todesurteile tatsächlich vollstreckt. Die letzte Hinrichtung hat in Sambia Ende Januar 1997 stattgefunden, als acht Männer wegen Mordes oder Raubüberfalls im Geheimen exekutiert wurden. Davor hatte es bereits eine Phase gegeben, in der acht Jahren lang keine Todesurteile vollstreckt wurden. Seit Erlangung der Unabhängigkeit im Jahre 1964 ist kein wegen einer politisch motivierten Straftat zum Tode verurteilter Gefangener mehr hingerichtet worden. Am 23. Februar 2007 unterrichtete der Justizminister George Kunda jedoch das Parlament, dass die Todesstrafe in Kraft bleibe, und zwar ungeachtet der Tatsache, dass der damalige Präsident Levy Mwanawasa seit Jahren keine Hinrichtungsbefehle mehr unterzeichnet hatte. Der Entwurf einer neuen Verfassung sieht weiterhin die Todesstrafe vor. Im Dezember 2008 stimmte der Delegierte der sambischen Regierung in der Generalversammlung der Vereinten Nationen gegen eine Resolution für einen weltweiten Hinrichtungsstopp. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 17. Januar 2009 Mehr dazu hier http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=494 2009-01-15 Die Oberste Justizautorität Irans (Leiter der Justizbehörden) hatte wegen negativer internationaler Reaktionen bereits im Jahr 2002 einen Stopp für alle Steinigungen verfügt. Die Steinigung steht in Iran auf Ehebruch. Am 5. August 2008 bekräftigte der Sprecher der iranischen Justiz, Alireza Jamshidi, bei einer Pressekonferenz in Teheran, dass anhängige Urteile zur Steinigung nicht mehr vollstreckt würden und dass die Todesstrafe durch Steinigung im Strafrecht abgeschafft werden solle. Dies hat sich nun als nur die halbe Wahrheit erwiesen, denn - wie sich erst jetzt herausstellte - sind am 26. Dezember 2008 zwei Männer auf dem Beheshteh-Reza-Friedhof in der heiligen Stadt Mashhad zu Tode gesteinigt worden. Beide Männer waren wegen Mordes und Ehebruchs zum Tode verurteilt worden. Einem dritten Gefangenen soll es gelungen sein, sich aus der Steinigungsgrube zu befreien und zu fliehen. Er wurde daraufhin nach geltendem islamischem Recht freigesprochen. Justizsprecher Jamshidi erläuterte, die iranische Justiz habe zwar die Aufhebung der Todesstrafe durch Steinigung empfohlen, dies sei aber noch nicht gesetzlich geregelt. Deshalb seien die Richter frei in ihrer Entscheidung, ob sie der Empfehlung folgen. Offenbar besonders in den iranischen Provinzen wird diese Strafe weiterhin verhängt und vollstreckt. Fälle auch aus den Jahren 2006 und 2007 sind Amnesty bekannt. Aktuell sind mindestens acht Frauen und zwei Männer in der Gefahr, gesteinigt zu werden.  Amnesty International hat Steinigungen stets bekämpft, da sie in besonders grotesker und abscheulicher Weise gegen internationale Menschenrechtsstandards verstoßen, nämlich das Verbot der Folter sowie grausamer, unmenschlicher und erniedrigender Behandlung oder Strafe. Im Übrigen hat sich Amnesty für die Entkriminalisierung von einvernehmlichen sexuellen Kontakten zwischen Erwachsenen stark gemacht. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 13. Januar 2009 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=491 2009-01-12 Am 7. Januar 2009 hat der aus dem Amt scheidende Präsident John Kufuor sämtliche Todesstrafen in seinem Land umgewandelt. Präsident Kufuor durfte nach zwei Amtszeiten nicht wieder zur Wahl antreten. Die Amnestie sieht vor, dass Gefangene, die bereits mehr als 10 Jahre im Todestrakt eingesessen hatten, 20-jährige Haftstrafen erhalten. In allen anderen Fällen wurden statt der Todesstrafe lebenslange Haftstrafen verhängt. Ungefähr 105 Gefangene, darunter auch drei Frauen und 16 Gefangene, die über 60 Jahre alt waren, kamen in den Genuss der Amnestie. Präsident Kufuor hatte während seiner Amtszeit mehrfach solche Strafnachlässe gewährt oder Gnadengesuchen stattgegeben. Mehrere einflussreiche Persönlichkeiten haben sich in Ghana in den letzten Jahren ablehnend zur Todesstrafe geäußert, darunter auch der ehemalige Justizminister und Generalstaatsanwalt, der Berichten zufolge im Jahr 2007 anerkannte, dass die Todesstrafe keine abschreckende Wirkung habe. Ungeachtet dieser Stimmen auch aus Regierungskreisen wurden jedoch keine konkreten Schritte in Richtung Abschaffung unternommen. Bei einem Treffen mit Amnesty International im April 2008, unterstrichen der ehemaligen Justizminister sowie Mitglieder des Parlaments die Notwendigkeit, die Todesstrafe in Ghana zu debattieren. Die letzten Hinrichtungen fanden am 25. Juli 1993 statt, als zwölf des Mordes und oder bewaffneten Raubüberfalls überführte Gefangene erschossen wurden. 2008 ergingen nur gegen drei Personen Todesurteile. Amnesty International begrüßt die Amnestie und fordert gleichzeitig den neuen Präsidenten von Ghana, John Atta Mills nachdrücklich auf, den Moment zu nutzen und unverzüglich Schritte zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe in der Gesetzgebung einzuleiten. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 12. Januar 2009 Mehr dazu hier http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=488 2008-12-19 Im US-Bundesstaat New Hampshire fällte am 18. Dezember 2008 eine Jury ein Todesurteil. Es erging gegen den 28 Jahre alten Afro-Amerikaner Michael Addison, der einen Polizeibeamten in den Kopf geschossen hatte, um seiner Festnahme in Manchester, New Hampshire zu entgehen. Der Generalstaatsanwalt hatte die Todesstrafe gefordert und den Geschworenen gesagt, dass eine lebenslange Freiheitsstrafe, für die die Rechtsanwälte Addisons plädiert hatten, unzureichend sei. Die Geschworenen verständigten sich nach 13-stündigen Beratungen schließlich einstimmig auf die Höchststrafe und werteten die schwierige Kindheit des Angeklagten nicht als mildernden Umstand. Das Todesurteil wäre nicht besonders bemerkenswert, handelte es sich hierbei nicht um die erste Todesstrafe, die in diesem Neuengland-Staat seit 49 Jahren gefällt wurde. Zwar wurden 1959 zwei Männer zum Tode verurteilt, ihre Urteile aber später in lebenslange Haftstrafen umgewandelt. Die letzte Hinrichtung fand in New Hampshire 1939 statt. Ob die jahrzehntelange Praxis ohne Todesstrafe tatsächlich in diesem Bundesstaat endet, wird die Zukunft zeigen, denn die Anwälte Addisons kündigten unverzüglich an, Rechtsmittel gegen das Todesurteil einzulegen. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 19. Dezember 2008 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=481 2008-12-03 Amnesty International welcomes the recent adoption by the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (African Commission) at its 44th Ordinary Session in Abuja, Nigeria, of a resolution calling on African States that still retain the death penalty to "observe a moratorium on the execution of death sentences with a view to abolishing the death penalty." The resolution, adopted just days after the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly voted for a similar resolution on moratorium on executions, is an important step towards making the African Union (AU) a totally death penalty-free zone.    The resolution expressed concerns about the failure of some African states "to give effect to the UN resolutions and African Commission's own 1999 resolution calling for a moratorium on executions", and about the application of "the death penalty in conditions not respectful of the right to a fair trial guaranteed under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and other relevant international norms".    By adopting the resolution, the African Commission has aligned itself with the global trend towards abolishing the death penalty, and supported the call for African states that still retain the death penalty to demonstrate commitment to observing a moratorium on executions as the first necessary step towards abolition. Amnesty International considers that the African Commission's resolution provides a solid basis for individual and collective state action to observe a moratorium on executions towards the eventual abolition of the death penalty. AU member states that still retain the death penalty, including Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Congo (Democratic Republic), Egypt,  Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Lesotho, Libya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe must take immediate steps to implement the resolution by establishing a moratorium on executions.    In line with the African Commission's resolution, Amnesty International calls on AU member states to fully support the plenary votes at the UN General Assembly for a resolution on moratorium on executions, which is expected to take place during the week beginning 15 December 2008. The African Commission also needs to monitor regularly the implementation of the resolution on the national fronts.  African states must also fully support, engage and cooperate with the African Commission's Working Group on the Death Penalty for it to discharge its mandates effectively and efficiently. They must implement any recommendations by the Working Group. Background: The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights established under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, adopted at its 44th Ordinary Session held from 10th to 24th November 2008 in Abuja a resolution calling on states parties to the African Charter to observe a moratorium on the death penalty. Among others, the resolution recalled Article 4 of the African Charter, which recognises the right of everyone to life, and Article 5(3) of the African Charter on the Rights and the Welfare of the Child, which guarantees the non-application of death penalty for crimes committed by children. The African Commission also noted that 27 states parties to the African Charter have abolished the death penalty in law or de facto, while only six have ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on the abolition of the death penalty. The resolution asked AU member states that still retain the death penalty to: A. Fully comply with their obligations under the African Charter, and guarantee to every person accused of crimes for which capital punishment is applicable, fair trial standards. B. If they have not yet done so, ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on the abolition of the death penalty. C. Include in their periodic reports information on the steps they are taking to move towards the abolition of the death penalty in their countries. D. Fully support the Working Group on the Death Penalty of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in its work towards the abolition of the death penalty in Africa. Earlier, at its 26th Ordinary Session held from 1st to 15th November 1999 in Kigali, Rwanda, the African Commission adopted resolution ACHPR/Res 42 (XXVI) calling on states parties to the African Charter to consider observing a moratorium on the death penalty. Amnesty International attended the African Commission Session and the NGO Forum preceding the Session in Abuja, and lobbied commissioners and worked with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to support the call for a moratorium on executions.   Amnesty International opposes the death penalty because it is irrevocable and there is always a chance that innocent men and women will be executed in any country that maintains this punishment. The death penalty is inherently arbitrary and discriminates against those who are poor, marginalized or belong to minority communities. The decrease in countries carrying out executions is dramatic. In 1989, executions were carried out in 100 states. In 2007 Amnesty International recorded executions in 24 countries. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=480 2008-11-28 The execution of a Chinese scientist on Friday is the latest in a series of executions that are going against the global trend towards a moratorium on the death penalty. Wo Weihan, a 59-year-old medical scientist who was found guilty of spying for Taiwan, spent 30 minutes with his family on the day before his execution. It was the first time he had been allowed to see his loved ones since being moved to a prison hospital in March 2005. "He was surprised and very happy to see us. Because he did not know about a looming execution, he was hopeful and did not leave any final words or will with our family," said his daughter Ran Chen.  Wo, who holds several patents for biomedical discoveries, was denied access to a lawyer for 10 months after his detention and sentenced to death after a closed trial in May 2007. "We, the family, have not been granted the most fundamental and universal right of information about what was happening with our father. The execution was carried out in secrecy while we hoped. Not only was my father put to death, but also our hope in the Chinese justice system," said Wo's daughters. China is one of three countries continuing the policy of killing their own people, less than a week after a record number of countries in the UN supported ending capital punishment. In Iran, ten people were hanged on Wednesday 26 November in a mass execution that took place in Tehran's Evin Prison. The executions were reported to have been for murder, robbery, and kidnapping and brought the total number of executions recorded by Amnesty International in 2008 to at least 296. One of those hanged was Fatemeh Haghighat-Pajouh, whose conviction to qesas, or retribution - judicial execution for the crime of murder - for the murder of her temporary husband had been upheld in 2006 following a review of the case by the Supreme Court. Courts had rejected her claim that she had acted to prevent her husband, who was a drug addict, from attempting to rape her then teenage daughter from a previous marriage. Apparently he had previously told her that he had lost the girl in a gambling match. Her lawyer was not notified 48 hours in advance of her execution, as is required under Iranian law. Others are at imminent risk of execution. Farzad Kamangar is a Kurdish teacher whose death sentence on the vaguely worded charge of moharebeh, or enmity against God, often used to mean armed insurrection, was upheld in July 2008. His first trial, prior to which he was tortured in a series of locations, was grossly unfair. He was removed from his cell on 25 November, raising alarm that he would be executed. His lawyer has stated that his case is under review by the Supreme Court and that it is not legally possible to execute him in the absence of any warning. However, as in the case of Fatemeh Haghighat-Pajouh, human rights activists remain concerned that he may be quickly executed at any time. At the same time, reports emerged that the Supreme Court had confirmed, in August 2008, a verdict of death by stoning, passed on Afsaneh R by a lower court in Shiraz, southern Iran. Reports suggest that the verdict was reached relying on 'the knowledge' of the judge, a provision in Iranian law that enables a judge to determine sentences in a subjective manner. Reports about the verdict cast doubt on the integrity of a statement by a judicial official, on the same day in August 2008, that execution by stoning had been suspended. The Head of Iran's judiciary had announced a moratorium in 2002, although a stoning took place in 2007. It remains to be seen whether, as the case of Afsaneh R will show, the announcement in August was a hollow promise. Reports about the verdict cast doubt on the integrity of a statement by a judicial official, on the same day in August 2008, that execution by stoning had been suspended, as a result of which several women have had their sentences commuted. The Head of Iran's judiciary had announced a moratorium in 2002, although a stoning took place in 2007. It remains to be seen whether, as the case of Afsaneh R will show, whether the announcement in August was a hollow promise. In Jamaica, the vote on retaining the death penalty emerged in light of discussions around the new Charter of Rights and Freedoms Bill. The new Charter seeks to replace Chapter III of the Jamaican Constitution dedicated to the protection of fundamental rights and freedom of persons. The purpose of the vote was to decide whether provisions allowing for the death penalty as an exception to the right to life should be retained or deleted from the Charter. Following the vote at the House of Representatives, the Senate will also shortly debate and vote the motion. In Jamaica, the vote on retaining the death penalty emerged in light of discussions around the new Charter of Rights and Freedoms Bill. The new Charter seeks to replace Chapter III of the Jamaican Constitution dedicated to the protection of fundamental rights and freedom of persons. The purpose of the vote was to decide whether provisions allowing for the death penalty as an exception to the right to life should be retained or deleted from the Charter. Following the vote at the House of Representatives, the Senate will also shortly debate and vote the motion. The last execution in Jamaica was carried out on 18 February 1988. There were more than 190 prisoners under sentence of death at the end of 1988. Currently there are nine prisoners on death row. "Although there appears little chance of Jamaica carrying out an execution in the near future, AI fears this vote signals the authorities' intention to resume hanging as soon as condemned prisoners pending legal appeals allow them to," said Amnesty International's Piers Bannister. "As the world increasingly turns its back on capital punishment, Amnesty International urges Iran, China and Jamaica to re-examine their policies of judicial killings. At the UN General Assembly, the international community has spoken with a clear voice that executions are unacceptable. Nations which retain capital punishment must heed this vital message." A large majority of states from all regions adopted a second resolution calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in the UN General Assembly (Third Committee) on 20 November. 105 countries voted in favour of the draft resolution, 48 voted against and 31 abstained. A range of amendments proposed by a small minority of pro-death penalty countries were overwhelmingly defeated. The draft resolution adopted on Thursday by the Third Committee of the General Assembly has still to be adopted by the General Assembly sitting in plenary in December. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=466 2008-11-26 Das Parlament des Karibikstaats sprach sich am 25. November 2008 mit deutlicher Mehrheit für die Beibehaltung der Todesstrafe aus: 34 Abgeordnete des Repräsentantenhauses stimmten dafür, 15 dagegen und zehn enthielten sich der Stimme. Die Todesstrafe kann in Jamaika nur für Mord als Höchststrafe verhängt werden. Die neue Regierung hatte bereits 2007 eine Abstimmung ohne Fraktionszwang angekündigt, um Abgeordnete nach ihrem Gewissen im Parlament über die Wiederaufnahme von Hinrichtungen abstimmen zu lassen. Hintergrund dieses Votums ist eine der weltweit höchsten Kriminalitätsraten: In diesem Jahr wurden bereits mehr als 1.200 Tötungsdelikte registriert bei einer Gesamtbevölkerungszahl von 2,8 Millionen. Doch die leider weit verbreitete Hoffnung, mit Hilfe der Todesstrafe die extrem hohe Kriminalitätsrate senken zu können, ist nachweislich falsch. Die Entscheidung des Parlaments ist höchst bedauerlich und läuft dem weltweiten Trend zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe zuwider. Amnesty International rief dazu auf, dem epidemischen Ausmaß an Kriminalität in Jamaika mit Reformen bei Polizei und Justiz zu begegnen und nicht mit noch mehr Tod. "Die Todesstrafe als Mittel zur Bekämpfung der Gewalt- und Kriminalitätsspirale zu befürworten ist etwa so, als versuche man, ein Feuer mit Benzin zu löschen", sagte Kerrie Howard, stellvertretende Direktorin des Amerika-Programms von Amnesty International. Zwischen 1980 und 1988 wurden 59 Menschen gehenkt. Die letzten beiden Hinrichtungen fanden am 18. Februar 1988 statt und wurden wie in Jamaika üblich durch den Strang vollzogen. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 25. November 2008 Mehr dazu hier und hier. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=462 2008-11-21 "When I walked out of the execution chamber, I had just watched a man electrocuted to death. He looked at my face before they killed him. The cold protocol that all the guards followed shocked me. I came outside the prison into the dark and vomited." Sister Helen Prejean's remarkable life has had many turning points, none greater than early on the morning on 5 April 1984, when she witnessed the execution of a man who had become her friend. It was a defining moment for Sister Prejean, whose life was changed forever when in the early 1980s she went to live among poor African Americans in New Orleans. She left a comfortable middle-class life in the suburbs to discover "another America, one which my eyes had been blind to". She remembers vividly her shock at seeing so much poverty, injustice and police abuse. Soon afterwards, she became a pen pal to Patrick Sonnier, who was on death row. The letters soon became visits, and two and a half years later came the moment from which there was no turning back - being with Patrick Sonnier when he was executed. "It just took my life and turned it inside out. I had been a witness to a state killing so I had to tell the story. I also became involved with the victim's family and saw their suffering and how the death penalty had nothing to do with their healing. If anything, it prolonged their waiting for this illusory healing, which was supposed to come to them by sitting on the front row and watching Patrick die." Her involvement with Patrick Sonnier turned Sister Prejean into a formidable opponent of capital punishment. She translated her experiences into a Pulitzer Prize winning book, Dead Man Walking, which then formed the basis of the film written and directed by Tim Robbins. Sister Prejean also took on, with considerable success, two of the world's most powerful institutions - the Roman Catholic Church and the US state ¬- and shows no signs of relaxing. Now approaching her 70th birthday, she is still tirelessly campaigning around the world to end capital punishment. She gives around 100 talks a year and continues to visit men and women on death row. Sister Prejean talks passionately about the many levels of injustice she believes are associated with capital punishment - the racism, the scapegoating of the poor, the damage it does to those who administer it and to society at large, the killing of innocent people and the robbing human beings of their dignity. "There is no dignity in killing a defenceless person," she says. "This was the heart of my dialogue with Pope John Paul in 1997. I said that Amnesty International has a principled stand, no exceptions, but the Catholic Church doesn't. I showed him where he had left a loophole for the death penalty - in his encyclical called The gospel of life - 'in cases of absolute necessity'. I said to him that you can't leave it up to governments because they'll always say it's absolutely necessary. "When the Pope came to St Louis in 1999, for the first time he put the death penalty along with all the other pro-life issues. He said no to the death penalty because it is cruel, and unnecessary because we have prisons, and then he added that 'even those among us who have done a terrible crime have a dignity'. "So our task is to teach people, now we've got the policy straight!" says Sister Prejean. "There are 65 million Catholics in the USA. The states that have the most Catholics in them are the states that use the death penalty the least. We can end the death penalty by mobilizing the 65 million Catholics." She says Amnesty International taught her that human rights are inalienable, that they are not given by governments to people for good behaviour and cannot be taken away from them for bad behaviour. "Amnesty became my teacher - far quicker than my own Catholic church, which [at that point] had a compromised position on the death penalty. Amnesty has also taught me about spirit and about how you organize people, and how you go about educating people." One of the main lessons Sister Prejean learned was to begin with simple methods. "Write a letter to someone," she suggests. "If we let that rose fully unfurl it will change our whole life because it is about standing up for the dignity of each person. It is not so much they [the prisoners on death row] who need to be changed. It is us. It will teach us we have one life - and it counts. We've got to do essential things, not trivial things." http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=461 2008-11-20 A record number of countries have given their support to the campaign to end capital punishment. On Thursday, a large majority of states from all regions adopted a second United Nations resolution calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.   Amnesty International has welcomed the breakthrough for the resolution, which was adopted in the UN General Assembly (Third Committee). The number of co-sponsors has risen to 89, two more than last year. The increased support for this resolution is yet further evidence of the worldwide trend towards the abolition of the death penalty. 105 countries voted in favour of the draft resolution, 48 voted against and 31 abstained.  A range of amendments proposed by a small minority of pro-death penalty countries were overwhelmingly defeated. "We urge all states that still carry out executions to take immediate steps to implement the resolution and establish a moratorium on executions," says Amnesty International's Yvonne Terlingen, 137 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, as of November 2008.  During 2007, at least 1,252 people were executed in 24 countries. At least 3,347 people were sentenced to death in 51 countries. The decrease in countries carrying out executions is dramatic. In 1989, executions were carried out in 100 states. In 2007, Amnesty International recorded executions in 24 countries. The draft resolution adopted on Thursday by the Third Committee of the General Assembly has still to be adopted by the General Assembly sitting in plenary in December. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=456 2008-11-12 The Afghan government must immediately repeal the death sentences against 111 people who are on death row, Amnesty International said today, following reports of the execution of nine people since last week, which may signal further executions ahead. "The sudden rush in executions is of serious concern, given that Afghanistan's fledgling justice system is largely incapable of providing fair and sound trials," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific director. "The authorities should impose an immediate moratorium on all executions in Afghanistan, with a view to abolishing the use of this horrific punishment." Death sentences for at least 111 people have been recently approved by President Hamid Karzai, who signs the final execution orders. This move is widely seen as an effort by President Karzai to bolster his popularity among the Afghan people who increasingly complain of rising criminality and the government's failure to impose the rule of law. "There is no evidence that the death penalty has a deterrent effect on crime anywhere in the world, and particularly not in Afghanistan," Sam Zarifi said. "If President Karzai is serious about sending a message about ending criminality and extending the rule of law, he should begin by dealing with the higher levels of government people facing credible allegations of serious human rights abuses and engaging in criminal enterprises, as well as Afghanistan's massive narcotics business." These latest executions are the first since October 2007, when the government executed 15 people. The death penalty was widely used by the Taliban during their rule which ended in 2001, but after they fell from power the new government observed a self-imposed moratorium which ended three years later with the execution of Abdullah Shah in April 2004. According to Afghan law, all death sentences have to be endorsed by three courts (primary, appeal and Supreme Court) before they go to the president who has to sign the execution order, or pardon those accused. "This may be just the beginning of a campaign by some authorities to reintroduce the harsh policies of the Taliban," said Sam Zarifi. "The Afghan government has a right and responsibility to bring to justice those suspected of criminal offences, but for justice to prevail, the proceedings must meet basic international standards of fairness and comply with human rights standards. The death penalty constitutes the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment" The death penalty is handed down in Afghanistan for crimes such as kidnapping, murder and rape. However, the majority of court proceedings are marred by serious substantive and procedural irregularities, such as the failure of police and the judiciary to investigate cases properly, political interference in the investigative and judicial processes, and lack of access for detainees to a defence lawyer. President Karzai recently said in a public address that he would not bow to pressure on his government from the international community or human rights organizations to end the use of the death penalty. "We call on President Karzai to publicly reaffirm the commitment given by his Chief of Staff to Amnesty International in 2003 that there would be a moratorium on executions while judicial reform is carried out," said Sam Zarifi. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=460 2008-11-10 A former treasurer of a local post office in the Bac Lieu province of Viet Nam is facing a death sentence on charges of embezzlement. Tang Thi Ba was sentenced to death on 29 May on for embezzling 15 billion Vietnamese dong (just over US$900,000). She had been arrested in December 2006 and admitted the charges in court. The prosecutors sought a life sentence, but the court sentenced her to death because of the amount of money involved. On 29 August, the court of appeals upheld Tang Thi Ba's death sentence. Her final recourse is now appealing to the President for commutation of the sentence. The death penalty may be imposed for 29 offences in Viet Nam's Penal Code. These offences include economic crimes, such as fraud, embezzlement, smuggling, counterfeiting and offering bribes; manufacturing, concealing and trafficking in narcotic substances. According to media reports Viet Nam has executed at least three people this year, and at least 28 people have been sentenced to death. However, executions are rarely reported and the actual number is believed to be much higher. In 2007, more than 25 people were executed. International standards for fair trial are not followed in practice in Viet Nam. Legal counsel is often assigned to defendants at the last minute, allowing little pre-trial preparation. The defence is not always allowed to call or question witnesses, and private consultation with counsel may be limited. In many cases, all the defence counsel can do is plead for clemency. On 3 November, the government presented amendments on some clauses of the Penal Code. In the amended law, the government proposed to remove the death sentence on offences of embezzlement, bribery and production of fake goods (including fake food, medicine), amongst others, which would reduce the number of capital offences to 12. According to the government, to fight against corruption effectively, it is important to combine and act on several measures simultaneously instead of meting out a death sentence. Amnesty International is calling on the Vietnamese authorities to carry out the proposed reforms and introduce a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty  "Viet Nam abstained in December 2007 when the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty," said Martin Macpherson from Amnesty International. "Amnesty International welcomed the fact that Viet Nam didn't vote against the resolution. "The resolution expresses deep concern about the application of the death penalty. It calls on states that still maintain it to respect international safeguards guaranteeing the rights of those facing the death penalty, to reduce the number of offences for which the death penalty may be imposed and to establish a moratorium on executions with the view to abolishing the death penalty. "A second resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty will be introduced at this 63rd session. The resolution will be put to a vote at the Third Committee around 18 November. Amnesty International calls on Viet Nam to join with the majority of countries in the world in voting in favour of a moratorium." http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=453 2008-11-09 Die drei Urheber der blutigen Bombenanschläge auf zwei Nachtclubs auf der Ferieninsel Bali, bei denen am 12. Oktober 2002 202 Menschen starben und 209 weitere verletzt wurden, sind tot. Sie wurden von drei verschiedenen Erschießungskommandos in der Nacht zum 9. November auf einer Gefängnisinsel exekutiert. Berichten zufolge feierten tausende Menschen in Indonesien die hingerichteten Bali-Attentäter als Märtyrer. Im Juni 2003 hatte der Prozess vor dem Landgericht von Balis Hauptstadt Denpasar gegen die Bombenattentäter begonnen. Drei der unmittelbar Tatbeteiligten wurden der vorsätzlichen Planung, Vorbereitung und Durchführung des Terrorschlags sowie Anstiftung anderer dazu für schuldig befunden und zwischen August und Oktober 2003 zum Tod durch Erschießen verurteilt. Die Todesurteile basieren auf dem neuen indonesischen Anti-Terror-Gesetz (Nr. 15/2003), das erst nach dem Bali-Anschlag hastig verabschiedet worden war und das die Todesstrafe für Akte des Terrorismus vorsieht. Diese rückwirkende Gültigkeit widerspricht gängigen Rechtsnormen, auch wenn die indonesische Verfassung dies bei besonders schweren Verbrechen erlaubt. Die Zulässigkeit dieses Vorgehens hat das Oberste Gericht Indonesiens Mitte November 2003 in seinem Urteil bejaht und damit die Berufungsanträge der Angeklagten verworfen. Die Hingerichteten waren zwischen 38 und 48 Jahre alt und mit der Terrorgruppe Jemaah Islamiah eng verbunden. "Die Bali-Bomber haben ein schreckliches Verbrechen verübt", sagte Sam Zarifi, Amnesty Internationals Asien-Pazifik-Experte. "Aber den Kreislauf der Gewalt durch staatliche sanktionierte Tötung fortzuführen bedeutet, die Verletzung von Menschenrechten mit weiteren Verletzungen zu beantworten." Der Fall zeigt auch sehr deutlich, dass die Todesstrafe Täter nicht abschreckt, ähnliche Verbrechen zu begehen. Nachdem Richter gegen die drei Terroristen das Todesurteil verhängt hatten, war Bali am 1. Oktober 2005 erneut Ziel zweier Bombenanschläge, bei denen 23 Menschen ums Leben kamen. "Die Hinrichtung der Bali-Bomber könnte Märtyrer schaffen und die Erinnerung an sie birgt das Risiko, dass ihre Sache zunehmend Unterstützung und Zulauf findet", sagte Sam Zarifi. Indonesien hat am 26. Juni 2008 nach einer 14 Monate währenden Unterbrechung Hinrichtungen wieder aufgenommen. Mindestens 107 Menschen sind derzeit zum Tode verurteilt, darunter mindestens fünf, gegen die wegen terroristischer Straftaten die Todesstrafe ausgesprochen wurde. Seit dem 26. Juni 2008 sind zehn Menschen exekutiert worden. Amnesty International forderte Indonesien auf, unverzüglich alle Hinrichtungen einzustellen und dem Beispiel der 137 Nationen zu folgen, die bereits die Todesstrafe in Gesetz oder Praxis abgeschafft haben. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 9. November 2008 Mehr dazu hier. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=445 2008-11-07 Auch unter der neuen Regierung des konservativen Ministerpräsidenten Taro Aso geht das staatliche Töten weiter. Am frühen Morgen des 28. Oktober sind erneut zwei verurteilte Mörder am Galgen gehenkt worden. Die Hingerichteten waren 55 und 70 Jahre alt. Kaum im Amt, hatte Justizminister Eisuke Mori entsprechende Vollstreckungsanordnungen unterzeichnet. Diese Exekutionen sind besonders empörend, erfolgten sie doch nur Tage bevor die Vereinten Nationen Beratungen über eine Resolution aufnehmen, die erneut alle Staaten weltweit auffordern wird, Hinrichtungen sofort zu stoppen. Neben den USA ist Japan eines der ganz wenigen hoch industrialisierten und demokratischen Länder, in dem Hinrichtungen stattfinden. Das ostasiatische Land hat in diesem Jahr bereits 15 Menschen exekutiert, soviel wie in keinem der zurückliegenden 30 Jahre. Mehr als 100 zum Tode Verurteilte sitzen derzeit in japanischen Gefängnissen ein. Die Hinrichtungen sind in Japan traditionell von großer Geheimhaltung umgeben. Gefangene werden erst am Morgen des Tages ihrer Hinrichtung von der Vollstreckung der Todesstrafe in Kenntnis gesetzt. Diese Praxis bedeutet, dass die Gefangenen ihre oft jahrelange Zeit in der Todeszelle in der ständigen Befürchtung verbringen, dass sie jederzeit hingerichtet werden können. Amnesty International kritisiert die Hinrichtungen scharf. Die Menschenrechts-organisation hatte erst kürzlich anlässlich des Internationalen Tags gegen die Todesstrafe am 10. Oktober nachdrückliche die japanische Regierung aufgefordert, alle Hinrichtungen sofort einzustellen und die Todesstrafe endgültig abzuschaffen. Am 4. November 2008 sagte Justizminister Eisuke Mori bei einer Pressekonferenz nach der Kabinettssitzung: "Es ist nicht zweckmäßig, die Todesstrafe zu beenden." Er reagierte mit seinen Bemerkungen auf den UN-Menschenrechtsausschuss, der  Japan Ende Oktober aufgefordert hatte, ein Ende der Todesstrafe in Betracht zu ziehen, und zwar unabhängig von der öffentlichen Meinung, die ihre Beibehaltung favorisiert. In seinem ersten Bericht über Japan seit 10 Jahren erklärte das UN-Gremium, die japanische Regierung habe die Verantwortung, die Diskussion über die Abschaffung der Todesstrafe zu lenken. Der Ausschuss mahnte das Land, durch Menschenrechtsbildung seine Bürgerinnen und Bürger davon zu überzeugen, dass die Abschaffung der Todesstrafe wünschenswert ist. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 7. November 2008 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=439 2008-10-23 Zwei Gesetzesinitiativen der Regierung zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe scheiterten im Dezember 1990 und im Juni 1997 am Widerstand des Senats. Der dritte Anlauf war dann erfolgreich: Am 1. November 2000 gab der Senat seine Verweigerungshaltung auf und beschloss, die bis dahin seit 126 Jahren geltende Todesstrafe zumindest für in Friedenszeiten begangene Straftaten abzuschaffen. Am 29. Mai 2001 setzten der damalige Präsident Ricardo Lagos und der Justizminister mit ihrer gemeinsamen Unterschrift das Gesetz in Kraft, das die lebenslange Freiheitsstrafe als Höchststrafe für Gewaltverbrechen vorsieht. Sie ist bei 33 Straftatbeständen zulässig. Ein zu lebenslanger Haft Verurteilter kann erst nach 40 Jahren Haftzeit einen Antrag auf vorzeitige Entlassung stellen. Vier Tatbestände, darunter Hochverrat und Spionage, verblieben noch im Militärstrafrecht und hätten in Kriegszeiten mit der Todesstrafe geahndet werden können. Eine Reform des Militärstrafgesetzbuchs schaffte nun die Voraussetzung, dass Chile am 26. September 2008 das Zweite Fakultativprotokoll zum Internationalen Pakt über bürgerliche und politische Rechte sowie das Protokoll zur Amerikanischen Menschenrechtskonvention am 16. Oktober 2008 ratifizieren konnte. Beide Abkommen haben die Abschaffung der Todesstrafe zum Inhalt. Damit ist Chile der 93. Staat der Erde, der vollständig auf die Todesstrafe verzichtet. In der Rechtsgeschichte Chiles wurde die Todesstrafe nach offiziellen Angaben in 58 Fällen vollstreckt, in der Hälfte der Fälle wegen Raubmordes. Die erste Hinrichtung fand am 3. Februar 1890 statt. Zuletzt wurde 1985 das Todesurteil an zwei ehemaligen Polizisten wegen Mordes und Vergewaltigung durch ein Erschießungskommando vollstreckt. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 23. Oktober 2008 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=437 2008-10-21 (Abuja) Amnesty International today said that hundreds of those awaiting execution on Nigeria's death rows did not have a fair trial and may therefore be innocent. The organization exposed a catalogue of failings in the country's criminal justice system, saying that it is "riddled with corruption, negligence and a nearly criminal lack of resources". At a press conference in Abuja to release a comprehensive report on the death penalty in Nigeria, the organization called on the government to establish an immediate moratorium on executions in light of its findings. Joining in the call was the Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), a Nigerian legal organization working to promote good governance and the rule of law in Nigeria. LEDAP co-authored the report released today. "It is truly horrifying to think of how many innocent people may have been executed and may still be executed," said Aster van Kregten, Amnesty International's Nigeria researcher, speaking from Abuja. "The judicial system is riddled with flaws that can have devastating consequences. For those accused of capital crimes, the effects are obviously deadly and irreversible." Some of the most serious findings revealed in Amnesty International and LEDAP's report, "Nigeria: Waiting for the Hangman": Confessions: most death penalty convictions are based on confessions alone. Confessions are often extracted under torture. Torture: although prohibited in Nigeria, in practice torture by police occurs on a daily basis. Almost 80 percent of inmates in Nigerian prisons say they have been beaten, threatened with weapons or tortured in police cells. Delays: death penalty trials can take more than 10 years to conclude; some appeals have been pending for 14, 17 and even 24 years. Negligence: many death row prisoners cannot even have their appeals heard because their case files have been lost. Conditions: life on death row is extremely harsh. Prisoners whose appeals are over are held in cells where they can see executions. After a prisoner has been hanged, other death row prisoners are forced to clean the gallows. Children: although international law prohibits the use of the death penalty against child offenders, at least 40 death row prisoners were aged between 13 and 17 at the time of their alleged offence. The majority of those on death row were sentenced to death based on a confession - in many cases, extracted under torture, according to Amnesty International and LEDAP research. "The police are over-stretched and under-resourced," said Aster van Kregten. "Because of this, they rely heavily on confessions to 'solve' crimes - rather than on expensive investigations. Convictions based on such confessions are obviously very unsafe." "Under Nigerian law, if a suspect confesses under pressure, threat or torture, it cannot be used as evidence in court," said Chino Obiagwu, LEDAP's National Coordinator. "Judges know that there is widespread torture by the police - and yet they continue to sentence suspects to death based on these confessions, leading to many possibly innocent people being sentenced to death." Due to high crime rates, there is pressure on police to make quick arrests when a crime has been committed. Sometimes, if the police are unable to find a suspect, they arrest the wife, mother or brother of the suspect instead - or even a witness - in violation of Nigerian criminal procedure. Jafar is 57 years old and has been on death row since 1984. He told Amnesty International: "I am not an armed robber. I am a shoemaker. I bought a [motorcycle] from someone who stole it. The police asked me to be a witness. They got the man who sold [me] the [motorcycle] but shot him to death. After that, I became the suspect." Jafar filed an appeal 24 years ago, but is still waiting for it to be heard. His case file has gone missing. "The hundreds of people who have already been executed or are still awaiting execution in Nigeria all have one thing in common - they are poor," said Chino Obiagwu. "Speaking to those languishing on death row, it becomes clear that questions of guilt and innocence are almost irrelevant in Nigeria's criminal justice system. It is all about if you can afford to pay to keep yourself out of the system - whether that means paying the police to adequately investigate your case, paying for a lawyer to defend you or paying to have your name put on a list of those eligible for pardon." "Those with the fewest resources are at the greatest risk in Nigeria's criminal justice system." Many prisoners awaiting trial and on death row told Amnesty International and LEDAP that the police picked them up and asked for money to release them. Those who couldn't pay were treated as suspected armed robbers. Other death row prisoners told Amnesty International that they were arrested when they went to a police station to report a crime they had witnessed. Police demanded money for their release. Sometime police asked for money for fuel, without which they could not visit witnesses or check alibis. Nigeria's death row - key facts: Numbers on death row: As of February 2008, 725 men and 11 women. Age at time of crime: At least 40 prisoners were under 18. Criminal conviction: about 53% were convicted of murder, 38% armed robbery and 8% robbery. Years on death row: One prisoner has spent 24 years on death row, 7 have spent more than 20 years, and 28 more than 15 years. Appeal: 47% are waiting for their appeal to be concluded, 41% have never filed an appeal. Duration of appeals: 25% of prisoners' appeals have lasted more than 5 years. 6% of prisoners with appeals outstanding have waited more than 20 years. Location: most prisoners were convicted in Imo (56), Ogun (52) and Oyo (49) states. Key death penalty facts: World trends: In 1977, just 16 countries had abolished the death penalty for all crimes. Today, 137 out of 192 UN member states have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice. Africa: Africa is largely free of executions, with only 7 of the African Union's 53 member states known to have carried out executions in 2007. 13 African countries are abolitionist in law and a further 22 are abolitionist in practice. Nigeria: Executions are shrouded in secrecy. The Nigerian government has not officially reported any executions since 2002, although it is known that at least 7 condemned prisoners - including 6 who never had an appeal - were secretly executed in 2006. To see a full copy of the report Nigeria: "Waiting for the Hangman", please click here. For more information regarding the launch of this report or to request an individual interview, please contact Amnesty International's Press Officer, Eliane Drakopoulos, on mobile: +44 7778 472 109 or Nigerian tel: +234 803 497 7240 (from 19 October only). http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=432 2008-10-20 Die iranischen Justizbehörden hatten am 16. Oktober 2008 zunächst angekündigt, die Todesstrafe für Jugendliche unter 18 Jahren beenden zu wollen. Laut Hossein Zabhi, stellvertretender Generalstaatsanwalt für Justizangelegenheiten, wurden alle Gerichte des Landes angewiesen, den Vollzug der Todesstrafe an jugendlichen Straftätern einzustellen. Die Anordnung trägt den Richtern auf, anstelle der Todesstrafe Jugendstrafen zu verhängen, die von 15 Jahren bis zu lebenslanger Haft reichen können. Am 18. Oktober schränkte Hossein Zabhi jedoch ein, dass sich die Direktive nicht auf alle Arten von Verbrechen bezieht, die derzeit nach iranischem Recht mit dem Tode bestraft werden können. Fälle, in denen jemand des Mordes für beschuldig befunden wird, seien von dieser Regelung ausgenommen. Die Strafe für Mord ist qesas und bedeutet Vergeltung "mit gleicher Münze". Nach islamischem Recht können die Verwandten eines Mordopfers qesas in Form der Hinrichtung des Mörders oder in Form einer finanziellen Entschädigung, so genanntes "Blutgeld" (diyeh), verlangen. Die iranischen Behörden machen stets einen Unterschied zwischen Todesurteilen, die wegen Mordes verhängt werden (qesas wird als eine Angelegenheit unter Privatpersonen und nicht des Staates eingestuft) und solchen, die wegen anderer Verbrechen wie zum Beispiel Drogenschmuggel vom Staat gefällt werden. Das Völkerrecht kennt diese Unterscheidung jedoch nicht; die staatliche Tötung eines unter 18-jährigen Straftäters nach einem Gerichtsverfahren ist in jedem Fall verboten. Die Islamische Republik Iran ist aktuell das einzige Land der Welt, von dem bekannt ist, dass es 2008 zur Tatzeit minderjährige Straftäter hingerichtet hat. Die Todesstrafe wird in Iran an Jugendlichen in der Regel vollstreckt, sobald diese in der Haft das 18. Lebensjahr erreicht haben. Nach Informationen von Amnesty International sind in diesem Jahr mindestens sechs jugendliche Straftäter gehängt worden. Mindestens 130 zur Tatzeit Minderjährige sind vom Vollzug der Todesstrafe bedroht. Amnesty International zeigte sich von der Nachricht enttäuscht, dass wegen Mordes weiterhin die Todesstrafe gegen Minderjährige verhängt werden kann. Die Organisation ist besorgt, dass das Statement vom 16. Oktober darauf abzielte, die iranische wie internationale Öffentlichkeit irrezuführen, da zunächst mitgeteilt worden war, Iran würde keine unter 18-jährigen Straftäter mehr hinrichten lassen "ungeachtet der Straftat, die sie begangen haben". Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, die stellvertretende Direktorin des Nahost- und Nordafrika-Programms von Amnesty International, forderte das Staatsoberhaupt und Religionsführer, Ajatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei, zum Handeln in dieser dringenden Angelegenheit auf. Ruth Jüttner, Nahost-Expertin der deutschen Sektion von Amnesty, rief dazu auf, die Todesstrafe für Minderjährige im iranischen Strafgesetzbuch generell abzuschaffen. Wenn diese gesetzlichen Grundlagen geschaffen würden, gäbe es auch keine Interpretationsmöglichkeiten mehr. Amnesty erinnert Iran daran, seine Rechtsvorschriften in Übereinstimmung mit den Verpflichtungen des Landes nach dem Übereinkommen über die Rechte des Kindes (ÜRK) zu bringen. Iran ist Vertragspartei des ÜRK. Das Übereinkommen bestimmt, dass für Straftaten, die von Personen vor Vollendung des 18. Lebensjahrs begangen worden sind, weder die Todesstrafe noch die lebenslange Freiheitsstrafe ohne die Möglichkeit vorzeitiger Entlassung verhängt werden darf. Zahlreiche Menschenrechtsaktivisten in Iran und in der ganzen Welt setzen sich seit vielen Jahren für ein Verbot der Todesstrafe gegen Minderjährige ein. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 20. Oktober 2008 Mehr dazu hier und hier. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=431 2008-10-14 Berlin, 14.10.2008 - In Saudi-Arabien werden pro Woche im Schnitt mehr als zwei Menschen hingerichtet. Fast die Hälfte davon sind Staatsbürger anderer, zumeist armer Länder. Die Zahl der Hinrichtungen nach unfairen und häufig geheimen Gerichtsverfahren hat damit in den letzten Jahren stark zugenommen. Zu diesem Ergebnis kommt ein heute veröffentlichter Bericht von Amnesty International. 2007 hat Saudi-Arabien mindestens 158 Menschen hingerichtet, gegenüber 39 im Jahr 2006. Von Januar bis August 2008 hat Amnesty International 71 Hinrichtungen registriert. Nach dem Ende des Fastenmonats Ramadan befürchtet Amnesty eine weitere Welle von Exekutionen. "Die hohen Hinrichtungszahlen in Saudi-Arabien laufen dem internationalen Trend zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe entgegen", sagte die Amnesty-Nahostexpertin Regina Spöttl. "Sie treffen außerdem unverhältnismäßig oft arme Migranten und Saudis." Angeklagte aus afrikanischen und asiatischen Entwicklungsländern haben oft weder einen Anwalt noch sind sie in der Lage, den auf Arabisch geführten Verhandlungen zu folgen. Sie haben keinen Zugang zu einflussreichen Persönlichkeiten noch verfügen sie über Geld - zwei Faktoren, die entscheidend dafür sind, den Vollzug eines Todesurteils zu vermeiden. Saudi-Arabien gehört zu den wenigen Staaten, in denen zur Tatzeit Minderjährige hingerichtet werden. Auch der Anteil der Frauen an den Hingerichteten ist ungewöhnlich hoch. "Das gewählte Mitglied des UN-Menschenrechtsrats Saudi-Arabien muss endlich seinen völkerrechtlichen Verpflichtungen nachkommen und sein Justizsystem in Einklang mit internationalen Standards bringen", sagte Spöttl. "Das heißt mindestens: Faire Gerichtsverfahren, weniger Ermessensspielräume für Richter, keine Diskriminierung vor dem Gesetz und keine Todesstrafe für Minderjährige." Amnesty International tritt für die bedingungslose Abschaffung der Todesstrafe weltweit ein. Seit über 25 Jahren dokumentiert Amnesty die Anwendung der Todesstrafe in Saudi-Arabien. Bisher hat die saudische Regierung alle Anträge Amnestys, im Land selbst ermitteln zu können, abgelehnt. Der 48-seitige Bericht "Affront to Justice. Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia" kann über die Pressestelle bezogen werden und steht hier als PDF bereit http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=429 2008-10-10 10. Oktober 2008 - Im Geheimen richtet eine hochentwickelte Industrienation wie Japan zum Tode verurteilte Bürger hin - nach Jahren der Einzelhaft und ohne vorherige Benachrichtigung des Verurteilten oder seiner Angehörigen. In Pakistan sind unter den gegenwärtig 7.500 Menschen, die oftmals nach einem unfairen Gerichtsverfahren zum Tode verurteilt wurden, sogar Minderjährige. Und Olympianation China ist mit mindestens 470 Hinrichtungen im Jahr 2007 weltweit trauriger Spitzenreiter. Diese Bilanz zog Amnesty International anlässlich des heutigen 6. Internationalen Tages gegen die Todesstrafe. Asien ist im weltweiten Vergleich der Kontinent, auf dem am häufigsten die Todesstrafe verhängt und vollstreckt wird. 60 Prozent der Weltbevölkerung leben dort, von denen wiederum 95 Prozent in Ländern leben, die die Todesstrafe vorsehen. "Die Welt blickt nach Asien, und Asien kann sich der Beachtung grundlegender Menschenrechte nicht länger verschließen," sagte Dr. Renate Müller-Wollermann von Amnesty International. "Wir fordern die Abschaffung der Todesstrafe in ganz Asien. Indien, Südkorea und Taiwan können mit gutem Beispiel vorangehen und sich jetzt für einen Hinrichtungsstopp aussprechen", so die Asien-Expertin. 1.252 Exekutionen in 24 Ländern hat Amnesty International im Jahr 2007 gezählt, die Dunkelziffer liegt wesentlich höher. Die meisten Hinrichtungen sind in nur einigen wenigen Staaten vollzogen worden: in China gefolgt von Iran, Saudi-Arabien, Pakistan und den USA. Die Menschenrechtsorganisation fordert eine weltweite Ächtung der Todesstrafe. Sie verletze das Recht auf Leben, habe keine abschreckende Wirkung auf Straftäter und in einem modernen Rechtssystem keinen Platz. HINWEISE Amnesty International hat weltweit zu Protestaktionen gegen die Todesstrafe aufgerufen. In Berlin wird es vor der Japanischen Botschaft am 10.10.2008 von 18:00 bis 20:00 Uhr eine Mahnwache geben. In Japan wurden dieses Jahr bereits 13 Straftäter hingerichtet. Die Verfahren sind äußerst intransparent. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=423 2008-09-24 Troy Davis received a stay of execution on Tuesday less than two hours before he was due to be put to death by lethal injection. Troy Davis has been on death row for 17 years for a murder he maintains he did not commit.   The Supreme Court issued the stay to allow it to meet on Monday to consider whether to hear Troy Davis's appeal from a March 2008 ruling by the Georgia Supreme Court. The Georgia court had ruled 4-3 against ordering a new trial or a court hearing to present the post-conviction evidence. In an opinion dissenting from this decision, the Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court, joined by two other Justices, wrote that "In this case, nearly every witness who identified Davis as the shooter at trial has now disclaimed his or her ability to do so reliably. Three persons have stated that Sylvester Coles confessed to being the shooter. "Two witnesses have stated that Sylvester Coles, contrary to his trial testimony, possessed a handgun immediately after the murder. Another witness has provided a description of the crimes that might indicate that Sylvester Coles was the shooter." The Chief Justice wrote that "the collective effect of all of Davis's new testimony, if it were to be found credible by the trial court in a hearing, would show the probability that a new jury would find reasonable doubt of Davis's guilt or a least sufficient residual doubt to decline to impose the death penalty." Troy Davis was convicted in 1991 of the murder of 27-year-old Officer Mark Allen MacPhail who was shot and killed in the car park of a Burger King restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, in the early hours of 19 August 1989. Davis was also convicted of assaulting Larry Young, a homeless man, who was accosted immediately before Officer MacPhail was shot. At the trial, Troy Davis admitted that he had been at the scene of the shooting, but claimed that he had neither assaulted Larry Young nor shot Officer MacPhail. There was no physical evidence against Troy Davis and the weapon used in the crime was never found. The case against him consisted entirely of witness testimony. In affidavits signed over the years since the trial, a majority of the state's witnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony. In addition, there is post-trial testimony implicating another man as the gunman. The stay of execution will stay in force while the US Supreme Court considers whether to take the case. If it decides not to, the stay "shall terminate automatically" and the State of Georgia could set a new execution date. If the Court agrees to hear the appeal, the stay will remain in force until the Court issues its final ruling on Davis's petition. Many tens of thousands of people in the USA and around the world have appealed for clemency for Troy Davis. Among them were former President Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Pope Benedict XVI; the European Union and the European Parliament; former FBI Director William Sessions, and former and current members of US Congress Bob Barr, Carol Moseley Braun and John Lewis. In this last week, as the execution approached, media attention on the case has remained high. International standards prohibit the execution of anyone whose guilt is in doubt. Amnesty International opposes Troy Davis's execution unconditionally, regardless of questions of guilt or innocence, as it does all use of the death penalty. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=416 2008-09-11 The new Japanese Minister of Justice should immediately re-examine the country's death penalty policy following the hanging of Mantani Yoshiyuki (68), Yamamoto Mineteru (68) and Hirano Isamu (61) in Japan today, 11 September, said Amnesty International. The most recent executions bring to 13 the number of executions carried out in 2008. These are the first round of executions carried out by Minister of Justice Yasuoka Okiharu who took office on 2 August 2008. They are further evidence of Japan's intent to continue sanctioning the state taking of life. Japan executed nine people in 2007. In 2007 only 24 countries are known to have carried out executions. Among G8 members, Japan and the USA are the only countries to carry out executions. There are currently around 102 people on death row in Japan. Prison authorities carry out executions by hanging in Japan, usually in secret. Officials notify death row inmates just hours before the execution, and inform family members only after the execution has taken place. Once the appeals process is complete, a death row prisoner in Japan may wait for years or even decades before execution. This practice means that these prisoners live in constant fear of execution. Amnesty International called on Japan to adopt a moratorium on executions as a first step towards abolishing the death penalty and to end secrecy surrounding the death penalty. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=410 2008-08-23 Die bewaffnete Oppositionsgruppe "Bewegung für Gerechtigkeit und Gleichheit" (Justice and Equality Movement, JEM) griff am 10. Mai 2008 zum ersten Mal Ziele in den Außenbezirken der Hauptstadt Khartum an. Zahlreiche Menschen sollen bei dem Angriff getötet worden sein. Die JEM kämpft seit Beginn des Konflikts im Jahr 2003 gegen Regierungstruppen in Darfur. Nach der Attacke waren etliche Rebellenanhänger und angebliche Sympathisanten von Polizei- und Sicherheitskräften verhaftet worden. Gegen zwanzig mutmaßliche Mitglieder der JEM ergingen am 17. und 20. August 2008 in getrennten Verfahren vor Anti-Terrorsondergerichten die Todesstrafe. Damit stieg die Zahl der Personen, die wegen Straftaten im Zusammenhang mit dem Angriff vom 10. Mai zum Tode verurteilt wurden, auf 50. Die Anti-Terrorsondergerichte waren eigens am 29. Mai eingerichtet worden, um gegen Personen wegen ihrer Beteiligung an dem Angriff vom 10. Mai zu verhandeln. "Die Anti-Terrorsondergerichte sind nichts anderes als eine Travestie der Justiz", sagt Tawanda Hondora, stellvertretender Programm-Direktor für Afrika bei Amnesty International. Er spricht von eindeutig unfairen Prozessen. "Einige der Verurteilten erhielten erst während des Prozesses Zugang zu ihren Rechtsanwälten, mehrere sagten, sie seien während der Haft ohne Kontakt zur Außenwelt gefoltert und so gezwungen worden, Verbrechen zu gestehen." Sollten die Todesurteile vom Berufungsgericht (Special Court of Appeal) in den nächsten Wochen bestätigt werden, können sie durch den Strang vollstreckt werden, sobald Präsident Omar Hassam El Bashir sie unterzeichnet. "Die sudanesische Regierung hat die Pflicht, Verbrechen zu untersuchen und die Täter vor Gericht zu stellen. Dies hat aber im Einklang mit dem Völkerrecht und der sudanesischen Verfassung zu erfolgen, die ein faires Verfahren garantieren", sagt Tawanda Hondora. "Wir fordern die sudanesische Regierung auf, diese Männer nicht hinzurichten und ihre Fälle einer sofortigen Überprüfung zu unterziehen." Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 23. August 2008 Mehr dazu hier. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=409 2008-08-19 Seyed Reza Hejazi stammt aus Isfahan, Zentraliran. Er war 15 Jahre alt als er als Teil einer kleinen Gruppe am 18. September 2004 eine Auseinandersetzung mit einem jungen Mann hatte, bei der dieser tödlich mit einem Messer verletzt wurde. Seyed Reza Hejazi wurde unter Mordanklage gestellt und am 14. November 2005 zum Tode verurteilt, obwohl man ihm nach iranischem Recht den Prozess vor einem Jugendgericht hätte machen müssen. Am 18. August 2008 wurde die Familie von Seyed Reza Hejazi informiert, dass er in die Todeszelle des Gefängnisses überführt worden war. Sein Rechtsanwalt hingegen wurde trotz einer entsprechenden gesetzlichen Vorschrift nicht 48 Stunden vor der Urteilsvollstreckung offiziell darüber in Kenntnis gesetzt. Der Anwalt begab sich, nachdem er von der Familie informiert worden war, zu dem Gefängnis und erreichte es gegen 4:30 Uhr am 19. August. Er versuchte dort mehre Stunden lang, einen Vollstreckungsaufschub für seinen Mandanten zu erreichen. Gegen 10 Uhr teilte ihm der für die Exekution verantwortliche Beamte mit, dass die Hinrichtung Reza Hejazis gestoppt worden sei. Auf der fünfstündigen Autofahrt zurück zu seinem Büro in der Hauptstadt Teheran wurde der Anwalt unterrichtet, dass Reza Hejazi um 11 Uhr gehenkt worden war. Das Völkerrecht untersagt in Artikel 6(5) des UN-Zivilpakts und im UN-Übereinkommen über die Rechte des Kindes die Anwendung der Todesstrafe bei Minderjährigen. Als Vertragsstaat dieser beiden Abkommen hat sich Iran verpflichtet, minderjährige Straftäter und Straftäterinnen, also diejenigen, die zur Tatzeit das 18. Lebensjahr noch nicht vollendet haben, nicht hinzurichten. Dessen ungeachtet hat Iran seit 1990 mindestens 35 minderjährige Straftäter hingerichtet, acht von ihnen 2007 und fünf im laufenden Jahr. Die Islamische Republik Iran ist damit zurzeit weltweit der einzige Staat, von dem bekannt ist, dass er Jugendliche henkt. Mehr als 130 minderjährigen Straftätern, unter ihnen auch fünf junge Frauen, droht dort der Vollzug der Todesstrafe. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 19. August 2008 Mehr dazu hier. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=406 2008-08-08 Amnesty International welcomed the announcement by the spokesperson for Iran's judiciary that execution by stoning has been suspended, as a result of which several women have had their sentences commuted. "Stoning is a horrific practice, designed to increase the suffering of those facing execution, and it has no place in the modern world," Amnesty International said. "We look to the Iranian authorities to ensure that this dreadful punishment is never again used." The organization cautioned that the authorities must ensure that this is not a 'hollow promise.' They failed to stop the practice after Ayatollah Shahroudi, the head of Iran's judiciary, announced a moratorium on stoning in December 2002. At least one stoning execution was carried out in 2007 in Qazvin province. "If this announcement holds, it will represent a signal victory for Iranian human rights defenders who recently mounted their own Stop Stoning Forever Campaign, and a big step forward for human rights," said Amnesty International. "Now we need to see further action by the Iranian authorities to end other cruel and inhuman punishments such as flogging and the amputation of limbs, as well as other steps to reduce use of the death penalty." Background In January 2008 Amnesty International published a 30 page report Iran: End executions by stoning (MDE 13/001/2008). Iran's existing Penal Code prescribes execution by stoning as the penalty for adultery by married persons. It even dictates that the stones are large enough to cause pain, but not so large as to kill the victim immediately. Despite official claims that stonings have been halted - including a moratorium issued by the Head of the Judiciary in 2002 - several have taken place, with the latest in 2007. Ja'far Kiani, a man, was stoned to death for adultery on 5 July 2007 in the village of Aghche-kand, near Takestan in Qazvin province. A woman and a man are also known to have been stoned to death in Mashhad in May 2006. The majority of those sentenced to death by stoning are women. Women are not treated equally with men under the law and by courts, and they are also particularly vulnerable to unfair trials because their higher illiteracy rate makes them more likely to sign confessions to crimes they did not commit. Despite this bleak reality, human rights defenders in Iran believe that international publicity can help bring an end to stoning. Courageous efforts are being made by their Stop Stoning Forever campaign, whose efforts have helped save five people from stoning (and led to another sentence being stayed) since it began in October 2006. These efforts have come at a price, with campaigners facing harassment and intimidation by the authorities. Thirty-three women, including members of the Stop Stoning Forever campaign, were arrested while protesting in March 2007 about the trial of five women's rights activists in Tehran. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=405 2008-08-07 Am 6. August 2008 schaffte das Parlament Argentiniens die Militärgerichtsbarkeit ab. Die Entscheidung fiel im Senat (Oberhaus) einstimmig. Das Gesetz muss noch von Präsidentin Fernández de Kirchner unterzeichnet werden. Es tritt in einem halben Jahr in Kraft, wenn die Reform vollständig ausgearbeitet ist. Mit dem Beschluss eliminiert der Gesetzgeber das Militärstrafgesetzbuch von 1951 und löst alle Militärgerichte auf. Damit verschwindet die Todesstrafe vollständig aus dem argentinischen Justizsystem. Das Militärstrafrecht sah unter anderem die Verhängung der Todesstrafe für Hochverrat, Spionage, Rebellion und Meuterei vor. Mitglieder der Streitkräfte müssen sich künftig vor zivilen Gerichten verantworten und haben nun erstmals das Recht auf einen Anwalt. Zu dem Zweck wurden militärische Straftatbestände in das allgemeine Strafgesetzbuch aufgenommen und ein militärisches Strafprozessrecht für Zeiten des Krieges erarbeitet. Neben der Todesstrafe, die von Politikern vielfach als obsolet und archaisch bezeichnet wurde, wird auch der Kerker abgeschafft, eine weitere menschenverachtende und im Widerspruch zur argentinischen Verfassung stehende Bestrafung. Nach dem Ende der Militärherrschaft hatte der Gesetzgeber bereits im August 1984 dafür gesorgt, dass die Todesstrafe im zivilen argentinischen Strafgesetzbuch für kein Delikt mehr vorgesehen war. Die nun bevorstehende vollständige Abschaffung der Todesstrafe passt das nationale Gesetz an internationale Verträge an, eine Forderung, die Amnesty International anlässlich des internationalen Tages gegen die Todesstrafe 2007 bekräftigt hatte. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 07.08.2008 Mehr dazu hier. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=408 2008-08-07 2003 ging nach 14 blutigen Jahren der Bürgerkrieg in Liberia, Westafrika, zu Ende. Am 16. September 2005 trat das Land dem Zweiten Fakultativprotokoll zum UN-Zivilpakt bei, ein völkerrechtlicher Vertrag, der auf die völlige Abschaffung der Todesstrafe  abzielt. Doch keine drei Jahre danach wurde erneut der Ruf nach der Todesstrafe laut. Liberia wurde von der schlimmsten Gewaltwelle seit Ende des Bürgerkrieges 2003 heimgesucht. Eine Reihe brutaler Morde sorgten für Entsetzen. Am 6. Mai 2008 schlug das Repräsentantenhaus vor, das Strafgesetz zu ändern. Danach sollen Angeklagte künftig zum Tode durch Erhängen oder zu einer lebenslangen Freiheitsstrafe ohne Bewährung verurteilt werden, wenn sie sich des bewaffneten Raubüberfalls, Terrorismus oder Entführung mit Todesfolge schuldig machen. Die Gesetzesänderung wurde am 7. Mai 2008 im Repräsentantenhaus angenommen und passierte am 16. Juli 2008 auch den Senat. Präsidentin Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, die das Gesetz mit ihrem Veto hätte aufhalten können, unterzeichnete es am 22. Juli 2008 und verlieh ihm damit Rechtskraft. Die Staatschefin sagte in einer Stellungnahme, sie habe auf den Wunsch der Bevölkerungsmehrheit reagiert, eine Antwort auf die zunehmende Gewaltkriminalität zu finden. Amnesty International verurteilt diese Entscheidung scharf. Die Organisation fordert die liberianische Regierung dringend auf, ihre Verpflichtungen aus internationalen Verträgen zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe zu respektieren. Der sicherste Weg, um Kriminalität zu bekämpfen, ist die Stärkung der Strafrechtspflege und der Fähigkeit der Strafverfolgungsbehörden - und nicht die Anwendung der Todesstrafe, die noch nie gezeigt hat, dass sie besonders abschreckend wirkt. Auch die französische EU-Ratspräsidentschaft kritisierte die Gesetzesinitiative als "ein extrem beunruhigendes Zeichen, das einer seit vielen Jahren zu beobachtenden Entwicklung in Afrika und der Welt zuwiderlaufe". Der Menschenrechtsrat der Vereinten Nationen äußerte sich ebenfalls besorgt. Nur sieben der 53 Staaten Afrikas haben im Jahr 2007 Todesurteile vollstreckt. Die letzte Hinrichtung in Liberia fand in den 1980-er Jahren statt. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 07. August 2008 Mehr dazu hier. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=407 2008-08-06 "The execution of José Ernesto Medellín Rojas by the state of Texas is a violation of international law," said Amnesty International today. "It undermines the authority of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which had ruled in favour of a stay of execution." One of the US Supreme Court Justices, hearing the last-minute appeal for a stay of execution yesterday, said that to allow the execution to go forward would leave the USA "irremediably in violation of international law and break our treaty promises". The appeal was lost by 5 votes to 4 and the execution took place shortly afterwards. It followed worldwide appeals for Medellín's death sentence to be commuted, including from the United Nations Secretary-General, who had called on states to respect the decisions and orders of the International Court of Justice. This is the 1,116th execution in the USA since judicial killing resumed there in 1977. Texas accounts for 410 of them. There have now been 17 executions in the USA this year, five of them in Texas. Amnesty International unconditionally opposes the use of the death penalty in all cases and under any circumstances, since it violates the right to life and by its very nature constitutes cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. Background On 4 August 2008 the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously voted against recommending that the state governor commute the death sentence or a grant a reprieve.  A last-minute appeal to the US Supreme Court on 5 August 2008 was unsuccessful. Shortly afterwards, the execution was carried out, just before 10pm, about fours later than it had been scheduled.    On 16 July 2008 the ICJ ordered the United States "to take all measures necessary" to ensure that José Ernesto Medellín Rojas and 4 other Mexicans were "not executed... unless and until these five Mexican nationals receive review and reconsideration." The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has also issued "precautionary measures" calling on Texas not to execute José Medellín until the Commission has ruled on his petition asserting that he was deprived of a fair trial. On 25 March 2008, in Medellín v. Texas, the Supreme Court unanimously found that the ICJ's decision "constitutes an international law obligation on the part of the United States." José Medellín was sentenced to death in 1994 for his part in the murders of two girls, 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman and 16-year-old Elizabeth Pena, in Houston in 1993. José Medellín was never advised by Texas authorities of his right as a detained foreign national to seek consular assistance, as required under article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR). Amnesty International's Urgent Action, issued in July 2008, resulted in hundreds of people sending appeals to Texas from around the world, see http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=397 2008-07-29 Amnesty International is appalled by the mass execution of 29 men in Tehran's Evin Prison on 27 July 2008. Their deaths brought the number of executions carried out so far this year to 187. In 2007, more executions were carried out in Iran - 317 - than in any other country except China. Yet the population of Iran is 18 times smaller than China. Announcing the executions, the Iranian authorities said those hanged had committed serious crimes such as drug smuggling and murder. However, they named only ten of the men executed and gave no other details about any trials in which the 29 were convicted. In other cases, prisoners have been sentenced to death and executed after unfair trials. Several of the 29 condemned prisoners were interviewed prior to their execution by the state broadcaster, IRIB, which then broadcast extracts on national TV.      The Iranian authorities continue to fly in the face of the global trend when it comes to executions, despite the UN General Assembly resolution of 18 December 2007 which calls on States "to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty." The resolution, which was passed by a large majority of UN member states, also called on governments to inform the UN Secretary General about their observance of international "safeguards guaranteeing the protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty." Amnesty International unconditionally opposes the use of the death penalty in all cases and under any circumstances, since it violates the right to life and by its very nature constitutes cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=393 2008-07-25 Amnesty International condemned the signing by Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of a law calling for the death penalty for anyone convicted of armed robbery, terrorism or hijacking offences if these crimes result in death. The organization called on President Johnson-Sirleaf to repeal the law. Amnesty International said that the law directly violates Liberia's obligations under the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Liberia acceded to on 16 September 2005 and which abolishes the death penalty. Liberian law already included the possibility of the death penalty, but in 2005, the country should have incorporated into law the Second Optional Protocol, thereby abolishing the death penalty for all crimes. Under customary international law, as reflected in Article 27 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which Liberia ratified on 29 August 1985, a state "may not invoke the provisions of its internal law as a justification for its failure to perform a treaty". The continent of Africa is largely free of executions, with only seven of the region's 53 countries known to have carried out executions in 2007. According to Amnesty International's information, 14 countries in Africa are abolitionist in law and a further 21 in practice. While states have the duty to protect the right to life and security of individuals from violent crimes, there is no valid scientific evidence to support that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than other punishments. All too often, politicians have found the death penalty a useful tool in appearing to address crime and make the public feel safe. In reality, the death penalty has no such effect and simply distracts from the need to address the causes of crime and providing effective remedies - which is what the Liberian government should be doing. Background information The Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, aimed at the abolition of the death penalty worldwide, was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989. It provides for the total abolition of the death penalty but allows states parties to retain the death penalty in time of war if they make a reservation to that effect at the time of ratifying or acceding to the Protocol. Any state that is a party to the ICCPR can become a party to the Protocol. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=386 2008-07-18 Following the confirmation by the Liberian Senate of a bill re-proposing the death penalty for certain crimes, Amnesty International called on President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to veto the bill. "The surest way to address crime is to strengthen the criminal justice system and the capacity of law enforcement agencies - not to carry out state killings, which have never been shown to be a deterrent," said Amnesty International. The bill, passed by the House of Representatives on 7 May and the Senate on 16 July, makes armed robbery, terrorism and hijacking capital offenses. The move came despite the fact that in September 2005, Liberia acceded to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which obliges Liberia to take all necessary measures to abolish the death penalty. "The Liberian government must fulfil its obligation under international law to abolish the death penalty," said Amnesty International. "Rather than introducing legislation such as this bill, the Liberian government should introduce a constitutional provision abolishing the death penalty for all crimes." "This legislation is in bad faith, and entirely inconsistent with the object and purpose of the protocol to which the Liberian government acceded, which aims to abolish the death penalty." Amnesty International urged the Liberian government to carry out a survey of current legislation with a view to abolishing the death penalty for all crimes, including in military penal codes. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as a violation of the right to life and as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. Notes to editors: According to Article 31 (1) of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, a treaty is to be interpreted in good faith in accordance with the ordinary meaning to be given to the terms of the treaty in their context and in the light of its object and purpose. The presumption of good faith justifies the conclusion that states parties intend treaties to be effective. Since the accession to the Second Optional Protocol of the ICCPR by Liberia was a voluntary undertaking, the government's behaviour must produce the effects it has openly sought, and the government is effectively bound, in accordance with its declarations. As of today, 137 states in the world have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. In recognition of this trend the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in December 2007, resolution 62/149 calling on all retentionist countries to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty, and on states that have abolished the death penalty not to reintroduce it.   http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=379 2008-07-08 Today 24 international and regional human rights organizations called on Iranian authorities to spare four youths facing execution and to stop imposing the death penalty for crimes committed by juvenile offenders - persons who commit crimes while under the age of 18, and to uphold their international obligation to enforce the absolute prohibition on the death penalty in such cases. Iran executed 16-year-old Mohammad Hassanzadeh, an Iranian Kurd on 10 June 2008 for a crime committed when he was 14. Four other juvenile offenders are at risk of execution between 11 and 25 July.  The organizations called on the head of Iran's judiciary to suspend these four executions immediately. Behnoud Shojaee and Mohammad Feda'i face execution on 11 July.  Both were to be executed on 11 June 2008 but received last minute month-long reprieves to give them more time to seek pardons from the families of their victims. At least two other juvenile offenders, Salah Taseb, and Sa'eed Jazee, are also at risk of execution in the coming days.  According to the group Human Rights Activists in Iran, Salah Taseb, from Sanandaj, who was convicted of a murder committed when he was 15, has been transferred from the children's prison to the main prison in Sanandaj after recently turning 18.  He may be executed before the end of the Iranian month of Tir, which ends on 23 July 2008, although spokesperson for the Judiciary Alireza Jamshidi stated on 1 July 2008 that the case remained subject to appeal. The other youth, Sa'eed Jazee, who was due to be executed on 25 June, reportedly had his execution postponed for a month. He was convicted of the murder of a 22-year-old man, which took place in 2003 when he was 17 years old. Almost 140 juvenile offenders are known to be on death row in Iran, but the true figure could be even higher - for example, Mohammad Hassanzadeh's case was not known to campaigners prior to his execution. In a press conference on 17 June 2008, carried by various Iranian media, Judiciary spokesperson AlirezaJamshidi denied that Mohammad Hassanzadeh had been under the age of 18 at the time of his execution.  In response, Mohammad Mostafa'i, a lawyer who has defended many juvenile offenders sentenced to death, wrote on 25 June 2008 (http://mostafaei.blogfa.com/post-11.aspx) that he went to Sanandaj following Alireza Jamshidi's statement, where he saw Mohammad Hassanzadeh's identity papers. Mohammad Mostafa'i wrote that the documents proved that Mohammad Hassanzadeh was in fact only 16 years, 11 months and 20 days old at the time of his execution. The use of the death penalty against those who committed their offences while under the age of 18 is a gross violation of customary international law, no matter what age the person has reached at the time of their execution.  The organizations said they were concerned that the authorities' insistence that Mohammad Hassanzadeh was over 18 at the time of his execution could be a prelude to reprisals being taken against Iranian human rights defenders (HRDs) who have publicly criticised this and other executions of juvenile offenders, as they could potentially be accused of vaguely-worded charges such as "acting against state security" or "propaganda against the system". Iranian HRDs who have previously publicised human rights violations have suffered such reprisals.  For example, in 2007 a court convicted Emadeddin Baghi, a leading Iranian campaigner against the death penalty, of "activities against national security" and "propaganda in favour of the regime's opponents" for statements criticizing death sentences imposed after unfair trials in cases involving adults. That ruling was overturned on appeal, but Emadeddin Baghi continues to serve another sentence connected to his human rights work.   Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand, an Iranian Kurdish HRD is serving an 11-year prison sentence   He was convicted of "acting against state security by establishing the Human Rights Organization of Kurdistan (HROK)" and "propaganda against the system". The Iranian authorities should respect the right to freedom of expression, including in the defence of human rights, as articulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the UN Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Some Iranian officials have attempted to justify killing juvenile offenders by terming these killings "retribution" and not "execution." According to Judiciary spokesperson Alireza Jamshidi, "In [Iranian] law we don't have execution ('edam) for persons under 18 years of age; what we have in the laws for persons between 15 to 18 is the issue of retribution (qesas)." In Islamic law, "retribution" for murder is the death penalty. Family members of a murder victim may pardon or accept compensation in lieu of execution, but they are not required to do so. Iranian law currently allows the death penalty - for "retribution" for murder and for other crimes - to be imposed on girls as young as nine, and boys from the age of 15, lunar years.  A child younger than this could also be sentenced to death if the judge in the case considers that he or she has reached puberty. This distinction between "execution" and "retribution" is a meaningless one.  A person is executed when his or her death is brought about by the state pursuant to a final judgement issued by a competent court, which is the case in sentences of "retribution" issued by Iranian courts. By making such misleading statements, the Iranian authorities are attempting to obscure the fact that Iran is violating international law every time it executes a juvenile offender - whether or not the individual has reached 18 at the time of their execution.  It is imperative that the authorities immediately stop such executions and amend legislation to ensure that no one is put to death by the state for any crime, including murder, committed when under the age of 18. Iran is a state party to both the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (without reservation) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), both of which prohibit the execution of persons under the age of 18 at the time of their offence.  In ratifying the CRC, Iran declared an extremely broad reservation "not to apply any provisions or articles of the Convention that are incompatible with Islamic Laws." The Committee on the Rights of the Child, which monitors implementation of the CRC, expressed its concern in 2000 that the "broad and imprecise nature of the State party's [Iran's] general reservation potentially negates many of the Convention's provision and raises concern as to its compatibility with the object and purpose of the Convention." The 24 human rights groups called on Iran to withdraw its reservation to the CRC, which, the groups said, cannot in any case be invoked as legal authority to allow for the execution of juvenile offenders. In 2007, only two other countries - Saudi Arabia and Yemen - also executed juvenile offenders, but the numbers are dwarfed by those carried out in Iran, where at least seven were executed that year.  So far in 2008, two juvenile offenders, including Mohammad Hassanzadeh who was only 16 at the time of his execution, have been hanged in Iran. Iran should immediately commute all death sentences against juvenile offenders and cease all such executions, the 24 groups said. Association Adala Amnesty International (AI) The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information Arab Penal Reform Organization (APRO) Bahrein Center for Human Rights - BCHR Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) Defence for Children International Egyptian Alliance to Challenge Death Penalty Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l'Homme Human Rights Association for the Assistance of Prisoners. Human Rights Association of Turkey (IHD) Human Rights Watch Institut International des Droits de l'Enfant International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran Organisation Marocaine des droits de l'Homme (OMDH) Iran Human Rights Iranian league for the defense of human rights (LDDHI) Moroccan Centre for Human Rights (Centre Marocain des Droits Humains) Moroccan Coalition against the Death Penal Reform International Stop Child Executions Terre des Hommes -aide à l'enfance VIVERE World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) Text der gemeinsamen Presseerklärung vom 8. Juli 2008 unter den Titel "Iran: Spare Four Youths from Execution and immediately enforce international prohibition on the death penalty for juvenile offenders - Iran: Verschonen Sie vier Jugendliche vom Vollzug der Todesstrafe und setzen Sie unverzüglich das internationale Verbot der Todesstrafe für minderjährige Straftäter um" http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=374 2008-06-26 Am 25. Juni 2008 urteilte der Oberste Gerichtshof erstmals seit über 30 Jahren darüber, ob die Todesstrafe neben Mord auch bei anderen Taten verhängt werden darf. Die Richter befanden in einer knappen Grundsatzentscheidung mit fünf zu vier Stimmen, dass die Todesstrafe für Kindesmissbrauch - die in einigen Bundesstaaten für dieses Delikt verhängt werden kann - unverhältnismäßig und damit nicht verfassungskonform sei. Das Richtergremium unterstrich in seinem Urteil zugleich, dass die Todesstrafe nur dann ausgesprochen werden dürfe, wenn das Verbrechen zum Tod des Opfers führe oder dazu führen sollte. Kindesvergewaltigung sei zwar ein fürchterliches Verbrechen, jedoch von seiner Schwere und seiner moralischen Verwerflichkeit nicht mit Mord vergleichbar. Die Präsidentschaftskandidaten der demokratischen Partei, Barack Obama, und der republikanischen Partei, John McCain, übten scharfe Kritik an dem Urteil. Die Gesetzgeber der Bundesstaaten Georgia, Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina und Texas hatten in jüngerer Zeit die Todesstrafe auf sexuellen Missbrauch von Kindern im Wiederholungsfall ausgeweitet und mindestens fünf weitere Bundesstaaten verfolgten eine ähnliche Gesetzesinitiative. Unter den rund 3.300 Gefangenen, die derzeit auf ihre Hinrichtung warten, sind alle bis auf zwei wegen Mordes verurteilt worden. Ein 44-Jähriger, um dessen Fall es in dem aktuellen Verfahren ging, war im Bundesstaat Louisiana wegen Vergewaltigung seiner achtjährigen Stieftochter zum Tode verurteilt worden. Der Supreme Court hat in den vergangenen Jahren die Todesstrafenpraxis mehrmals eingeschränkt. So wurde im Jahr 2002 die Hinrichtung geistig Behinderter verboten und 2005 auch die Hinrichtung von zur Tatzeit minderjährigen Straftätern. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 26. Juni 2008 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=369 2008-06-17 Amnesty International strongly condemns the hanging of three men (Miyazaki Tsutomu, 45, Mutsuda Shinji, 45, and Yamazaki Yoshio, 73) in Japan today, 17 June. This brings to 13 the number of executions carried out since Minister of Justice Hatoyama Kunio took office in August 2007. Since December 2007 executions in Japan have been carried out every two months. "Despite a global trend toward abolition of the death penalty, Japan has gone against the tide by increasing the rate of executions.  It has so far executed 10 people this year, which is more than the total number of executions carried out in 2007," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International's Asia Pacific Program Director. When the UN Human Rights Council reviewed the human rights situation in Japan in May 2008, they expressed particular concern about the death penalty.  A number of states urged Japan to adopt a moratorium on executions in accordance with the UN General Assembly resolution (62/149) which calls for on a global moratorium on the use of the death penalty Prison authorities carry out executions by hanging in Japan, usually in secret. Officials notify death row inmates just hours before the execution, and inform family members only after the execution has taken place. Once the appeals process is complete, a death row prisoner in Japan may wait for years or even decades before execution.  This practice means that these prisoners live in constant fear of execution. In 2007 only 24 countries are known to have carried out executions. Japan executed nine people in 2007. Among G8 members, Japan and the USA are the only countries to carry out executions. Amnesty International calls on Japan to urgently adopt a moratorium on executions as a first step towards abolishing the death penalty and to end secrecy surrounding the death penalty. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=363 2008-06-11 A Kurdish boy, believed to be 16 or 17 years old at the time of execution, was executed in Iran on Tuesday. Mohammad Hassanzadeh was hanged in Sanandaj prison following his conviction for the murder, when aged about 15, of another boy, then aged 10. A 60-year-old man, Rahim Pashabadi, also convicted of murder, was executed alongside him. Amnesty International condemned the execution. "This latest execution of a juvenile offender is yet another blatant violation by the Iranian authorities of their international obligations under the UN's International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child not to sentence to death those under the age of 18 at the time of the offence," said the organisation. "It runs against hopes created by yesterday's decision by the Head of Iran's Judiciary to grant a one-month reprieve to two juvenile offenders to allow more time to seek a resolution with the families of the victims." The two juvenile offenders who were due to be executed on Wednesday were granted the reprieve by Ayatollah Mahmoud Shahroudi on Tuesday. Behnoud Shojaee and Mohammad Feda'i were accused of premeditated murder and sentenced to qesas, or retribution, for which the penalty is death. Both had claimed that they did not intend to kill. "We call on Iran to end, once and for all, such executions, including those of at least 85 other juvenile offenders on death row," said Amnesty International. "These juveniles should not have been sentenced to death in the first place." Amnesty International has said that the organisation is also concerned about reports that Saeed Jazee, a third juvenile offender now aged 21, is also scheduled to be executed on 25 June. Amnesty International has longstanding concerns with trial procedures that fall short of international standards which Iran is obliged to uphold. In a recent letter by Mohammad Feda'i that was publicised on 7 June, he said that, while in detention, officials kicked and tortured him to the point that he agreed one night to sign a confession without knowledge of its content. "I am a 21-year-old, a young man, who was only 16 when he entered prison. Like any other teenager, [I was] still living my childhood dreams [...]," he wrote, adding "I was beaten and flogged repeatedly [...] They hanged me from the ceiling [and] left me with no hope of living." Amnesty International has recorded the names of at least 85 other juvenile offenders at risk of execution in Iran and fears there may be many others also at risk. Iran remains by far the most prolific executioner of juvenile offenders. In recent years, only two other countries - Saudi Arabia and Yemen - have carried out such executions. Amnesty International said that the organisation recognises the right and responsibilities of states to bring those suspected of criminal offences to justice in fair proceedings, but opposes the death penalty in all cases. "We call on Iran's leaders, its judiciary and its new parliamentarians to ensure that Iran joins the global trend away from the use of the death penalty, powerfully expressed in the UN General Assembly's resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions on 18 December 2007," said Amnesty International. Further Information: Iran: Reprieve should be first step in ending juvenile executions http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=336 2008-05-02 The first major study into India's legal judgements on death penalty cases has revealed that the system is riddled with fatal flaws and that the only remedy is to abolish the death penalty completely, said the study authors in New Delhi today. Amnesty International believes that at least 140 people have been sentenced to death in 2006 and 2007. According to the latest available official figures, there were 273 persons on death row as of 31 December 2005. But this figure is likely to be considerably higher today. The fate of these death row prisoners is ultimately a lottery. In the first comprehensive analysis of around 700 Supreme Court judgements on death penalty cases over more than 50 years, the authors expose a judicial system that has failed to meet international laws and standards relating to the death penalty. Amnesty International India and the People's Union for Civil Liberties (Tamil Nadu & Puducherry) have issued the study, Lethal Lottery: The Death Penalty in India, A study of Supreme Court judgments in death penalty cases 1950-2006. It is the first to examine the essential unfairness of the death penalty system in India by analysing evidence found in Supreme Court judgments of abuse of law and procedure and of arbitrariness and inconsistency in the investigation, trial, sentencing and appeal stages in capital cases. It demonstrates that: The administration of the death penalty in India has not been in the "rarest of rare cases" as claimed in the country on the contrary, there is ample evidence to show that the death penalty has been an arbitrary, imprecise and abusive means of dealing with defendants. Dr V Suresh, President, PUCL (TN & Puducherry) said: "While the death penalty continues to be used in India, there remains a danger that it will be used disproportionately against ethnic minorities, the poor or other disadvantaged groups. There is only one way to ensure such inequalities in the administration of justice do not occur: the complete abolition of the death penalty." Amnesty International welcomes the current hiatus of executions in the country. The relative lack of executions in the last decade -- one in 2004 -- illustrates that the people of India are willing to live without the death penalty. "India stands at a crossroads. It can choose to join the global trend towards a moratorium on the death penalty, as adopted by the UN General Assembly last year. It will also then join 27 countries in the Asia Pacific region which have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice. "Or it can continue to hang death row inmates, when the judicial system that puts them there has been shown by this extensive research to be unfair," said Mukul Sharma, Amnesty International-India Director. The full report is available at http://www.amnesty.org/en/report/info/ASA20/007/2008 Background: The study of the courts highlights some of the main failings as: Errors in consideration of evidence - most death sentences handed down in India are based on circumstantial evidence alone. In a 1994 Supreme Court appeal, the Court noted sarcastically that the main witness's memory constantly improved. His testimony at the trial three years after the incident was observed to be far more detailed than his confessional statement recorded a few days after. Inadequate legal representation - concerns included lawyers ignoring key facts of mental incompetence, omitting to provide any arguments on sentencing, or failing to dispute claims that the accused was under 18 years of age at the time of the crime despite evidence to the contrary. Anti-terrorist legislation - concerns include the broad definition of 'terrorist acts', insufficient safeguards on arrest, and provisions allowing for confessions made to police to be admissible as evidence. Arbitrariness in sentencing - in the same month, different benches of the Supreme Court have treated similar cases differently, with mitigating factors taken into account or disregarded arbitrarily. In the Bachan Singh judgment of 1980, the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty should be used only in the "rarest of rare" cases. More than a quarter of a century later, it is clear that through the failure of the courts and the State authorities to apply consistently the procedures laid down by law and by that judgment, the Court's strictures remain unfulfilled. A total of 135 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice, having realised executions are unacceptable. In 2007, only 24 countries carried out executions (China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the USA were the main five perpetrators, accounting for 88 per cent of all known executions). http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=330 2008-04-25 Amnesty International has received secretly filmed grisly footage of a man being beheaded in Saudi Arabia. The organization strongly condemns the execution and calls for the Saudi Arabian government to adhere to the UN moratorium on executions around the world. The horrific footage shows the condemned man's public execution. He kneels on a mat while spectators and guards watch. With one strike of the executioner's sword, his head rolls off and his body collapses in a heap. Amnesty International has been closely monitoring the prisoner's case, a Jordanian citizen convicted on drug trafficking related charges; the footage filmed on a mobile phone is consistent with AI's records. Executions in Saudi Arabia are generally held in public. Prisoners are usually sentenced to death following inadequate legal representation. Saudi Arabia continues to execute prisoners despite the UN General Assembly's adoption of a resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions on 18 December 2007. The beheading is counter to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and comes at a time when there is a clear international trend away from the use of the death penalty. Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme, said: "As a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Saudi Arabia should take a leading role in implementing the UN moratorium on executions and commute all outstanding death sentences. "Very few countries currently carry out executions, and it is deplorable that a member state of the Human Rights Council continues to execute people. Trials are grossly unfair with prisoners getting inadequate or no legal representation. Foreign nationals are often not even given adequate interpretation facilities and consequently remain ignorant of the exact nature of the charges against them or the punishment they face." The footage is a dire reflection of the extensive use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. In defiance of the world community, in 2007, Saudi Arabia executed at least 143 people, including three women, and children. Since January 2008 the figure has already reached 53.  This morning (25 April) three more people were put to death in Saudi Arabia. All were convicted of drug related crime, following trials about which very little is known. Amnesty International remains gravely concerned for the lives of a number of prisoners at risk of imminent execution and has issued urgent appeals calling for the commutation of their sentences. Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said: "Amnesty International calls on the Saudi government to cease executions and adopt an immediate moratorium on executions in accordance with the UN resolution."   Note to Editors Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or the method used by the state to kill the prisoner. The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state in the name of justice. It violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=329 2008-04-18 Twenty-eight people have been executed in Iraq this week following what appear to have been hasty and unfair trials. Those executed were arrested in clashes that took place in the past three weeks. Amnesty International has said that, for them to be arrested, sentenced and executed within such a short period raises serious concerns about the trial process. The organization has called on the Iraqi authorities to disclose all relevant information about these trials, including whether those executed had access to legal representation or not. "The circumstances of these executions make it urgent for the Iraqi authorities to establish a moratorium on the death penalty," Amnesty International said today. Amnesty International has repeatedly expressed its concerns about the trials conducted by criminal courts in Iraq, and whose procedures fall short of international standards for fair trials. "The Iraqi government argues that reinstating capital punishment would curb the widespread violence in the country," said Amnesty International. "The reality, however, is that violence has continued unabated and the death penalty has not been a deterrent." The death penalty is being used extensively since its reintroduction in 2004 and hundreds of people have been sentenced to death after grossly unfair trials. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as a violation of the right to life and as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=327 2008-04-17 Yesterday's US Supreme Court ruling in Baze v. Rees upholding the constitutionality of Kentucky's lethal injection procedures will in all likelihood be followed by moves in various US jurisdictions to resume executions, although the ruling is unlikely to stop litigation on this issue. Executions in the USA have been suspended since late September 2007 as states waited for the Supreme Court's decision. A majority of the 36 death penalty states, and the federal government, use the same three-drug combination as Kentucky to anesthetize, paralyze and kill the condemned prisoner. Officials in a number of states, including Florida, Georgia, Arizona and Ohio, have already suggested that the Baze decision should clear the way to a resumption of executions in their jurisdictions, and the likelihood of execution dates being set soon in states such as Texas and Alabama is high. [Weiter...] Amnesty International, Internationales Sekretariat, 17. April 2008  http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=325 2008-04-15 Berlin, 15. April 2008 - Auch 2007 hat sich der weltweite Trend gegen die Todesstrafe bestätigt: "Das Gros der Hinrichtungen geht auf das Konto einer Handvoll Staaten, und China ‚gewinnt' diese makabre Disziplin auch im Jahr vor den Olympischen Spielen. Zugleich ist die Todesstrafe unweigerlich auf dem Rückzug", sagte Oliver Hendrich von amnesty international (ai) zur Veröffentlichung der ai-Todesstrafenstatistik für 2007. ai fordert alle Staaten, die noch hinrichten, auf, sich der Resolution der UN-Generalversammlung vom Dezember 2007 anzuschließen. Diese fordert erstmalig einen sofortigen Hinrichtungsstopp als ersten wichtigen Schritt zur weltweiten Abschaffung dieser Strafe. Im Jahr 2007 hat ai 1.252 Hinrichtungen (2006: 1.591) in mindestens 24 (25) Ländern dokumentiert, mindestens 3.347 (3.861) Menschen in 51 (55) Ländern wurden zum Tode verurteilt. Insgesamt haben 135 (129) Länder die Todesstrafe im Gesetz oder in der Praxis abgeschafft, 62 (68) halten daran fest. 2007 schafften Albanien, die Cook-Inseln und Ruanda die Todesstrafe komplett ab, Kirgisistan für gewöhnliche Straftaten. Das bedeutet, dass mittlerweile mehr als zwei Drittel aller Staaten die Todesstrafe zumindest in der Praxis abgeschafft haben. Dennoch lebt nur knapp ein Drittel der Weltbevölkerung (ca. 31 Prozent) in Staaten, die nicht hinrichten. Für knapp 90 Prozent aller Hinrichtungen waren 2007 wiederum fünf Staaten verantwortlich: In China tötete der Staat mindestens 470 Menschen (2006: 1.010), im Iran 317 (177), in Saudi-Arabien 143 (39), in Pakistan 135 (82) und in den USA 42 (53) Menschen. Hierbei handelt es sich um Mindestzahlen. Offizielle Zahlen liefern nur wenige Staaten, zum Beispiel die USA. In China sind Hinrichtungen weiterhin Staatsgeheimnis. ai geht davon aus, dass dort tatsächlich mehrere tausend Menschen hingerichtet wurden. Für mehr als 60 Tatbestände, darunter auch Vergehen wie Steuerhinterziehung und Drogenschmuggel, kann in China die Todesstrafe verhängt werden. "Der Mantel des Schweigens über der Todessstrafe muss gelüftet werden", sagte Hendrich. "Wenn es stimmt, dass Hinrichtungen die Unterstützung der Bevölkerung haben - wie viele Regierungen behaupten - dann hat die Bevölkerung auch das Recht zu erfahren, was und in welchem Umfang in ihrem Namen geschieht." Unter www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/statistik_2007 finden Sie ab 15. April das gesamte Zahlenmaterial sowie Hintergrundinformationen. Gerne senden wir Ihnen folgendes Material vorab per E-Mail zu: • Zahlen und Fakten zur Todesstrafe (Briefing) • Staaten mit und ohne Todesstrafe (Karte) • Hinrichtungen und Todesurteile 2007 (Karte) Amnesty International, Sektion der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, 15. April 2008 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=324 2008-04-10 Amnesty International deeply regrets the hanging of four men - Akinaga Kaoru, 61, Nakamoto Masayoshi, 64, Nakamura Masahura, 61 and Sakamoto Masahito, 41 - in Japan today, Thursday 10 April. These executions bring to seven the number of executions announced in Japan in 2008. "We are extremely concerned about the increased number of executions. We call on the Japanese government to adopt an immediate moratorium on executions in accordance with last year's UN resolution," said Amnesty International. The executions have taken place despite the UN General Assembly's adoption in December 2007 of resolution calling upon all member states to uphold a moratorium on executions as a first step towards abolishing the death penalty. The resolution (62/149) was passed by a large majority: 104 votes to 54. Executions in Japan are typically held in secret. Until December 2007 the Ministry of Justice did not disclose the names of those executed or details of their offence. Prisoners are still only informed hours before their executions and these are carried out without prior notice to their families. Under the Minister of Justice Hatoyama Kunio, there have been ten executions in less than six months. He announced publicly in September 2007 that he was considering scrapping the rule under the Criminal Procedure Code requiring the signature of the Minister of Justice for executions. This will allow for death row inmates to be automatically executed within six months of the end of their appeals process. In 2006 only 25 countries carried out executions. Among G8 members Japan is now the only country with a fully operational death penalty system: the US Supreme Court has suspended all executions until it rules on the use of lethal injections. Amnesty International, Internationales Sekretariat, 10. April 2008 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=313 2008-03-18 Große Erleichterung für Mokarrameh Ebrahimi: Die 43-jährige ist am 17. März 2008 gemeinsam mit ihrem jüngsten Kind aus der Haft entlassen worden. Insgesamt verbrachte Mokarrameh Ebrahimi elf Jahre im Gefängnis. Mokarrameh Ebrahimi hatte mit ihrem Lebensgefährten Ja'far Kiani, mit dem sie zwei Kinder hat, zusammengelebt, obwohl sie verheiratet war. Dafür wurden beide nach Paragraf 83 des iranischen Strafgesetzbuches wegen Ehebruchs zum Tod durch Steinigung verurteilt. Ja'far Kiani ist am 5. Juli 2007 in Takestan gesteinigt worden. Der öffentliche Druck - unter anderem von amnesty international - führte offenbar dazu, dass das Staatsoberhaupt und Religionsführer Ajatollah Ali Khamenei nun Mokarrameh Ebrahimi begnadigte. Mindestens zehn Frauen und zwei Männer sind jedoch nach wie vor in Gefahr, durch Steinigung hingerichtet zu werden. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 20. März 2008 Mehr dazu: siehe unter Urgent Action! 18. März 2008 IRAN: Frau Mokarrameh Ebrahimi AI Index MDE 13/051/2008 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=301 2008-03-06 Amnesty International today condemned the North Korean authorities for executing 15 people in public for illegally crossing the border with China. A North Korean official reportedly said that 13 women and two men were shot dead in the town of Onseong in late February "to send a warning to people," according to South Korean NGO, Good Friends. Due to chronic food shortages, many North Koreans have little choice but to risk the dangerous journey to China in order to access food and other essential supplies. "Tens of thousands of North Koreans have been forced to flee their country to avoid starvation," said Tim Parritt, Amnesty International's Deputy Programme Director for Asia. "These summary executions compound other human rights violations - including arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and severe restrictions on freedom of speech - faced by some of the most desperate people in the world." Amnesty International calls on the North Korean government to end its policy of summary executions, and appeals to North Korea's neighbours in China and Japan to set a regional example by following the moratorium on the death penalty, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 18 December 2007. Amnesty International, Internationales Sekretariat, 6. März 2008 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=302 2008-03-06 Three members of the so-called Bali Nine have had their death sentences reduced to life imprisonment following a judicial review by the Supreme Court. Matthew Norman, Si Yi Chen and Tan Duc Thanh were spared execution by firing squad. The three had been on death row since 2006 when the Supreme Court, ruling on an appeal, had increased their original life sentences, for smuggling drugs in Bali, to sentences of death. Three of the Bali Nine continue to face execution. Scott Rush, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan challenged the validity of the death penalty in drugs cases before the Constitutional Court, but had their case rejected in October 2007. Renae Lawrence is serving a 20-year sentence and Michael Czugaj and Martin Stephens were sentenced to life. Amnesty International welcomed the news of the three commuted sentences and called on the Indonesian Government to abolish the death penalty. "The application of the death penalty is a violation to the right of life and the right not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment," said Tim Parrrit, Asia-Pacific Deputy Programme Director. Quoted on the Australian newspaper's website today, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said it was too soon to help the remaining members of the Bali Nine still facing the death penalty. "It's appropriate in all of these cases to await the complete exhaustion of Indonesian legal procedures and processes," he said. In total, 11 people were sentenced to death in Indonesia last year. Tim Parritt said that, while it is legitimate for the Indonesian government to take appropriate law-enforcement measures against drug offenders, there is no scientific evidence that the death penalty deters would-be traffickers more effectively than other punishments. "We call on the Indonesian government to follow the example set by 135 countries around the world which have already abolished the death penalty in law or practice, including neighbouring Philippines which abolished the death penalty in 2006," said Tim Parritt. The trend towards total abolition continued in 2007 with the UN General Assembly adopting a resolution calling for a global moratorium on executions. The resolution was supported by 104 countries in favour, with 54 countries against. Amnesty International, Internationales Sekretariat, 6. März 2008 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=288 2008-02-21 Amnesty International deplored the upholding of the death sentence against one of 30 men convicted of terrorism by the Tunis Appeal Court and the fact that serious breaches of their rights to a fair trial were not addressed, including the failure to order a retrial for all the defendants. The organization however acknowledged the commuting of the death sentence of one of the men. "The Appeal Court had an opportunity to remedy the gross deficiencies that marred this case from the outset, but it failed to rise to that challenge," said Denys Robiliard, a leading French lawyer who observed the proceedings on Amnesty International's behalf. "These defendants faced very serious charges but their trial, and now the appeal, breached basic guarantees required under international law." Early today, following marathon overnight sessions that started in the morning of 19 February, the Appeal Court commuted the death sentence of Imed Ben Amor to life imprisonment but upheld the one against Saber Ragoubi. Both had been sentenced to death in December 2007 by the Tunis Court of First Instance after they and 28 others were convicted of murder, belonging to a terrorist organisation and other offences. The other 28 received prison terms ranging from three years to life imprisonment. The trial - known as the Soliman case - arose from armed clashes near the town of Soliman which occurred in December 2006 and January 2007 between Tunisian security forces and members of an armed group called the Soldiers of Assad Ibn al-Fourat. All the leaders of the armed group are reported to have been among the 14 people killed in the clashes, along with two members of the security forces. The Soldiers of Assad Ibn al-Fourat group is said to be linked to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, an armed group reputedly responsible for terrorist attacks in Algeria. The 30 defendants were arrested in December 2006 and January 2007 and first appeared before the Tunis Court of First Instance in November 2007. Their trial was marked by serious violations of the right to a fair trial. In particular, defence lawyers were given insufficient time to examine the court papers and prepare the defence case, and the court failed adequately to investigate defendants' allegations that they were tortured and forced to "confess" during pre-trial detention. Defence lawyers repeatedly urged the court to order that they be medically examined for signs of torture, but the court refused to do so. When defence lawyers walked out of the court in protest at one stage, the defendants, who all deny the charges against them, were assaulted by security officials in full view of the court. Under international law, information obtained through torture may never be admitted into judicial procedures. "This case has been a travesty and the verdicts and sentences should not be allowed to stand," said Malcolm Smart, director for the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International. "The Tunisian authorities must now remedy this miscarriage of justice and order that the case is sent for re-trial, so that true justice can be done." "The death sentence, if carried out, would constitute a violation of the right to life of Saber Ragoubi." http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=289 2008-02-19 In reaction to Fidel Castro's announcement that he will not return to the presidency, Amnesty International said: "The new Cuban leadership must take advantage of this change to introduce much needed reforms to guarantee the protection of human rights." "Reform in Cuba must start with the unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience, the judicial review of all sentences passed after unfair trials, the abolition of the death penalty and the introduction of measures to ensure respect of fundamental freedoms and the independence of the judiciary," said Javier Zuñiga, Special Advisor at Amnesty International. Amnesty International calls on the new Cuban government to allow UN human rights bodies and independent human rights organizations to visit the country. The organization also urged the international community and in particular the US, to abolish policies and practices that impinge on the human rights of Cubans, such as the US embargo. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=287 2008-02-13 In an open letter sent today, Amnesty International urged Guatemalan president Álvaro Colom not to reinstate the death penalty and instead to look for more effective and lasting solutions to the public security crisis affecting the country. Just two months ago, Guatemala voted for a global moratorium on executions at the United Nations. "President Álvaro Colom must now respect this commitment," said Sebastian Elgueta, researcher for Guatemala at Amnesty International. "Guatemala must turn its back to this archaic practice and join the overwhelming majority of countries that have already done so." "The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. It is arbitrary, it has proven ineffective in reducing crime, and it perpetuates a climate of violence in which justice can never be truly achieved," said Sebastian Elgueta. In its letter, Amnesty International also called on President Colom to take concrete action on some of Guatemala's most pressing human rights issues -- including the lack of effective investigations into human rights violations committed during the armed conflict, the increasing number of cases of violence against women -- particularly the number of killings reported every year, the high number of attacks against human rights defenders and the forced evictions of rural communities. "The human rights challenges in Guatemala remain huge. During forty years of monitoring the situation in the country, Amnesty International has witnessed successive governments fail to make real improvements in the administration of justice or in combating impunity," said Sebastian Elgueta.   "Just last December, the decision by the Constitutional Court to rule against the detention of those accused of genocide during the internal armed conflict was yet a further setback in tackling impunity." Amnesty International also urged the new President to authorise the release of archive material held by the Ministry of Defence that could assist in the investigation of the killings and enforced disappearance of more than 200,000 people during the internal armed conflict in Guatemala. "The new administration in Guatemala owes it to the people of the country to take concrete steps to investigate and bring to justice past violators of human rights and ensure the future rights of the population are fully guaranteed," said Sebastian Elgueta. http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=282 2008-02-12 The Pentagon announced on Monday that it has charged six "high-value" detainees at Guantánamo Bay. The US government is seeking the death penalty against the six men. A spokesperson for Amnesty International condemned the move, saying the charges raise yet more questions about the USA's conduct in the "war on terror". "A matter of weeks after the United Nations General Assembly voted for an end to executions, the USA is raising the spectre of death sentences after fundamentally flawed trials in Guantánamo. The international community must challenge the USA to drop these military commissions and conduct trials in front of independent and impartial courts, without resort to the death penalty," said Rob Freer, Amnesty International's researcher on USA. Five of the six men charged were held for more than three years in secret CIA custody at unknown locations before being transferred to Guantánamo in September 2006. The CIA has also confirmed that at least one of the men charged, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, was subjected to "waterboarding" - simulated drowning. "Waterboarding is torture, and torture is an international crime. No one has been held accountable for such crimes. Impunity in relation to the CIA program remains a hallmark of the USA's conduct in the 'war on terror,'" said Rob Freer. "Ever since the crime against humanity that was committed on 11 September 2001, Amnesty International has called on the USA to pursue justice and security within a framework of respect for human rights and the rule of law. The US government's systematic failure to do this is illustrated not only by the treatment of these six detainees over the past five years or more, but also by the military commissions before which they are set to appear." The sixth man charged is Mohamed al-Qahtani, who was subjected to torture and other ill-treatment in Guantánamo in late 2002. Despite suffering sexual and other humiliation, sleep deprivation, hooding, stripping, loud music, white noise, and extremes of heat and cold, the Pentagon concluded that his treatment did not amount to inhumane treatment. "The Pentagon, along with the President, has overarching influence over the operation of the military commissions," said Rob Freer. "In other words, these sub-standard tribunals lack independence from the same executive branch that has authorized and condoned systematic human rights violations committed against these detainees." amnesty international, Internationales Sekretariat 12. Februar 2008 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=269 2008-02-01 Der neue japanische Justizminister Kunio Hatoyama verlangte am 25. September 2007 die schnellere Vollstreckung von Todesurteilen. Er gilt als vehementer Befürworter der Todesstrafe. Seiner Ankündigung lässt er nun Taten folgen: Nachdem auf seine Anordnung bereits Anfang Dezember 2007 drei Todesurteile vollstreckt wurden, endeten am 1. Februar erneut drei verurteilte Mörder am Galgen. Todeskandidaten erfahren in Japan erst am Morgen ihres Hinrichtungs-tages von der unmittelbar bevorstehenden Vollstreckung des Todesurteils. Im Unterschied zu früher werden nun die Namen der Gehenkten sowie die Hinrichtungsorte veröffentlicht. Es handelt sich um drei Männer im Alter von 65, 63 und 37 Jahren. Die Exekutionen erfolgten in Gefängnissen in Tokio, Osaka und Fukuoka. Derzeit sind weitere 105 Straftäter vom Vollzug der Todesstrafe bedroht. Neben den USA ist Japan der einzige G-8-Staat und damit eines der ganz wenigen hoch industrialisierten und demokratischen Länder, in dem Hinrichtungen stattfinden. Die Anwendung der Todesstrafe stieß bei Menschenrechtsorgani-sationen wie amnesty international und bei der EU auf heftige Kritik. Weitere Informationen finden Sie in der folgeden englischen Pressemitteilung des Internationalen Sekretariats von amnesty international  "Japan: Amnesty International condemns new round of "streamlined" executions". amnesty international, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 02. Februar 2008 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=260 2008-01-15 Berlin, 15. Januar 2008 - "Die Steine dürfen bei einer Steinigung nicht so groß sein, dass die Person getötet wird, wenn sie von einem oder zwei davon getroffen wird, und auch nicht so klein, dass man sie nicht mehr als Stein ansehen kann." So steht es im iranischen Strafgesetzbuch und so werden Steinigungen auch heute noch vollstreckt. Obwohl der Iran 2002 zugesichert hat, keine Menschen mehr zu steinigen, hat es seitdem mehrfach Hinrichtungen dieser Art gegeben, zuletzt im Juli 2007. Das dokumentiert ein heute veröffentlichter Bericht von amnesty international (ai). "Steinigungen sind besonders grausam", sagte Ruth Jüttner, ai-Expertin für den Nahen Osten. "Die Absicht ist klar: Der Tod durch Steinigung soll langsam und qualvoll eintreten." ai lehnt die Todesstrafe uneingeschränkt ab und verurteilt jede Form der Hinrichtung. Der Tod durch Steinigung steht im Iran auf eine Tat, die in den meisten Ländern nicht einmal strafbar ist: Ehebruch. Als Beweismittel können die "Erkenntnisse" des Richters ausreichen. Zudem gilt die Zeugenaussage einer Frau nur, wenn mindestens zwei Männer sie bestätigen. Bei der Steinigung werden Männer bis zur Hüfte und Frauen bis unter die Brust eingegraben. Dann wird unter den Augen von Richter, Zeugen und Schaulustigen die Steinigung vollstreckt. Die Mehrheit der zum Tod durch Steinigung Verurteilten sind Frauen. "Das liegt daran, dass Frauen in vieler Hinsicht diskriminiert sind", erklärte Jüttner. Für Frauen ist es schwerer, eine Scheidung zu erreichen. Die Aussage einer Frau vor Gericht gilt nur halb soviel wie die eines Mannes. Angehörige ethnischer Minderheiten verstehen die Gerichtsprache Persisch oft nicht, andere können nicht lesen und schreiben. Und vielen Frauen fehlt schlicht das Geld für einen Anwalt - so gehen Steinigungen oft ungerechte Gerichtsverhandlungen voraus. ai fordert die iranische Regierung auf, alle noch anstehenden Steinigungen auszusetzen und die Anwendung der Todesstrafe durch Steinigung sowie die Bestrafung von "einvernehmlichen außerehelichen sexuellen Beziehungen" auf Gesetzesebene endgültig abzuschaffen. Zudem sollte der Iran als Unterzeichnerstaat des Internationalen Paktes über bürgerliche und politische Rechte auf die Abschaffung der Todesstrafe hinarbeiten. Den vollständigen Bericht "Iran - End executions by stoning" erhalten Sie über die ai-Pressestelle oder unter www.amnesty.org. Amnesty International, Sekretariat der deutschen Sektion, 15. Januar 2008 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=251 2008-01-08 Amnesty International begrüßt die Abschaffung der Todesstrafe in Usbekistan ab dem 1. Januar 2008 als grundlegenden Schritt zur weltweiten Beendigung dieser grausamen und unmenschlichen Praxis. Usbekistan ist der 135. Staat, der die Todesstrafe per Gesetz oder in der Praxis abgeschafft hat. Die Todesstrafe wird nun durch eine lebenslange oder langjährige Haftstrafe ersetzt. Amnesty International fordert die usbekischen Behörden auf, ihren Verpflichtungen nachzukommen, die sie als Mitgliedstaat der OSZE (Organisation für Sicherheit und Zusammenarbeit in Europa) eingegangen sind, nämlich der Öffentlichkeit Informationen über die Anwendung der Todesstrafe zugänglich zu machen. Amnesty International ist besorgt, dass die Angehörigen hingerichteter Gefangener in der Zeit vor der Abschaffung der Todesstrafe nicht über das Datum ihrer Hinrichtung und den Ort ihrer Bestattung informiert wurden. Die Behörden sollten daher dafür sorgen, dass die Familien derjenigen, die bis jetzt hingerichtet wurden, vollen Zugang zu solchen Informationen erhalten und deren persönliche Habe in Empfang nehmen können. Amnesty International fordert die wenigen verbleibenden Territorien der ehemaligen Sowjetunion (Abchasien und Südossetien in Georgien sowie die Transdniestr-Moldawische Republik in Moldawien), die noch die Todesstrafe beibehalten, auf, diese vollständig abzuschaffen und damit die gesamte Region zur todesstrafenfreien Zone zu machen. Der einzige Henkerstaat in Europa ist Weißrussland, wo die letzte berichtete Hinrichtung im Dezember 2007 stattfand. Hintergrund Der usbekische Präsident Islam Karimow erließ im August 2005 ein Dekret zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe ab Januar 2008. Im Juni 2006 hatte der Präsident eine Arbeitsgruppe eingerichtet, deren Aufgabe es unter anderem war, entsprechende Gesetzesentwürfe vorzubereiten. In der Folge wurde am 29. Juni 2007 vom usbekischen Senat ein neues Gesetz verabschiedet, mit dem das Strafgesetzbuch, die Strafprozessordnung und das Strafvollzugsgesetz geändert und die Todesstrafe durch eine lebenslange oder langjährige Haftstrafe ersetzt wurden. Das Gesetz trat am 1. Januar 2008 in Kraft und markiert die förmliche Abschaffung der Todesstrafe in Usbekistan. Siehe auch: Amnesty International's statement, Belarus: Amnesty International and Belarusian Helsinki Committee condemn reported execution (AI Index: EUR 49/012/2007) http://www.amnesty.org/en/report/info/EUR49/012/2007 Amnesty International's briefing, Commonwealth of Independent States: Belarus - the sole executioner (AI Index: EUR 04/002/2007) http://www.amnesty.org/en/report/info/EUR04/002/2007 Amnesty International's briefing, Commonwealth of Independent states: Positive trend on the abolition of the death penalty but more needs to be done (AI Index: EUR 04/003/2006) http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur040032006 Verbindlich ist das englische Original. Amnesty International, Internationales Sekretariat, 08. Januar 2008 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=249 2008-01-03 Amnesty International today strongly condemned the expansion of China's lethal injection programme and called on the Chinese authorities to accelerate the abolition of the death penalty. "This move goes against the spirit of the Olympic Charter for the Beijing Olympics, which places the preservation of human dignity at the heart of the Olympic movement. There is nothing dignified or humane in the state killing of individuals by whatever means," said Catherine Baber, Director of Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific programme. It has also taken place just weeks after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions. Amnesty International also challenges Jiang Xingchang's, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), to explain how lethal injection execution is more humane than execution by shooting. "The extension of the lethal injection programme flies in the face of the clear international trend away from using the death penalty and ignores the problems inherent in this punishment. Arbitrary application, miscarriages of justice including execution of the innocent, and the cruel and inhumane nature of the death penalty cannot be solved by changing the method of execution, said Baber." According to Amnesty International, lethal injection as a method of execution raises particular concerns. These include: Diverting attention from the suffering inherent in the death penalty by suggesting that death by lethal injection is humane. Evidence shows that it can cause convulsions and a prolonged and painful death. The potential to cause physical and mental suffering through botched implementation. The involvement of health personnel in executions. Virtually all codes of professional ethics that consider the death penalty oppose medical or nursing participation. Amnesty International has welcomed the Supreme People's Court review of all death sentences passed in China (in force since January 2007), which is expected to result in the reduction of the number of executions. Yet the lack of transparency in the application of the death penalty in China will make it impossible to assess or verify any change in the number of executions being carried out. "The Chinese authorities must take concrete steps towards the abolition of death penalty. As a first step, China must make public the actual numbers of people executed and radically cut the number of capital offences. A positive legacy for the Beijing Olympics can only be achieved when China's world record of executions comes to an end," said Baber. Amnesty International, Internationales Sekretariat, 3. Januar 2008 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=242 2007-12-19 Berlin, 19. Dezember 2007 - amnesty international (ai) hat die Resolution der UN-Generalversammlung für einen weltweiten Hinrichtungsstopp sehr begrüßt. "Diese Entscheidung ist ein wichtiger Meilenstein auf dem Weg zu einer Welt ohne Todesstrafe", sagte ai-Experte Oliver Hendrich. "Jetzt muss der Hinrichtungsstopp auch umgesetzt werden." Die Resolution der Generalversammlung ist zwar nicht bindend, hat aber großes moralisches und politisches Gewicht. ai setzt darauf, dass die Resolution den Druck auf jene Staaten erhöht, die die Todesstrafe noch anwenden, und dass diese Staaten als ersten Schritt auf dem Weg zur Abschaffung keine Hinrichtungen mehr vollziehen. Eine breite Staatenkoalition aus allen Erdteilen hatte die Resolution eingebracht und wurde dabei von der Europäischen Union sowie durch ai, die Weltkoalition gegen die Todesstrafe und andere Organisationen unterstützt. Die UN setzt sich seit Jahrzehnten für die Abschaffung der Todesstrafe ein. Während die UN vor 30 Jahren die Abschaffung der Todesstrafe lediglich als "wünschenswert" bezeichnete, wandelte sich die UN-Position in den letzten Jahren in ein klares "Nein". Eine Entwicklung, die ai sehr begrüßt. Seit Jahren beobachtet ai einen Trend zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe. 88 UN-Mitglieder haben sie bereits ganz aus ihren Gesetzen gestrichen, 42 UN-Staaten wenden sie derzeit nicht an. Nur 62 UN-Mitgliedsstaaten halten an der Todesstrafe fest. Doch trotz dieser positiven Entwicklung lebt ein Großteil (2/3) der Weltbevölkerung in Ländern, in denen als höchste Strafe das Todesurteil verhängt und vollstreckt werden kann. Weltweit sitzen derzeit mehr als 20.000 Menschen in den Todeszellen. 2006 wurden mindestens 1.591 Menschen hingerichtet und 3.861 zum Tode verurteilt. Anlässlich des Internationalen Tages gegen die Todesstrafe (10. Oktober) hatte ai mit einer Aktion vor dem Brandenburger Tor in Berlin für einen weltweiten Hinrichtungsstopp geworben und bundesweit Unterschriften gesammelt. Insgesamt sprachen sich 15.000 Menschen in Deutschland und fünf Millionen weltweit gegen die Todesstrafe aus. Fotos der Aktion sowie Weltkarten und Hintergrundmaterial zur Todesstrafe erhalten Sie über die ai-Pressestelle oder hier. Amnesty International, Sekretariat der deutschen Sektion, 19. Dezember 2007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=240 2007-12-18 The global campaign against the death penalty secured a landmark victory on Tuesday when the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the call for a worldwide moratorium (suspension) on executions. In a landslide result, 104 UN member states voted in favour of the ground-breaking resolution. 54 countries voted against, while there were 25 abstentions. Amnesty International welcomes this timely resolution, passed at the UN headquarters in New York City, as a clear recognition of the international trend towards worldwide abolition of the death penalty. A total of 133 countries, from all regions of the world, have abolished the death penalty in law or practice and only 25 countries carried out executions in 2006. 91% of all known executions took place in six countries: China, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan and the USA. Recorded executions worldwide fell by more than 25% in 2006, with a drop from at least 2,148 in 2005 to at least 1,591. Although not legally binding, the UN moratorium on executions carries considerable moral and political weight. The resolution is a reminder of member states' commitment to work towards abolition of the death penalty. It is also an important tool to encourage retentionist countries to review their use of the death penalty. Amnesty International calls on countries which still use the death penalty to establish an immediate moratorium on executions as a first step towards abolishing capital punishment. The UN Secretary-General will report to the General Assembly in October 2008 on states' implementation of the resolution. "This landmark resolution is a major step towards ending this cruel and inhuman punishment and an important contribution to protecting human rights," said Yvonne Terlingen, Amnesty International's Head of Office at the UN. "The death penalty is inherently arbitrary and innocent people are executed". Amnesty International, Internationales Sekretariat, 18. Dezember 2007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=237 2007-12-17 Erstmals seit mehr als 40 Jahren trennt sich mit New Jersey wieder ein US-Bundesstaat von der Todesstrafe. Der Senat von New Jersey billigte am 10. Dezember mit 21 gegen 16 Stimmen einen Gesetzesentwurf, der die Todesstrafe durch lebenslange Haft ohne Möglichkeit einer Begnadigung ersetzt. "Die Todesstrafe ist barbarisch und voll verhängnisvoller Irrtümer", sagte die demokratische Senatorin Shirley Turner. Am 13. Dezember stimmte auch das Abgeordnetenhaus mit 44 gegen 36 Stimmen für diesen Schritt. Vier Tage später unterzeichnete der Gouverneur - der ein Vetorecht hat - das Gesetz und setzte es damit formell in Kraft. Die Unterschrift galt jedoch als Formsache, da Gouverneur Jon Corzine, ein Demokrat, seit langem ein erklärter Gegner der Todesstrafe ist. Eine Kommission des US-Staats hatte Anfang Januar 2007 die Abschaffung der Todesstrafe empfohlen. Das Gremium war zu dem Schluss gekommen, dass die Todesstrafe keine besondere abschreckende Wirkung auf Mörder habe. Sie enthalte zudem das Risiko, Unschuldige zu töten, und sei auch teurer als lebenslange Haft. In den Gefängnissen von New Jersey sitzen derzeit noch acht zum Tode verurteilte Männer. Letztmals wurde 1963 Todesurteil in diesem Bundesstaat vollstreckt. Mit New Jersey sehen nun 14 der 50 US-Staaten keine Todesstrafe in ihrem Strafrecht vor. Landesweit hat es in diesem Jahr 42 Hinrichtungen gegeben. Seit dem 25. September werden bis auf Weiteres keine Todesurteile mehr vollstreckt, weil die Justizbehörden auf eine Entscheidung des Obersten Gerichtshofs warten, der 2008 über die verfassungsrechtliche Zulässigkeit der Giftspritze als Hinrichtungsmethode befinden wird. Anlass waren mehrere Pannen bei der Verabreichung tödlicher Injektionen. Weitere Informationen finden Sie hier. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 17. Dezember 2007   http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=238 2007-12-17 Amnesty International revealed today that secret executions have been taking place in Nigeria's prisons, despite recent assurances by the government that Nigeria has not executed "in years." The organization has uncovered evidence of at least seven executions in the last two years, but fears more may have taken place. All of the executions took place by hanging. All those executed were convicted in a Kano state court and relocated to prisons across the country, including Jos, Kaduna and Enugu. Their death warrants were all signed by the current Kano state governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau. "The Nigerian government has been misleading the world - and they must now come clean on their death penalty record, establish an immediate moratorium on all executions in the country, and fully investigate how something like this could have happened," said Erwin van der Borght, Director of Amnesty International's Africa Programme. The detailed cases uncovered by Amnesty International include: On 30 May 2006, Kenneth Ekhone and Auwalu Musa were executed by hanging in Kaduna Central Prison. They were tried and convicted by a Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, but did not have lawyers throughout the proceedings. They were also not given an opportunity to appeal against the judgements. Until his death, Auwalu Musa denied he had anything to do with the crime. On 15 June 2006, Salisu Babuga was transferred from Kaduna prison to Jos prison, where he was hanged; At least four men were hanged in Enugu prison in 2006. The organization also believes that at least one execution has taken place in Port Harcourt prison. Amnesty International is continuing to investigate in order to confirm the names of those executed and the dates of the executions. On 15 November 2007, a Nigerian government representative at the UN spoke about the death penalty in Nigeria. He said, "punishment only comes after exhaustive legal and judicial processes, including recourse to the supreme court of the land"..."It is thus on record that we have not carried out any capital punishment in recent years in Nigeria." "It is inexcusable for a government to mislead about something as serious as the taking of human life, and we are shocked at what appears to be an attempt by the Nigerian government to deliberately deceive the international community," said van der Borght. Background information Approximately 700 prisoners are estimated to be on death row in Nigeria. Until now, it has been widely assumed that no executions have taken place since 2002. More than 200 inmates have been on death row for over ten years, some for over 25 years. Many of them were convicted and sentenced to death by the Robbery and Firearms Tribunals under the military rule. Defendants did not have the right of appeal. After 1999, jurisdiction was supposed to be restored to state-level High Courts with the right to appeal. However, in numerous cases the inmates were not informed of this right, or did not have legal representation or money for an appeal and thus never filed one. A number of convicts did file an appeal at the time they were sentenced to death; however, their cases were never heard in court. As they do not have lawyers the state should have provided legal representation to follow up their cases. A government-established National Study Group on the Death Penalty acknowledged in 2004 that "a system that would take a life must first give justice" and thus recommended a moratorium on the death penalty "until the Nigerian Criminal Justice System can ensure fundamental fairness and due process in capital cases and minimize the risk that innocent people will be executed." A Presidential Commission on Reform of the Administration of Justice (PCRAJ) reiterated that conclusion in May 2007 and called for "an official moratorium on executions until Nigerian criminal justice system can ensure fundamental fairness and due process in capital cases." The PCRAJ concluded that "the Federal Government and indeed State Governments can no longer ignore the systemic problems that have long existed in our criminal justice system." Both commissions highlighted that inmates on death row are "almost exclusively poor and without legal representation." Article 14(5) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states: "Everyone convicted of a crime shall have the right to his conviction and sentence being reviewed by a higher tribunal according to law." On 18 December, the UN General Assembly will be voting to reaffirm the resolution calling for a moratorium on executions, agreed by the General Assembly's Third Committee on 15 November. Amnesty International Internationales Sekretariat 14. Dezember 2007 www.amnesty.org http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=239 2007-12-14 Amnesty International ist in tiefer Sorge über Berichte, dass drei jugendlichen Straftätern die Hinrichtung unmittelbar bevorsteht, was eine klare Verletzung internationalen Rechts darstellt. Die Organisation fordert die iranischen Behörden dringend auf, diese Hinrichtungen zu unterbinden, die Vollstreckung von Todesurteilen an minderjährigen Straftätern grundsätzlich zu beenden und sich dem weltweiten Trend zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe anzuschließen.  Die Todesstrafe wegen Mordes, die gegen Ali Mahin Torabi für ein Verbrechen verhängt wurde, das er angeblich im Alter von 16 Jahren beging, wurde von der Obersten Justizautorität (Leiter der Justizbehörden) gebilligt, so dass er innerhalb weniger Tage hingerichtet werden kann. Ähnliche Urteile gegen zwei weitere jugendliche Straftäter liegen laut Berichten der Obersten Justizautorität zur Bestätigung vor. Mehr als 70 jugendliche Straftäter warten in Iran auf ihre Hinrichtung.  Die Exekution von Makwan Moloudzadeh am 4. Dezember nach einem grob fehlerhaften Gerichtsverfahren hat die Gesamtzahl der hingerichteten Jugendlichen im Jahr 2007 in Iran auf mindestens sechs ansteigen lassen. Mindestens einer von ihnen war auch zum Zeitpunkt der Hinrichtung noch keine 18 Jahre alt. Bis dato haben die iranischen Behörden im Jahr 2007 mehr als 300 Menschen hingerichtet - eine deutliche Zunahme gegenüber den 177, deren Hinrichtung im Jahr 2006 bekannt wurde.  Die iranischen Behörden exekutieren regelmäßig mehr Jugendliche als jedes andere Land - mindestens 28 seit 1990. Saudi-Arabien und Pakistan sind die beiden einzigen Staaten, aus denen die Hinrichtung eines minderjährigen Straftäters 2007 bekannt wurde.  Hinrichtungen jugendlicher Straftäter verletzen nicht nur Völkergewohnheitsrecht und Irans Verpflichtungen aus dem Internationalen Pakt über bürgerliche und politische Rechte sowie der Kinderrechtskonvention, sondern auch den Geist einer Resolution der Vereinten Nationen, die zu einem weltweiten Hinrichtungsmoratorium aufruft. Diese Resolution, die schon vom dritten Ausschuss der UN-Generalversammlung mit großer Mehrheit angenommen wurde, ist Ausdruck des weltweiten Trends zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe, den der UN-Generalsekretär und die Hochkommissarin für Menschenrechte lobend anerkannten.  Übersetzung: Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppen gegen die Todesstrafe und Iran. Es gilt das englische Original. Amnesty International Internationales Sekretariat 14. Dezember 2007 www.amnesty.org http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=231 2007-12-09 The world is set to take a giant leap towards the abolition of the death penalty worldwide in a crucial UN vote. The UN vote is expected to endorse a decision to establish a moratorium (a suspension) on executions worldwide. It is anticipated to take place on the morning of 18 December, at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. Amnesty International continues to campaign heavily for the resolution to reach more than 100 states to support its final adoption. The passing of the UN resolution is a turning point in campaign against the death penalty. 133 countries (two-thirds of the world) have abolished the death penalty either in law or practice. In 1948, when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted, only eight countries had abolished the death penalty for all crimes. A significant milestone was reached recently on the path to a death penalty free world. The resolution was adopted successfully on 15 November by the UNGA's Third Committee. The vote resulted in 99 countries in favour and 52 against, with 33 abstentions. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception. The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights - the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state in the name of justice. It violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. Amnesty International calls on all countries to establish a moratorium on executions and stop the death penalty once and for all. Weitere Informationen Breakthrough UN resolution on global moratorium on executions (News, 15 November 2007) Stop the death penalty: Worldwide abolition now (Feature, 31 October 2007) Externer Link Help the UN General Assembly endorse a global moratorium (World Coalition website) http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=227 2007-12-07 Am Morgen des 7. Dezembers sind in Japan erneut drei verurteilte Mörder am Galgen gehenkt worden. Die Hingerichteten waren 42, 47 und 75 Jahre alt und hatten bereits bis zu 25 Jahre Haft verbüßt. Japan gehört mit den USA zu den letzten Industrienationen, die noch Todesurteile verhängen und vollstrecken. Der neue Justizminister Kunio Hatoyama verlangte am 25. September 2007 die schnellere Vollstreckung von Todesurteilen. Das ostasiatische Land hat in diesem Jahr bereits neun Menschen exekutiert, so viele wie in keinem der zurückliegenden 30 Jahre. Mindestens 107 zum Tode Verurteilte sitzen derzeit noch in japanischen Gefängnissen ein. Die Vollstreckung von Todesurteilen unterliegt in Japan der Geheimhaltung. Die Betroffenen werden erst am Morgen des Hinrichtungstages über ihre bevorstehende Exekution unterrichtet. Erstmals gab das Justizministerium bei dieser Exekution die Namen der Hingerichteten bekannt. Dies geschehe, um das Verständnis für die Angemessenheit der Todesstrafe zu wecken. amnesty International begrüßt es, dass Informationen über die Getöteten veröffentlicht wurden, kritisiert die Hinrichtungen aber scharf. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 7. Dezember 2007 Mehr dazu: Japan: Amnesty International condemns executions Press Release AI Index: ASA 22/016/2007 News Service No: 236 7 December 2007 http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/japan-amnesty-international-condemns-executions-20071207 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=228 2007-12-07 Nach dem Regierungswechsel in Polen hat sich die EU am 7. Dezember auf die Einführung eines "Tages gegen die Todesstrafe" geeinigt. Der Gedenktag wird jedes Jahr am 10. Oktober stattfinden. Auch amnesty international nimmt zusammen mit der "Weltkoalition gegen die Todesstrafe" bereits seit 2003 diesen Tag zum Anlass, um öffentlich gegen die Todesstrafe einzutreten. Polen hatte sich noch im September als einziger EU-Mitgliedstaat gegen die Einführung eines solchen symbolträchtigen Tags gewehrt und eine Initiative der EU-Kommission blockiert. Die frühere polnische Regierung unter dem damaligen Regierungschef Jaroslaw Kacziński sprach sich vehement für eine Debatte über die Wiedereinführung der Todesstrafe in der EU aus. Die Todesstrafe ist nahezu in ganz Europa abgeschafft. Nur noch in Weißrussland werden Todesurteile verhängt und vollstreckt. In der Russischen Föderation besteht seit Jahren ein Hinrichtungsstopp. Amnesty International, Koordinationsgruppe gegen die Todesstrafe, 7. Dezember 2007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=224 2007-12-06 Amnesty International condemns the execution, on 4 December 2007, of Makwan Moloudzadeh, an Iranian Kurdish child offender, following a grossly flawed trial for an offence he allegedly committed at the age of 13. Execution for a crime committed at the age of 13 is a gross abuse of international human rights standards, which prohibit the execution of those convicted of crimes committed under the age of 18. In 2007 alone, the Iranian authorities have executed at least five other child offenders and at least 75 others remain on death row. Makwan Moloudzadeh, 21, was convicted of lavat-e iqabi (anal sex) for the alleged rape of three individuals, eight years ago, when he was 13. Under Article 49 of the Penal Code, minors - those who have not yet reached maturity (puberty) as defined by Islamic Law - are exempted from criminal responsibility. Under Article 1210 of the Civil Code, boys are deemed to reach puberty at the age of 15 lunar years (approximately 14 years and seven months), but this appears to leave open the possibility that judges may rule on a different age of maturity in individual cases. Article 113 of the Penal Code provides for up to 74 lashes in the case of a minor convicted of anal sex. Makwan Moloudzadeh's trial was grossly flawed. The alleged victims withdrew their accusations in the course of the trial, held in a criminal court in Kermanshah and with sessions held in Paveh, western Iran, in July 2007, and reportedly stated that they had either lied previously or had been forced to "confess." In sentencing Makwan Moloudzadeh to death, the judge relied on his 'knowledge' that Makwan Moloudzadeh could be tried as an adult and that the alleged offence had been committed, as is allowed by Iranian law. According to Article 120 of the Penal Code, in cases of anal sex between men, the judge "can make his judgement according to his knowledge which is obtained through conventional methods." The trial judge sentenced Makwan Moloudzadeh to death in July 2007 when Makwan Moloudzadeh was aged 21, even though Makwan Moloudzadeh was under 15 lunar years at the time of the alleged crime, and in the absence of medical evidence testifying to his state of maturity at the time of the crime. Iran is a state party to both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, both of which require that the authorities do not execute child offenders - those under 18 at the time of their alleged offence. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, the independent body that examines states' implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, has expressed concern about the process of determination by judges of the criminal responsibility of child offenders due to the weight the judges attach to subjective and arbitrary criteria, such as the attainment of puberty, the age of discernment or the personality of the child. Amnesty International is calling on the Head of Judiciary in Iran, Ayatollah Shahroudi, urgently to review the methods used by judicial officials in this case, which resulted in the death sentence and execution of Makwan Moloudzadeh. The Iranian authorities must uphold Iran's commitment to the international community not to execute child offenders. Background Makwan Moloudzadeh was arrested on 1 October 2006 in Paveh, western Iran. In July 2007 he was tried and sentenced to death by a criminal court in Kermanshah. During his trial, Makwan Moloudzadeh is said to have maintained his innocence. Previously, he alleged that while detained by security officials he was ill-treated during interrogation and "confessed" that he had had a sexual relationship with a boy in 1999. No investigation of his allegations of ill-treatment, or of those made by the witnesses against him who alleged that they had been required to provide false testimony, is known to have been investigated by the trial court or other Iranian authorities. The Supreme Court rejected Makwan Moloudzadeh's appeal on or around 1 August. The Head of the Judiciary apparently approved the sentence, and between August and October the case was submitted to the Office for the Implementation of Sentences. In November Makwan Moloudzadeh's lawyer sought a judicial enquiry to allow a review of the verdict and sentence. On 14 November a temporary stay of execution was ordered to allow for reinvestigation of the case. However, this review appears to have found no fault with the verdict and sentence and Makwan Moloudzadeh was executed on 4 December. At least 75 child offenders are on death row in Iran; Amnesty International fears that an additional15 child offenders, all Afghan nationals convicted of drug smuggling offences committed when they were under 18 may also be facing possible death sentences or have been already sentenced to death. For more information about Amnesty International's concerns regarding executions of child offenders in Iran, please see: Iran: The last executioner of children (MDE 13/059/2007, June 2007) Flogging is cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment which amounts to torture. Reports suggest that the military presence in the town of Paveh has been increased in anticipation of protests by local inhabitants. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Iran: Execution of child offender Makwan Moloudazdeh is a mockery of justice Public Statement AI Index: MDE 13/141/2007 (Public) News Service No: 235 6 December 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde131412007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=210 2007-11-16 Berlin, 16. November 2007 - amnesty international (ai) hat die Entscheidung des UN-Generalversammlungsausschusses für soziale, humanitäre und kulturelle Fragen für einen weltweiten Hinrichtungsstopp als Meilenstein auf dem Weg in eine Welt ohne Todesstrafe begrüßt. Im Dezember stimmt die UN-Generalversammlung über den Resolutionsentwurf ab. In der Regel folgt das Plenum den Empfehlungen des Ausschusses. "Den Vereinten Nationen bietet sich mit dieser Resolution eine historische Chance für die Menschenrechte", sagte ai-Experte Oliver Hendrich. "Eine UN-Resolution für einen weltweiten Hinrichtungsstopp wäre ein entscheidender Schritt für die weltweite Abschaffung der Todesstrafe." ai hatte sich mit der Europäischen Union und anderen Staaten aus aller Welt für einen weltweiten Hinrichtungsstopp eingesetzt. Von den 192 UN-Mitgliedstaaten haben 88 die Todesstrafe komplett abgeschafft, 42 UN-Staaten wenden sie derzeit nicht an und 62 UN-Mitglieder halten an der Todesstrafe fest. Anlässlich des Internationalen Tages gegen die Todesstrafe (10. Oktober) hatte ai mit einer öffentlichen Aktion in Berlin die UN-Staaten zu einem "Ja" für den Hinrichtungsstopp aufgerufen. ai beobachtet seit Jahren den Trend zu einer Welt ohne Todesstrafe. Etwa zwei Drittel aller Länder wenden die Todesstrafe nicht mehr an. Doch ein Großteil der Weltbevölkerung lebt nach wie vor in Ländern, in denen die Todesstrafe weiterhin gilt. Weltweit sitzen derzeit mehr als 20.000 Menschen im Todestrakt. 2006 wurden mindestens 1.591 Menschen hingerichtet und 3.861 zum Tode verurteilt. Fotos der Aktion im Oktober in Berlin sowie Weltkarten und Hintergrundmaterial zur Todesstrafe über die ai-Pressestelle oder unter www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/hinrichtungsstopp Kontakt amnesty international Pressestelle 030/420248-306 presse@amnesty.de http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=211 2007-11-16 Today's call for a global moratorium on executions by the UN General Assembly's Third Committee is an "historic resolution and major step towards the abolition of the death penalty worldwide", Amnesty International said. The landmark decision had cross-regional support and was co-sponsored by 87 states from around the world. The resolution was adopted by 99 countries in favour, 52 against and 33 abstentions. The General Assembly is expected to endorse the decision in a plenary session in December. "Amnesty International calls on all countries to establish a moratorium on executions as soon as the General Assembly endorses the resolution later this year," said Irene Khan, Amnesty International's Secretary General. In 1971 and 1977 the General Assembly adopted two resolutions on capital punishment, saying that it was "desirable" for states to abolish the death penalty. Today's resolution goes further, calling on states that still maintain the death penalty "to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty". It urges these states "to respect international standards that provide safeguards guaranteeing the protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty" and "progressively restrict the use of the death penalty and reduce the number of offences for which it may be imposed." The resolution also requests the UN Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly in 2008 on the implementation of the resolution. "Today's decision -- adopted by the UN's highest political body with universal membership -- is a clear recognition of the growing international trend towards worldwide abolition of the death penalty, endorsed by the UN Secretary-General," said Irene Khan. "It is a crucial step forward in creating a death penalty free-world -- as envisaged by the General Assembly three decades ago." Although the resolution is not legally binding on states, it carries considerable moral and political weight, as it was adopted by the UN's principal organ in which all UN members participate. "Establishing a moratorium on executions is an important tool to convince states still using the death penalty to engage in a nationwide debate and to review their laws on capital punishment. If death penalty laws are under review, it is only fair to stop executing people in the meantime," said Irene Khan. The cross-regional initiative for a global moratorium on executions was led by ten countries: Albania, Angola, Brazil, Croatia, Gabon, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Portugal (for the EU) and Timor Leste. Background information Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases, without exception. The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights -- the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state in the name of justice. It violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. So far, 133 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Only 25 countries actually carried out executions in 2006. In 2006, 91 percent of all known executions took place in China, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan and the US. Amnesty International's statistics also show an overall decline in the number of executions in 2006 -- a recorded 1,591 executions, compared to 2,148 in 2005. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ UN adopts landmark decision on global moratorium on executions Press Release AI Index: IOR 30/025/2007 (Public) News Service No: 223 16 November 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engior300252007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=206 2007-11-06 Amnesty International today welcomed the decision of 75 countries to co-sponsor a draft resolution at the General Assembly calling on all states worldwide to stop executions and called on all states to resist any amendments that could weaken the purpose of the resolution. "Amnesty International is very encouraged that so many countries from all regions co-sponsored this draft calling for a global moratorium on executions," said Yvonne Terlingen, Head of Amnesty International's UN Office in New York. "It clearly demonstrates broad regional support for ending this cruel and inhuman practice." "Amnesty International urges all UN member states to support the text and resist any amendments that would seek to alter the purpose of this important resolution." No less than 130 out of 192 UN member states have already abolished the death penalty in law or practice and only 25 countries carried out executions in 2006. Over 50 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes since 1990. In Asia, 25 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. In Africa, only six out of 53 states carried out executions in 2006. The worldwide trend towards abolition of the death penalty has been recognized by the UN Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights and both support the call for the moratorium on executions. "We hope that more countries will join the co-sponsors of this resolution," said Terlingen. The General Assembly has already adopted two resolutions on capital punishment, in 1971 and 1977, in which the General Assembly proclaimed it was desirable that the death penalty be abolished in all countries. "A resolution calling for a moratorium on executions will be a significant step towards realizing the General Assembly's vision of a death penalty-free world." said Terlingen. To see Frequently Asked Questions regarding the global call for a moratorium on the death penalty, please go to: web.amnesty.org/library/index/engior400232007 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ UN General Assembly set to endorse call for halt to executions Press Release AI Index: IOR 40/024/2007 (Public) News Service No: 213 6 November 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engior040242007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=198 2007-10-30 Amnesty International is deeply disappointed with today's Indonesian Constitutional Court ruling to uphold the death penalty for drug offences. The Indonesian Constitutional Court ruled in a split decision not to support a legal challenge to repeal the provisions in the 1997 Narcotics Law. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, as a violation to the right of life and the right not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Amnesty International noted that the decision goes against the conclusions of the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, who concluded that the death penalty be understood as "a quite exceptional measure" imposed where there was an intention to kill resulting in loss of life. "It is particularly disappointing that this ultimate and extreme penalty is now being upheld," said Louise Vischer, Coordinator of Amnesty International's Asia Pacific Anti Death Penalty Regional Project. "It is legitimate for the Indonesia government to take appropriate law-enforcement measures against drug offenders but there is no scientific evidence showing that the death penalty deters would-be traffickers more effectively than other punishments." It is feared that this decision will now impact negatively on the fate of over 90 prisoners currently under sentence of death in particular the three Bali bombers (Amrozi Bin H Nurhasyim, Ali Ghufron, Iman Samudera) who have exhausted all their legal avenues of appeal and have refused to request Presidential clemency. All three are at imminent risk of execution. Amnesty International is appealing for the death sentences of the three Bali bombers and all others who are under sentence of death in Indonesia to be commuted. The Court ruling flies in the face of a worldwide trend towards restricting and abolishing the death penalty. The UN General Assembly is expected to vote next month on a resolution calling for a global moratorium on executions. Amnesty International is calling on the Indonesian government to follow the example set by 133 countries around the world which have already abolished the death penalty in law or practice, including neighbouring Philippines, which abolished the death penalty in 2006. Background The accused who filed the petition to the Constitutional Court were three Australians, named Scott Rush, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran and two Indonesians, named Edith Sianturi and Rani Andriani. The Constitutional Court decided that the three Australians did not have the legal capacity to challenge the constitution as foreigners. Three of the nine judges argued that the right to life was absolute, whilst six found the right to life enshrined in the constitution was not absolute and therefore ruled that the death penalty under the Narcotics Act was valid. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Indonesia: Amnesty International deplores death penalty for drug offence Press Release AI Index: ASA 21/020/2007 (Public) News Service No: 209 30 Oktober 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engasa210202007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=186 2007-10-18 Four hours before Christopher Scott Emmett was to be put to death in Virginia on the evening of 17 October 2007, the US Supreme Court stepped in and issued a stay of execution. It was the third time that the Court had blocked an execution since it agreed on 25 September, in Baze v. Kentucky, to consider a challenge, under the US Constitution's Eighth Amendment ban on "cruel and unusual" punishment, to the three-chemical lethal injection process used in Kentucky, and in most other states that use this method. On 27 September the Supreme Court had issued a stay of execution in the case of Texas prisoner Carlton Turner. Although the Court did not say why it had done so, Turner's appeal had been linked to the Kentucky case. Then on 16 October, it denied an appeal from the State of Arkansas to vacate a stay of execution issued by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals for inmate Jack Jones. Justice Scalia dissented against the Court's refusal to lift the stay. In his view the Eighth Circuit's decision "was based on the mistaken premise" that the pending Baze v. Kentucky case "calls for the stay of every execution in which an individual raises an Eighth Amendment challenge to the lethal injection protocol". Justice Scalia suggested that Jones's challenge to the Arkansas lethal injection protocol, "brought nine years after his conviction and sentence became final", was an abusive delaying tactic.(1) Notwithstanding Justice Scalia's dissent, it seems that there may now be a de facto moratorium on lethal injections pending the Supreme Court's ruling in 2008 on the questions raised in Baze v. Kentucky.(2) The vast majority of executions in the USA are by lethal injection, and most condemned prisoners challenge their execution.(3) This apparent pause in the conveyor belt of death at the end of the USA's 30th year of judicial killing provides an opportunity for the USA to reflect upon its attachment to this punishment. It should seize the moment and commit itself to another direction, in step with the 133 countries that have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Clemency authorities should commit themselves to a permanent moratorium on executions. Legislators should commit themselves to abolition. Historian Arthur Schlesinger wrote in 1983: "No paradox is more persistent than the historic tension in the American soul between an addiction to experiment and a susceptibility to ideology". On the one hand, Schlesinger suggested, "Americans are famous for being a practical people, preferring fact to theory, finding the meaning of propositions in results, regarding trial and error, not deductive logic, as the path to truth". On the other hand, "they also show a recurrent vulnerability to spacious generalities".(4) The USA's attachment to the death penalty carries echoes of Schlesinger's paradox. The facts on the ground say abolish, but an idealised notion of capital punishment says continue. Today, 30 years and nine months after Gary Gilmore was shot by firing squad in Utah on the morning of 17 January 1977, restarting executions after almost a decade without them, the USA's reluctance to let go of judicial killing sets it apart from a clear majority of countries. Surely, however, with arbitrariness, discrimination, error and cruelty among its hallmarks, the USA's death penalty experiment has failed, to use US Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun's words. In his now famous 1994 dissent, Justice Blackmun vowed that after two decades of struggling to fashion a capital justice system that would be consistent, fair and error-free, he would no longer "tinker with the machinery of death". No combination of rules or regulations, he wrote, could ever save capital punishment from its inherent flaws. Nevertheless, the USA has continued with its dead-end experiment, refusing to give up what Justice Blackmun suggested was the "delusional" notion that the death penalty can be made to work. Delusional is an appropriate word, for the death penalty makes assumptions about a world that does not exist. It assumes the absolute perfection of the criminal justice system, and the absolute imperfection of the people it condemns to death. It assumes that human beings can decide - free from error or inequity - which of their fellow human beings convicted of crimes should live and which should die. It assumes that even if discrimination has not yet been eradicated in society, it can be overcome in the course of capital justice. And, even if government is the focus of public distrust in a country founded in revolution against a tyrannical monarchy, the state is still somehow assumed to be imbued with incorruptibility and infallibility when it turns its hand to executions. If these assumptions are not made, and the imperfection of the justice system and the fallibility of government are accepted, then those advocating the death penalty must also accept the inevitability of executing the wrongfully convicted or the unfairly sentenced. One cannot have it both ways. The method chosen to kill the prisoner has no impact on this equation. The myth of capital justice that is "humane" or "fair" is laid bare whether the prisoner is hanged, shot, gassed, electrocuted or injected with this, that or the other chemical, or a combination of all three. As a Supreme Court Justice wrote in 1972, "the imposition and execution of the death penalty are obviously cruel in the dictionary sense".(5) Another Justice added: "We know that mental pain is an inseparable part of our practice of punishing criminals by death, for the prospect of pending execution exacts a frightful toll during the inevitable long wait between the imposition of sentence and the actual infliction of death."(6) More than a century ago, the Supreme Court recognized that "when a prisoner sentenced by a court to death is confined in the penitentiary awaiting the execution of the sentence, one of the most horrible feelings to which he can be subjected during that time is the uncertainty during the whole of it."(7) In 2006, the US government said to the UN Committee Against Torture in Geneva: "All governments are imperfect because they are made up of human beings who are, by nature, imperfect. One of the great strengths of our nation is its ability to recognize its failures, deal with them, and act to make things better."(8) Applying this thinking to the death penalty must end in abolition, recognizing that no amount of tinkering with the machinery of death can free the death penalty from its inescapable flaws. To end the death penalty is to abandon a destructive, diversionary and divisive public policy that is not consistent with widely held values. It not only runs the risk of irrevocable error, it is also costly - to the public purse, as well as in social and psychological terms. It has not been proven to have a special deterrent effect. It tends to be applied discriminatorily on grounds of race and class. It denies the possibility of reconciliation and rehabilitation. It promotes simplistic responses to complex human problems, rather than pursuing explanations that could inform positive strategies. It prolongs the suffering of the murder victim's family, and extends that suffering to the loved ones of the condemned prisoner. It diverts resources that could be better used to work against violent crime and assist those affected by it. It is a symptom of a culture of violence, not a solution to it. It is an affront to human dignity. ******** (1) Norris v. Jones. Justice Scalia dissenting ("in this case, Jones's challenge to the lethal injection...was dilatory"). (2) On 3 October 2007, the Supreme Court stated that it was limiting its consideration to three of the questions raised by the Kentucky petitioners. These are: (1) Does the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibit means for carrying out an execution that create an unnecessary risk of pain and suffering as opposed to only a substantial risk of the wanton infliction of pain? (2) Do the means for carrying out an execution cause an unnecessary risk of pain and suffering in violation of the Eighth Amendment upon a showing that readily available alternatives that pose less risk of pain and suffering could be used? (3) Does the continued use of sodium thiopental, pancuronium bromide, and potassium chloride, individually or together, violate the cruel and unusual punishment clause of the Eighth Amendment because lethal injections can be carried out by using other chemicals that pose less risk of pain and suffering? (3) "Consensual" executions are the subject of USA: Prisoner-assisted homicide: More 'volunteer' executions loom, May 2007, http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR510872007. Daryl Holton, one of the cases detailed in this report chose to be put to death in Tennessee's electric chair on 12 September 2007. Other prisoners "volunteering" for execution or choosing to be killed by a method other than lethal injection may yet cause a break in the possible current moratorium. However, see also, the stay of execution issued in the case of "volunteer" William Castillo in Nevada on 15 October 2007, http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR511572007. (4) For citations and longer version of this document, see USA: The experiment that failed: A reflection on 30 years of judicial killing, January 2007, http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engamr510112007. (5) Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238, Justice White concurring. (6) Ibid, Justice Brennan concurring. (7) In re Medley, 134 U.S. 160 (1890). (8) Statement available at http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/rm/2006/66065.htm. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ USA: Pause for thought -  Another lethal injection halted by US Supreme Court Report AI Index: AMR 51/161/2007 (Public) News Service No: 192 10 Oktober 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engamr511612007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=187 2007-10-18 Amnesty International today expressed alarm at the new wave of executions in Iran and said that it has already recorded almost 250 executions since the beginning of 2007, although the true total of those put to death could be significantly higher. The victims of the latest executions include a woman who was apparently convicted for a murder which took place as she sought to protect herself from an attempted rape, and one or possibly three child offenders. On Wednesday 17 October alone, at least nine people were executed in Tehran's Evin Prison, all of them convicted of murder, and at least another three in Shiraz, who were convicted for the kidnapping and rape of two women. On 10 October, two Iranian Kurds were hanged in Sanandaj Prison for the murder of a security official, which took place in January 2007. With the executions in Sanandaj, Shiraz and Tehran, Amnesty International has, to date, recorded 244 executions in the course of 2007, although the organisation fears that the true figure could be significantly higher. The execution of at least nine people in Tehran's Evin Prison included Fakhteh S, a 24 year old, who was sentenced to death for the murder of a man, aged 80, at his house. Fakhteh S reportedly worked as a caretaker at the man's residence and was found by the court to have stolen some of his property. She alleged that he was trying to rape her when she stabbed him. She was hanged inside Evin Prison at 5:30 on the morning of 17 October 2007. Babak, 23, was sentenced to death for the murder by suffocation of his room-mate, which took place on 12 January 2002. It is unclear whether he was under 18 years of age at the time, or if either of two others convicted in the same case were under 18; if so, they were the latest child offenders to have been executed in Iran in violation of international standards prohibiting the use of the death penalty for persons who commit crimes while under 18. Amnesty is gravely concerned at reports that six members of Iran's Arab minority are also at risk of imminent execution. According to their families, Rasool 'Ali Mezrea', 65, Hamza Sawari, 20, Zamel Bawi, 'Abdul-Imam Za'eri, Nazem Bureihi and Ahmad Marmazi, 35, all held in Karoun Prison, Khuzestan, have been moved to a cell reserved for those soon to be executed. Rasool 'Ali Mezrea' is a member of the Ahwazi Liberation Organization (ALO) and is recognized as a refugee by the United Nations High commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and had been accepted for resettlement in a third country, but was forcibly returned to Iran from Syria on 16 May 2006. Hamza Sawari, Zamel Bawi, 'Abdul-Imam Za'eri and Nazem Bureihi had their death sentences confirmed on 10 June 2006 by Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court in Ahwaz, Khuzestan. At the end of July 2006 the Supreme Court upheld the sentences of Abdul-Imam Za'eri and Nazem Bureihi. The five men have reportedly been accused of being "mohareb" (at enmity with God) which can carry the death penalty. Other charges include "destabilising the country," "attempting to overthrow the government," "possession of home made bombs," "sabotage of oil installations," and carrying out bombings in Ahvaz, which took place between June and October 2005 and caused the deaths of at least six people and wounded more than a hundred others. Nazem Bureihi has reportedly been in custody since 2000 having been arrested on charges of "insurgency". Though he was serving a 35 year prison sentence, he was among nine men shown on Khuzestan Provincial television on 1 March 2006, "confessing" to involvement in the October 2005 bombings. Zamel Bawi was reportedly convicted of hiding seven home-made time bombs, which he allegedly defused before his arrest. Amnesty International recognizes the right and responsibility of governments to bring to justice those suspected of criminal offences, but opposes the death penalty as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. The organisation is calling on the Iranian authorities to commute all death sentences with a view to establishing a moratorium. In view of the irreversible nature of the death penalty, the organisation is once again urging Iran's judiciary to review all cases of those sentenced to death to ensure that the all international standards protecting the right to a fair trial were scrupulously observed in these cases. In light of Amnesty International's long-standing concerns relating to the administration of justice in Iran, the organisation urges the judicial authorities to ensure that all safeguards and due process guarantees set out in international standards applicable during pre-trial, trial and appellate stages must be fully respected. Amnesty International reminds the Iranian authorities that Article 6(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a state party, states that the sentence of death may be imposed only for the most serious crimes in accordance with the law in force at the time of the commission of the crime, and that this means that crimes punishable by death should not go beyond intentional crimes with lethal or other extremely grave consequences and that all mitigating factors must be taken into account. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Iran: Amnesty International condemns new wave of executions Public Statement AI Index: MDE 13/122/2007 (Public) News Service No: 200 18 October 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde131222007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=188 2007-10-16 New York: - Three men sentenced to death for crimes they did not commit, today urged member states of the United Nations General Assembly to support a resolution for a global moratorium on executions. "I have faced death at the hands of my government and I'm here to tell the international community of the human suffering caused by the death penalty, and to urge them to end this terrible punishment," said Edward Edmary Mpagi, from Uganda who spent 18 years on death row. Mpagi, sentenced to death in 1981, was accused of killing a man who was later found to be alive. Speaking at an Amnesty International event at the United Nations in New York, in advance of a resolution for a global moratorium on executions, the three men highlighted how unfair trials, erroneous decisions or flaws in the judicial system can result in innocent people being executed, and urged governments from around the world to stop the use of the death penalty. "It's difficult to describe what it is like to serve time on death row knowing you are innocent," said Ray Krone, the 100th prisoner on death row in the US to be freed after DNA tests proved his innocence in 2002. "All you know is that what seems like an awful nightmare is now reality, a reality beyond comprehension. The US death-penalty system is broken. What happened to me can happen to anyone. And it doesn't have to be that way." In 1949, the Japanese authorities arrested Sakae Menda for the murder of two people. Police extracted a false "confession" from Mr Menda through torture, and after an unfair trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. Determined to prove his innocence, Sakae Menda applied for retrials six times before being granted one. In 1983, 34 years after being sentenced to death, the courts acquitted Mr Menda of the charges, making him the first Japanese prisoner on death row to be released. "Living each day knowing that you may be sent to your death at any given month, day or moment is torture," said Sakae Menda. "Being on death row dehumanises and has a massive psychological effect on a person. It's an awful penalty to inflict on anyone, and is even more devastating for someone who is innocent." Executions in Japan are typically held in secret and prisoners are either not warned of their impending execution, or are notified only in the morning of the day of the execution. Speaking at the UN, Amnesty International's expert on death penalty, Piers Bannister said, "These three men provide graphic evidence that the death penalty is administered by flawed systems, whatever the culture and resources of the country concerned. No one knows how many innocent men and women have been executed through history. But the ever present risk of executing the innocent provides yet another compelling reason why the time has come for the global moratorium of executions." Notes to the Editor: Since the death penalty was re-established in USA in 1973, 124 people on death row have been released after being found innocent, or their conviction rested on insufficient evidence was gathered against them To date, 133 countries have abolished the use of the death penalty in law or practice. In 2006, 91 per cent of all known executions took place in only six countries: China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan and the USA. In November 2007, the United Nations General Assembly (Third Committee) will vote on a resolution calling for a global moratorium on executions Amnesty International calls on the 62 UN General Assembly to adopt the resolution: Affirming a right to life and stating that abolition of the death penalty is essential for the protection of human rights Calling on retentionist states to establish a moratorium on executions asa first step toward abolition of the death penalty Calling on retentionist states to respect international standards that guarantee the protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, and Requesting the UN Secretary-General to report on the implementation of the moratorium to the next session of the UNGA. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Death Penalty: Three death row survivors call for global moratorium on executions Press Release AI Index: POL 30/027/2007 (Public) News Service No: 198 16 Oktober 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engpol300272007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=181 2007-10-10 On this year's World Day against the Death Penalty - 10 October, Amnesty International is calling on the world's governments to vote for the UN resolution on a global moratorium on executions, which will be introduced at the current session of the UN General Assembly. "There is a real momentum towards abolition of the death penalty," said Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International. "A total of 133 UN member states, from all regions in the world, have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice. Only 25 countries carried out executions in 2006, 91percent of them in just six countries: China, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan and the USA. Those that chose this most cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment are increasingly in the minority." "Governments must endorse the UN General Assembly resolution on a global moratorium on executions and take an important step to create a world without executions." Recorded executions worldwide fell by more than 25 percent in 2006, with a drop from at least 2,148 in 2005 to at least 1,591 in 25 countries in 2006. At least 3,861 people were sentenced to death in 55 countries in 2006. Europe is a death penalty-free zone, with the exception of Belarus. In Central Asia, there is a clear move towards abolition. Recently, Kyrgyzstan abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes in June 2007, Kazakhstan has had a moratorium on executions since 2003 and Tajikistan has had moratoria on executions and death sentences since 2004. Uzbekistan is also taking steps towards abolition. In Africa only six countries carried out executions in 2006. In March 2007, the Ghana Minister of the Interior, Albert Kan Dapaah, announced the commutation of 36 death sentences to life imprisonment. In April 2007 the High Court in Malawi declared the mandatory death penalty unconstitutional. In Nigeria in May 2007, the authorities announced that they would grant amnesty to all prisoners over 60 years old who had spent 10 years or more under sentence of death. In July 2007 Rwanda abolished the death penalty for all crimes. Burundi, Gabon and Mali are taking steps towards abolition. The USA stands alone as the only state in the Americas to have carried out any executions since 2003.The US itself is slowly turning against the death penalty. The 53 executions carried out in 2006 represented the lowest annual total for a decade, and death sentences continue to drop from its peak in the mid-1990s. In Asia, the Philippines abolished the death penalty in 2006. There has been some progress on reducing the death penalty in China. On 1 January 2007 the Supreme People's Court formally resumed its role of reviewing the sentences passed in China. It is expected that this review, according to Chinese legal scholars, would probably result in a 20 - 30 percent reduction in the total number of executions in China. In Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia there is increasing debate about the abolition of the death penalty. In Morocco, a Truth Commission that concluded its work in 2005 has specifically recommended aboliton of the death penalty. Background The World Day is organized by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP) a coalition of over 64 organizations, including Amnesty International, bar associations, trade unions and local and regional authorities which have joined together in an effort to rid the world of the death penalty. As part of the World Day, Amnesty International is joining together with thousands of others around the world who oppose the death penalty and support a global moratorium as a step towards abolition of the death penalty. Amnesty International is supporting the World Coalition against the Death Penalty's global petition, based on the 2000 UN petition launched by Community Saint Egidio in collaboration with Amnesty International. For more information: www.amnesty.org/deathpenalty ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Stop the Death Penalty: The World Decides Press Release AI Index: POL 30/024/2007 (Public) News Service No: 192 10 Oktober 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engpol300242007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=180 2007-10-09 Berlin, 02. Oktober 2007 - Im Dezember stimmt die UN-Generalversammlung über einen weltweiten Hinrichtungsstopp ab. Nach Ansicht von amnesty international (ai) eine historische Chance für die Menschenrechte. Die Staaten, die die Todesstrafe im Gesetz oder in der Praxis abgeschafft haben, hätten die Stimmen für die nötige Mehrheit. Dennoch fürchtet ai, dass diese Mehrheit wegen politischer Absprachen nicht zustande kommt. Am Vortag des Internationalen Tages gegen die Todesstrafe (10. Oktober) ruft ai deswegen mit einer öffentlichen Aktion in Berlin die UN-Staaten zu einem "Ja" für den Hinrichtungsstopp auf. "Bei UN-Entscheidungen spielen politische Allianzen und Abhängigkeiten eine nicht zu vernachlässigende Rolle. Die Staaten mit Todesstrafe werden versuchen, andere Staaten auf ihre Seite zu ziehen, um einen Hinrichtungsstopp zu verhindern", sagte Oliver Hendrich, ai-Experte gegen die Todesstrafe. "ai wird sich mit der EU und anderen Staaten für ein Ende des staatlichen Tötens einsetzen." Seit Jahren beobachtet ai den Trend zu einer Welt ohne Todesstrafe. Etwa zwei Drittel aller Länder wenden die Todesstrafe nicht mehr an. Doch ein Großteil der Weltbevölkerung lebt weiterhin in Ländern, in denen die Todesstrafe gilt. Weltweit sitzen derzeit mehr als 20.000 Menschen im Todestrakt. 2006 wurden mindestens 1.591 Menschen hingerichtet und mindestens 3.861 zum Tode verurteilt. Kontakt amnesty international Pressestelle 030/420248-306 presse@amnesty.de http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=178 2007-10-04 Doctors and nurses should not participate in executions ordered by the state in breach of their ethical oath, said Amnesty International in a new report today. The report, Execution by lethal injection - a quarter century of state poisoning looks at the legal and ethical implications of the use of the lethal injection across the world. "Medical professionals are trained to work for patients' well-being, not to participate in executions ordered by the state. The simplest way of resolving the ethical dilemmas posed by using doctors and nurses to kill is by abolishing the death penalty," said Jim Welsh, Amnesty International's Health and Human Rights coordinator. Since 1982, at least 1,000 people were executed by lethal injection globally -- three in Guatemala, four in Thailand, seven in the Philippines, more than 900 in the USA and up to several thousands in China, where executions are a state secret. In lethal injection executions, prisoners are commonly injected with massive doses of three chemicals: sodium thiopental to rapidly induce unconsciousness, pancuronium bromide to cause muscle paralysis, and potassium chloride to stop the heart. Doctors have expressed concern that if inadequate levels of sodium thiopental are administered, the anaesthetic effect can wear off before the prisoner's heart stops, placing them at risk of experiencing excruciating pain as the chemicals enter the veins producing cardiac arrest. Due to the paralysis induced by pancuronium bromide, they would be unable to communicate their distress to anyone. For these reasons, these chemicals are not used by veterinary surgeons on animals for euthanasia. In Texas, the biggest user of lethal injection in the USA, the same drugs that are prohibited for use on cats and dogs because of the potential pain they might suffer are being used to execute. Joseph Clark was executed in Ohio in December 2006. It took 22 minutes for the execution technicians to find a vein to insert the catheter. Shortly after the start of the injection, the vein collapsed and Joseph's arm began to swell. He raised his head off the stretcher and said "it don't work, it don't work". The curtains surrounding the stretcher were then closed while the technicians worked for 30 minutes to find another vein. "The use of lethal injection does not resolve the problems inherent to the death penalty: its cruelty; its irreversibility; the risk of executing the innocent; its discriminatory and arbitrary application; and its irrelevance to effective crime control," said Jim Welsh. "Governments are putting doctors and nurses in an impossible position by asking them to do something that goes against their ethical oath." In China, the world's top executioner, many, executions by lethal injection are carried out in mobile vans. The windowless chamber at the back of the vans contains a metal bed on which the prisoner is strapped down. Once the needle is attached by the doctor, a police officer presses a button and an automatic syringe inserts the lethal drug into the prisoner's vein. The execution can be watched on a video monitor next to the driver's seat and can be videotaped if required. "There is a global consensus within the medical profession that the involvement of health professionals in carrying out an execution, particularly by a method using the technology and knowledge of medicine, is a breach of medical ethics; yet health professionals are participating in such executions." "Professional bodies have recently spoken strongly about this abuse of ethics, but governments want to hide the identity of participating doctors to shield them from the scrutiny of professional colleagues," said Jim Welsh. Amnesty International calls on world leaders to abolish the death penalty and urges them to take the opportunity to begin with a vote for a moratorium at the current session of the United Nations General Assembly when it is voted on later in 2007. Weitere Informationen: Execution by lethal injection - a quarter century of state poisoning (Facts and Figures, 4 October 2007) Execution by lethal injection - a quarter century of state poisoning (Report, 4 October 2007) Feature auf amnesty.org ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ World: Medical professionals break ethical oath with lethal injection Press Release AI Index: POL 30/023/2007 (Public) News Service No: 189 4 Oktober 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engpol300232007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=177 2007-09-27 Joint Statement by Nigerian non-governmental organizations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch On 1 October 2007, Nigeria will celebrate the 47th anniversary of its independence. This commemoration provides an excellent opportunity to reaffirm Nigeria's commitment to the internationally recognized and constitutional right to life that all people in Nigeria should enjoy. On the occasion of the Independence Day celebrations, Nigerian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch urge President Yar'Adua to bring Nigeria into line with the global trend towards abolition of the death penalty. Indeed, a momentum is gathering to end capital punishment in all countries: 131 countries, from all regions of the world, have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice and only 25 countries carried out executions in 2006. Already in 1999, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, in its resolution adopted at the 26th Ordinary session in Kigali (Rwanda), called upon all States that still maintain the death penalty to "consider establishing a moratorium on executions". The Nigerian government has over the years used Independence Day as an opportunity to commute the sentences of prisoners sentenced to death. Nigerian and international NGOs have always welcomed this initiative, as well as the national debate on the death penalty. As a result of this debate, a National Study Group on the Death Penalty was set up in 2003 and in 2004 it advised the government to establish a moratorium on executions until the Nigerian justice system could guarantee fair trials and due process. The then government did not implement this recommendation. In May 2007, the Presidential Commission on Reform of the Administration of Justice reiterated the conclusion of the National Study Group on the Death Penalty and called for "an official moratorium on executions until the Nigerian criminal justice system can ensure fundamental fairness and due process in capital cases." The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights states in Article 3 that "Everyone has the right to life..."; the death penalty denies that right. The death penalty legitimizes an irreversible act of violence by the state. It is discriminatory and is often used disproportionately against the poor, minorities and members of racial, ethnic and religious communities. It is often imposed after a grossly unfair trail. But even when trials respect international standards of fairness, the risk of executing the innocent can never be fully eliminated: the death penalty will inevitably claim innocent victims, as has been persistently demonstrated. More and more countries around the world - over 50 since 1990, including Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia and Rwanda - are abandoning this brutalizing practice, aware that the death penalty does not solve any problems and wanting to affirm their respect for human dignity. The continent of Africa is largely free of executions with only six of the region's 53 countries known to have carried out executions in 2006. Nigerian NGOs and Amnesty International call on the Nigerian government to join this trend by declaring a moratorium - pending abolition of the death penalty for all offences - and by commuting all death sentences under Nigerian criminal law or Shari'a penal laws. A resolution calling for a global moratorium on executions will be introduced at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 62nd session which begins on 18 September 2007. Supported by countries from all regions of the world, such a resolution would be an important milestone towards the total abolition of the death penalty in all countries. We strongly encourage your government to vote in favour of the resolution. We further call on the government to: immediately abolish the mandatory death sentence - including under Shari'a penal laws - noting that mandatory death sentences appear to especially target women; review all cases of death row prisoners, and examine the cases of those who are older than 70 and those above 60 who have been on death row for more than ten years to see if they will be suitable for release, as promised by the previous government on 16 May 2007; ensure that all prisoners currently on death row suffering severe illnesses such as HIV/Aids, tuberculosis or mental illnesses are given access to adequate medical treatment and health care; ratify and put in place relevant mechanisms to enforce the Second Optional Protocol to the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) aiming at abolition of the death penalty. We call on the National Assembly to immediately pass into law the draft Death Penalty Moratorium Bill, submitted by the Human Rights Law Service (HURILAWS) in order to stop executions pending abolition of the death penalty. Signed, Access to Justice, Amnesty International, Child to child network, Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO), Cleen Foundation, Constitutional Rights Project (CRP), Human Rights Law Service (HURILAWS), Human Rights Watch, Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), Legal Resources Consortium (LRC), Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), Project Alert on Violence Against Women, West African Network for Peace Building Nigeria (WANEP) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Nigeria: 47th Independence Day -- a new opportunity to abolish the death penalty Public Statement AI Index: AFR 44/021/2007 (Public) News Service No: 185 27 September 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engafr440212007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=176 2007-09-26 The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. It violates the right to life. It is irrevocable and can be inflicted on the innocent. It has never been shown to deter crime more effectively than other punishments. In the past two years - four more countries -- Albania, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines and Rwanda -- have abolished the death penalty. At present, a total of 133 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice. Sixty-four other countries and territories retain and use the death penalty, but the number of countries which actually execute prisoners in any one year is much smaller. Many governments and international organizations have led and supported international initiatives to achieve worldwide abolition. More than 90 countries signed a statement at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 61st session in 2006 ""calling upon states that still maintain the death penalty to abolish it completely and, in the meantime, to establish a moratorium on executions."" The signatory countries included nine member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) - Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine. During 2006-2007 a number of other positive developments regarding the application of the death penalty have occurred in the CIS. Several authorities in the region demonstrated their commitment to move towards abolition by introducing new legislation to restrict the use of or to abolish the death penalty, as well by supporting international abolitionist initiatives or promoting public debate about the death penalty. Uzbekistan In Uzbekistan, a new law adopted by the Uzbekistani Senate on 29 June 2007 will amend the Criminal, Criminal Procedural and Criminal Executive Codes by replacing the death penalty with life or long-term imprisonment. The law is scheduled to come into effect from 1 January 2008, marking the formal abolition of the death penalty in Uzbekistan. Amnesty International has called upon the authorities of Uzbekistan to promptly introduce moratoria on executions and death sentences pending the full abolition. According to some local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) there could be hundreds of prisoners currently under sentence of death held in conditions which amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. According to the NGO Mothers Against the Death Penalty and Torture, 20 of at least 38 prisoners on death row in Tashkent prison (six of whom were sentenced to death in the first half of 2007), are reported to be infected with tuberculosis and are not receiving adequate medical treatment. Kyrgyzstan In Kyrgyzstan it was announced on 26 June 2007 that President Kurmanbek Bakiev had signed a package of laws aimed at humanizing the criminal justice system. Although the death penalty has been replaced with life imprisonment for ordinary crimes, it remains unclear whether the new provisions apply to crimes committed in wartime or are reflected in the military penal code. The cases of all 174 prisoners currently sentenced to death were to be reviewed by the Supreme Court within six months. Amnesty International considers Kyrgyzstan abolitionist in practice since it has had a moratorium on executions since 1998; in 2006 it adopted a new constitution with the provision for the death penalty removed. However, in September 2007 the Constitutional Court of Kyrgyzstan ruled that the 2003 constitution should legally remain in force, a move that prompted the President to call a referendum on the constitution for 21 October. Amnesty International urges the government of Kyrgyzstan to confirm its commitment to the abolition of the death penalty in light of these developments Both the authorities and human rights activists have actively campaigned to engage the public in supporting abolition of the death penalty. In 2006, the capital Bishkek joined the international network of Cities for Life - Cities against the Death Penalty and on 30 November the authorities jointly with the NGO Citizens Against Corruption carried out a public event against the death penalty in Bishkek. Kazakstan In Kazakstan, the scope of the application of the death penalty permitted by the constitution was reduced from 10 ""exceptionally grave"" crimes to that of terrorism leading to loss of life. President Nursultan Nazarbaev announced the changes in his address to the joint session of the two chambers of Parliament in the capital, Astana, on 16 May 2007. Amnesty International is concerned about reports that 31 prisoners remain on death row. Georgia On 27 December 2006 in Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili signed a constitutional amendment regarding the complete abolition of the death penalty. Georgia had already abolished the death penalty in 1997 but the Constitution still stated that ""until its complete abolition the death penalty can be envisaged by organic law for especially serious crimes against life. Only the Supreme Court has the right to impose this punishment"". This reservation has now been deleted and replaced with the wording ""The death sentence has been abolished"". Russian Federation Amnesty International notes that on 15 November 2006 the Russian State Duma adopted a measure which effectively extends the moratorium on death sentences until 2010 but the organization urges the complete abolition of the death penalty as soon as practically possible. The Russian Federation is the only member of the Council of Europe which has not yet ratified Protocol 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which commits states to abolish the death penalty in peacetime in law. The country made a commitment to take steps towards abolition of the death penalty when it joined the Council of Europe in 1996. It still has to fulfil its promise. On 14 September 2007 Russian President Vladimir Putin told journalists and political analysts that he strongly opposed the death penalty; however, allegedly some political parties and the majority of the population of the Russian Federation support its re-introduction. Amnesty International notes that historically it has almost always been the case that the death penalty has been abolished by governments even though the majority of the public favoured its retention. The organization believes that governments should lead public opinion in matters of human rights and criminal policy. Therefore, it is with great concern that Amnesty International notes statements made by officials seemingly in support of the death penalty. For example, the ombudsperson for human rights of the Arkhangelsk Region of the Russian Federation recently called for the death penalty to be imposed on the killers of a Russian soldier, who died on 27 August after being beaten by his superiors. Moldova On 29 June 2006 the Moldovan parliament voted unanimously to amend Clause 3 of Article 24 of the Constitution, which provided for the death penalty in exceptional cases, thus abolishing the death penalty in law. On 29 July parliament ratified Protocol 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights on the abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances, and the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty. Parliament had voted to abolish the death penalty in 1995, with all pending death sentences commuted the following year and provisions for this punishment removed from the criminal code. Internationally unrecognized territories Within the CIS there are four internationally unrecognized entities currently outside the de facto control of the states within whose territory they are located: Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia, Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan, and the Transdniestrian Moldavian Republic in Moldova. On 12 January 2007 the parliament of Abkhazia adopted the law entitled ""Moratorium on the Death Penalty"", establishing a moratorium on executions during peacetime. Since 1993 there had been a de facto moratorium on executions in place in Abkhazia. According to the governmental news agency Apsnypress, death sentences can still be handed down for ""particularly grave crimes against life, the foundations of the constitutional order, against the security of the state, and crimes against military service."" Reportedly, there are currently two male prisoners on death row in Abkhazia. The unrecognized region of South Ossetia continues to have a moratorium on death sentences and executions in place. A moratorium on executions is believed to have been in force in the Transdniestrian Moldavian Republic since January 1999. With regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Amnesty International understands that the Criminal Code in use there is the Criminal Code of the neighbouring Republic of Armenia which entered into force on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh in August 2003. Article 6 of this Criminal Code abolished the death penalty and replaced it with life imprisonment. On 26 June 2007 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted Resolution 1560 (2007) entitled ""Promotion by Council of Europe member states of an international moratorium on the death penalty."" It reiterated its call on Abkhazia, South Ossetia and the Transdniestrian Moldavian Republic to abolish the death penalty. It also urged that ""the sentences of all prisoners currently on death row in these territories should be immediately commuted to terms of imprisonment in order to put an end to the cruel and inhuman treatment of those who have been kept on death row for years in a state of uncertainty as to their ultimate fate."" Belarus: the last executioner Belarus is the last executioner in law and practice in the CIS and the wider Europe and Central Asia region. In Belarus, the courts continue to hand down death sentences and prisoners continue to be executed. Figures for the number of executions carried out are not publicly available. Execution is by gunshot to the back of the head, and relatives are not officially told of the date of the execution or where the body is buried. Amnesty International is calling upon the authorities of Belarus to promptly introduce moratoria on executions and death sentences. International commitments to the abolition of the death penalty. As member states of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), all CIS countries have committed themselves to keep the question of abolition under consideration. Moreover, all CIS countries who are members of the UN and/or the Council of Europe are entitled to become parties to treaties provided by these bodies that stipulate the abolition of the death penalty. Already four CIS countries -- Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Turkmenistan -- have ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights thereby committing the government to the abolition of the death penalty. Amnesty International urges abolitionist Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine to ratify this Protocol and it also urges Azerbaijan to withdraw its reservation made under the Protocol. Abandonment of the death penalty is one of the key membership requirements of the Council of Europe. Protocol No. 13 to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms on the abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances, which was opened for signature in 2002, has already been ratified by 39 of the 47 Council of Europe member states and signed by a further six. Only Azerbaijan and Russia have not yet signed it. Amnesty International's recommendations to all authorities in the region A resolution calling on a global moratorium on executions will be introduced at the UNGA 62nd session which begins on 18 September 2007. Endorsement by the UNGA of a global moratorium on executions would be a significant milestone towards achieving the goal of a death penalty-free world. Countries from many regions of the world have already expressed their support for the resolution. Amnesty International is calling upon the CIS governments to join the initiative by fully supporting it and promoting the resolution during the General Assembly session. The organization also calls on the authorities in the CIS region to build on the progress achieved and implement promptly the following recommendations: for the authorities of Kazakstan, Tajikistan and the unrecognized territories of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transdniestrian Moldavian Republic to promptly abolish the death penalty in law and practice; for the authorities of Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and the de facto authorities of the internationally unrecognized territory of Abkhazia to promptly commute the sentences of all prisoners currently on death row to terms of imprisonment; for all relevant authorities to bring the prison conditions on death row into line with international standards; for all relevant authorities to honour their commitment as OSCE member-states to ""make available to the public information regarding the use of the death penalty"" and disclose information related to the application of the death penalty and also ensure that the relatives of prisoners already executed receive full access to information including the dates and places of execution and burial and are allowed to collect the prisoner's remains and any personal effects; for all relevant authorities to encourage and promote public support for abolition. Den gesamten Bericht als PDF herunterladen. [pdf] See also: For more information about the international initiative calling for a global moratorium on executions, please see Amnesty International's document Global moratorium on executions now (AI Index: IOR 41/018/2007) Amnesty International's briefing, Commonwealth of Independent states: Positive trend on the abolition of the death penalty but more needs to be done (AI Index: EUR 04/003/2006) Amnesty International's statement, Light a City for Life (AI Index: ACT 50/018/2005) Amnesty International's statement, Moldova: Abolishes the death penalty in law (AI Index: EUR 59/006/2006) Amnesty International's report, Uzbekistan: Questions of life and death cannot wait until 2008 (AI Index: EUR 62/020/2005) Amnesty International's Public Appeal, Deadly Secrets: A Heritage from the Soviet Union (AI Index: EUR 04/011/2004) Amnesty International's report, Belarus and Uzbekistan: the last executioners - The trend towards abolition in the former Soviet space (AI Index: EUR 04/009/2004) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Commonwealth of Independent States: Belarus - the sole executioner Report AI Index: EUR 04/002/2007 (Public) 26 September 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur040022007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=162 2007-09-07 Amnesty International condemns and regrets the recent execution of three men in Japan, just two months before a resolution calling for a global moratorium on executions is to be introduced to the 62nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Three men, Iwamoto Yoshio, Sewawa Kousou and Takezawa Hifumi, were hanged on 23 August while the Japanese Diet was in recess. Former Minister of Justice Nagase Jinen oversaw the execution of 10 prisoners in 10 months from the period October 2006 to August 2007. His predecessor Sugiura Seikan did not authorize any executions during his year-long term as Minister of Justice between October 2005 and October 2006 because of personal beliefs. A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman announced the 23 August executions, but declined to name the men, demonstrating the secrecy surrounding the implementation of the death penalty in Japan. Under current practice, a prisoner is notified on the morning of the execution, or not at all. Family members are typically told of the execution until after the fact. One of the defendants, Takezawa Hifumi, had been suffering from mental illness as a result of a stroke, which reportedly made him paranoid and aggressive. According to reports of his trial, doctors from both the prosecution and defence diagnosed Takezawa as mentally ill. Takezawa's case is a further demonstration of the Japanese authority's willingness to execute individuals suffering from mental health problems. Amnesty International calls on the Japanese government to join the global trend toward abolition of the death penalty and support a moratorium on executions to be introduced at the United Nations General Assembly in October. Background information Amnesty International believes the death penalty constitutes a violation of right to life and is the ultimate form of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. Hanging is the method of execution in Japan. Executions are carried out without the knowledge of prisoners' families or lawyers.They are scheduled so as to prevent parliamentary or media scrutiny by coinciding with parliamentary recesses or national holidays. There are 104 prisoners facing the death penalty in Japan. These executions go against the global momentum to end capital punishment: 129 countries from all regions of the world, including 25 from the Asia Pacific region, have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice. For more information see: Will this day be my last? The death penalty in Japan, July 2006 ( AI Index: ASA 22/006/2006). +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Japan: Three executed ahead of United Nations General Assembly resolution Public Statement AI Index: ASA 22/012/2007 (Public) News Service No: 172 7 September 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engasa220122007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=161 2007-09-05 Amnesty International is appalled at the reports of the execution of 21 people in Iran this morning, bringing the total number of executions recorded by the organization since the start of 2007 to 210. This figure exceeds the 177 executions recorded in 2006, although the true figure for both years is likely to be higher. At least two child offenders were among those executed to date in 2007. Amnesty International has catalogued scores of unfair trials in recent years and the organisation is concerned that many of those executed today faced unfair trials, and a failure to ensure that fair trial safeguards in death penalty cases are implemented in all cases without exemption or discrimination. Under Iranian law, the accused has no right to legal representation prior to being formally charged. The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions has stated that all defendants facing the imposition of capital punishment must benefit from the services of a competent defence counsel at every stage of the proceedings The scope of capital crimes in Iran remains extraordinarily large and includes vaguely worded charges, such as "enmity against God" (moharebeh ba Khoda) "being corrupt on earth" (mofsed fil arz), which refer, inter alia, to those accused of using firearms against the state; carrying out acts of robbery and to those who are considered to be carrying out espionage against the government. These crimes, including those of are adultery by married people, and same-sex sexual conduct, regarded as a crime against God and as such are not subject to pardon. Discretionary laws over which judges have the power to impose the death penalty include those relating to national security offences. Article 6(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a state party states: "In countries which have not abolished the death penalty, sentence of death may be imposed only for the most serious crimes..." The UN Human Rights Committee, the independent body that reviews states' implementation of this treaty has stated: "The Committee is of the opinion that the expression 'most serious crimes' must be read restrictively to mean that the death penalty should be a quite exceptional measure." Furthermore, Safeguard 1 of the Safeguards Guaranteeing Protection of the Rights of Those Facing the Death Penalty, adopted by the UN Economic and Social Council in 1984, states: "In countries which have not abolished the death penalty, capital punishment may be imposed only for the most serious crimes, it being understood that their scope should not go beyond intentional crimes, with lethal or other extremely grave consequences." At least four of the executions today, in Shiraz, were carried out in public, although the UN Human Rights Committee has stated: "Public executions are... incompatible with human dignity." At least two of those executed in Shiraz appeared to have belonged to Iran's Baluchi minority. Amnesty International is concerned that members of Iran's Baluchi minority have formed a significant proportion of those executed in Iran. Amnesty International continues to urge the Iranian authorities to stop executing child offenders; to implement all required safeguards in capital cases and to limit the scope of crimes punishable by death, as a first step towards its total abolition. The organisation is calling for an immediate moratorium on executions in Iran. The UN General Assembly's (UNGA) 62nd session in October 2007 will vote on a resolution calling for a global moratorium on executions, to be introduced as a step towards the abolition of the death penalty. Amnesty International calls on Iran to halt the continuing use of this most extreme penalty, which is a gross violation of human rights and to back this resolution. The organisation also calls on the people of Iran to support the campaign entitled "Stop the Death Penalty: The World Decides," initiated by World Coalition against the Death Penalty (WCADP) and other non-governmental organizations by signing an online petition found at: www.worldcoalition.org +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Iran: Amnesty International appalled at the spiralling numbers of Public Statement AI Index: MDE 13/110/2007 (Public) News Service No: 171 5 September 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde131102007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=170 2007-09-01 The time has come to abolish the death penalty worldwide. The case for abolition becomes more compelling with each passing year. Everywhere experience shows that executions brutalize those involved in the process. Nowhere has it been shown that the death penalty has any special power to reduce crime or political violence. In country after country, it is used disproportionately against the poor or against racial or ethnic minorities. It is also used as a tool of political repression. It is imposed and inflicted arbitrary. It is an irrevocable punishment, resulting inevitably in the execution of people innocent of any crime. It is a violation of fundamental human rights. Over the past decade an average of at least three countries a year have abolished the death penalty, affirming respect for human life and dignity.(2) Yet too many governments still believe that they can solve urgent social or political problems by executing a few or even hundreds of their prisoners. Too many citizens in too many countries are still unaware that the death penalty offers society not further protection but further brutalization. Abolition is gaining ground, but not fast enough. Laden Sie den kompletten Bericht hier herunter [pdf] +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THE DEATH PENALTY V. HUMAN RIGHTS | Why Abolish the Death Penalty? Report AI Index: ACT 51/002/2007 (Public) 1 September 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engact510022007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=171 2007-08-22 A resolution calling for a global moratorium on executions will be introduced at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 62nd session which begins on 18 September 2007. The adoption of such a resolution by the UN's principal organ would be an important milestone towards the abolition of the death penalty. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour called the death penalty "... a sanction that should have no place in any society that claims to value human rights and the inviolability of the person". She recently praised Rwanda's decision to abolish the death penalty as demonstrating leadership by action especially noting this is a country that "has suffered the ultimate crime and whose people's thirst for justice is still far from quenched". The death penalty legitimizes an irreversible act of violence by the state. The death penalty is discriminatory and is often used disproportionately against the poor, minorities and members of racial, ethnic and religious communities. The death penalty is often imposed after a grossly unfair trail. But even when trials respect international standards of fairness, the risk of executing the innocent can never be fully eliminated: the death penalty will inevitably claim innocent victims, as has been persistently demonstrated. Laden Sie den kompletten Bericht hier herunter [pdf] +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Global moraotrium on executions now Report AI Index: IOR 41/018/2007 (Public) 22 August 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engior410182007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=139 2007-08-09 Amnesty International today issued an urgent appeal to Yemen's President to halt the execution of a child offender, which is scheduled to be carried out this Saturday. In addition to writing to President 'Ali 'Abdullah Saleh, the organization has also issued an Urgent Action on behalf of the now 19-year-old man. Hafez Ibrahim is facing almost certain execution when a current three-day "stay" expires on Saturday 11 August unless Yemen's President 'Ali 'Abdullah Saleh steps in to stop the killing. In Yemen executions are usually carried out in prison by making the convicted person lie face down on the ground and shooting them through the heart with an automatic rifle. Amnesty International, which opposes the death penalty in all instances, is especially alarmed at reliable reports that Hafez was under 18 years old at the time of the crime for which he was convicted and sentenced to death. Amnesty International is also concerned that he was convicted and sentenced on charges of murder following serious trial irregularities. "We're urgently appealing to President Saleh to think again and stop this execution," said Amnesty International's Secretary General Irene Khan. "We know that the President is aware of international concern that Yemen is on the verge of violating the ban on executing child offenders, and we sincerely hope that he will use his powers to stop this happening." Hafez's execution was scheduled for yesterday (Wednesday 8 August) but was stayed for three days on the orders of President Saleh following international appeals on behalf of the prisoner. Amnesty International is particularly alarmed at the intention to execute Hafez Ibrahim as Yemen has for over a decade recognized the international ban on executing child offenders. In 1994 Yemen outlawed death sentences against those aged below 18 at the time of the crime (article 31 of the Penal Code, Law 12 of 1994). Background Hafez Ibrahim was convicted of killing a Yemeni man, Sadiq 'Ali Ismail, on 3 August 2000 in the Governorate of Ta'z in Yemen, following a quarrel. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Yemen: Urgent appeal to halt execution of child offender this Saturday Press Release AI Index: MDE 31/011/2007 (Public) News Service No: 153 9 August 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde310112007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=133 2007-08-06 As the one year countdown to the Beijing Olympics begins, time is running out for the Chinese government to fulfil its promise of improving human rights in the run-up to the Games. Amnesty International's latest report finds that several Beijing-based activists continue to face 'house arrest' and tight police surveillance, while those in other parts of China are facing increased abuse. Award-winning housing rights activist Chen Xiaoming died in Shanghai on 1 July, shortly after his release from prison, where reports indicate he was tortured in detention. There is also an ongoing crackdown on the media; with continued imprisonment of journalists and writers, forced dismissal of media staff, publication closures and pervasive internet censorship. "Unless the Chinese authorities take urgent measures to stop human rights violations over the coming year, they risk tarnishing the image of China and the legacy of the Beijing Olympics," says AI Secretary General, Irene Khan. "Not only are we not seeing delivery on the promises made that the Olympics would help improve the human rights situation in China, but the police are using the pretext of the Olympics to extend the use of detention without trial. This is despite the fact that substantial reform or abolition of such methods has been on China's reform agenda for many years." This increased use of detentions is part of plans to "clean up" Beijing ahead of the Games. The plans include "Re-education through Labour" for petty crimes and extensions of periods of "Enforced Drug Rehabilitation". Despite some positive reforms likely to reduce thee use of the death penalty, China remains the world's top executioner with an estimated 8,000 people killed in 2006. Irene Khan says: "The application of the death penalty in China remains shrouded in secrecy. Full transparency is essential to help prevent miscarriages of justice and provide the Chinese public with sufficient information to reach informed conclusions on the death penalty. Nothing short of publishing full national statistics on the application of the death penalty will suffice." These ongoing human rights violations go against the core principles of the Olympic Charter, such as "the preservation of human dignity" and "respect for universal fundamental ethical principles." AI has sent a copy of its latest update to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). "The IOC must promote a positive legacy of the Olympics built on respect for human rights," says Irene Khan. "The Chinese authorities must press ahead with their promises to improve human rights so that when August 2008 arrives the Chinese people can be proud in every respect of what their country has to offer the world." Read More: People's Republic of China: The Olympics countdown - one year left to fulfil human rights promises (Report, 7 August 2007) http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=131 2007-08-03 Amnesty International is outraged at the recent beheading of a child offender in Saudi Arabia. According to press reports, the execution took place in the city of Taif on 21 July 2007. Dhahian Rakan al-Sibai'i was sentenced to death for a murder he allegedly committed when he was just 15 years old. He was held in a juvenile facility until his 18th birthday and then moved to an adult prison. Dhahian appealed to the families of the victim to pardon him -- as allowed by Shari'a law -- but the outcome of his appeal is not known. In May 2007, Amnesty International issued urgent appeals to the government of Saudi Arabia calling for a halt to his execution and urging commutation of the death sentence against him The organisation calls upon King Abdullah to immediately halt all pending executions and take all necessary steps to stop the imposition of death sentences on juvenile offenders. Due to the strict secrecy of the criminal justice system, it is not possible to know how many juvenile offenders have been put to death in Saudi Arabia, but according to a media report, over 100 juvenile offenders are said to be on death row. They include Rizana Nafeek, a Sri Lankan national who was 17 at the time of the alleged murder for which she was sentenced to death following her arrest in 2005. They may also include Sultan Kohail, a 16-year-old Canadian national who was tried early this year on murder charges along with his brother Mohamed Kohail, aged 22. Dhahian Rakan al-Sibai'i's beheading is one of the latest in a recent spate of executions in Saudi Arabia. Since September 2006, at least 143 men and women have been executed in the Kingdom, which is one of the highest execution rates in the world. Trial proceedings usually take place behind closed doors without adequate legal representation, and invariably fall short of international fair trial standards. Both children and adults are often convicted on the basis of "confessions" obtained under duress, including torture or other ill-treatment during incommunicado detention. Background International law prohibits Saudi Arabia from executing people for crimes committed when they are below the age of 18. Saudi Arabian officials have maintained that they comply with this obligation, contained in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, because they do not execute children. In fact, the convention prohibits executions for crimes committed while a person is a child, regardless of when the sentence is carried out. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Saudi Arabia: Juvenile offender beheaded Public Statement AI Index: MDE 23/031/2007 (Public) News Service No: 149 3 August 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde230312007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=130 2007-07-27 Amnesty International today welcomed the promulgation of legislation by Rwanda to abolish the death penalty. Rwanda is the first country in the Great Lakes region to abolish the death penalty and strongly confirmed the worldwide trend to end capital punishment by becoming the 100th country to abolish the death penalty in law, with another 30 countries abolitionist in practice. Fourteen countries in Africa, including Rwanda, are abolitionist for all crimes and a further 18 are abolitionist in practice. Amnesty International hopes that such moves reflect the beginning of an overall regional pattern in Central Africa to abolish the death penalty. Encouragingly, a revised version of the Penal Code in Burundi, currently pending promulgation, has excluded the death penalty as punishment for all crimes. In light of the recent promulgation of the abolition of the death penalty for all crimes in Rwanda, Amnesty International calls upon the Rwanda government to co-sponsor the resolution on a global moratorium on executions that will be introduced at the United Nations General Assembly this October, and to encourage other countries in the region to support such resolution. The last death sentences were imposed in 2003. The last executions of people sentenced to death took place in 1998 when 22 people found guilty of genocide-related crimes were executed. Rwanda currently holds approximately 600 prisoners on death row. Despite their sentences being commuted with the enactment of the legislation, there are continuing concerns regarding the cruel, inhumane and degrading prison conditions in which these prisoners remain detained. Background The continued existence of the death penalty constituted one of the main obstacles preventing the transfer of detainees held by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), or indicted genocide suspects living abroad, to Rwanda's national jurisdiction. Other obstacles have also been the capability of the Rwandan justice system to provide fair trials as well as additional concerns regarding its independence, impartiality and transparency. The abolition of the death penalty is taking place in this context. The initiative to table a resolution calling for a global moratorium at the UN General Assembly this year is supported by countries from all regions of the world, including Africa. Amnesty International believes that such a resolution would be an important milestone towards the worldwide abolition of the death penalty. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Rwanda: Abolition of the death penalty Public Statement AI Index: AFR 47/010/2007 (Public) News Service No: 143 27 July 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engafr470102007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=128 2007-07-24 The release of six foreign medical workers today is a very welcome move that brings an end to a case that has been riddled with injustice and caused enormous suffering to all involved -- the six medics who were twice sentenced to death and the families of children who became infected with HIV at a Benghazi hospital. "This is a welcome decision on the part of the Libyan authorities," said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme. "They should now proceed to implementing much-needed reforms to the criminal justice system to ensure that nothing like this can ever happen again in Libya." The release of the medics -- five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor who was given Bulgarian citizenship last month -- was reportedly sealed following a deal struck between Libya and the EU to improve ties. Formally, the medics were transferred to Bulgaria by Libya under a prisoner exchange agreement between the two countries and then pardoned soon after their arrival by Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov. The release follows a decision last week by Libya's Supreme Council of Judicial Bodies to commute the death sentences that had originally been imposed on the medics in 2004 after they were convicted of deliberately infecting over 400 Libyan children with HIV. The six consistently denied the charge and allege that they were tortured in detention to make them "confess". Their first death sentence was overturned on appeal by the Supreme Court, but they were again convicted and sentenced to death after a second trial in 2006. Negotiations, in which the Gaddafi Development Foundation, headed by one of Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi's sons, reportedly played a key role, resulted in agreement that the families of the children infected with HIV should benefit financially from an international fund in return for the death sentences against the doctor and nurses being commuted. Amnesty International welcomed the commutation of the death sentences last week but criticized the life prison terms that were substituted and reiterated its appeal for the medics to be released and reunited with their families. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Libya: Amnesty International welcomes release of medics Press Release, News Flash AI Index: MDE 19/013/2007 (Public) News Service No: 139 24 July 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde190132007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=126 2007-07-20 One of the cruellest anomalies of the modern system of capital punishment: Geography means everything (Houston Chronical) In 1969, "Houston" became the first word to be spoken by a human being on the moon, beginning astronaut Neil Armstrong's famous message back to earth. Four decades later, the City of Houston, or rather Harris County where both the city and NASA's Johnson Space Center are located, has gained international notoriety for something that pushes the boundaries of human decency rather than space exploration. For, while Texas is the execution centre of the USA, Harris County is that state's main supplier of condemned human beings. This is a lethally symbiotic relationship that helps to create geographic bias in the US capital justice system on a grand scale. Harris County is the third largest county in the United States, with a population of a little under four million inhabitants, or about 1.3 per cent of the US population. Between one and two per cent of the USA's murders each year occur in Harris County. About four per cent of the country's current death row inmates were tried in Harris County. Nine per cent of the men and 18 per cent of the women executed in the United States since judicial killing resumed there in 1977 were condemned to death in Harris County. Ninety-seven men and two women prosecuted in Harris County have been put to death since Texas carried out its first execution of the "modern" era in 1982. At the time of writing, Lonnie Johnson was set to become the 100th such prisoner to be put to death, his execution scheduled for 24 July 2007. Johnny Connor was set to become the 101st on 22 August and Michael Richards the 102nd on 25 September. If Harris County was a state, it would rank 26th in population among the US states, one above Oregon. Oregon has executed two people since 1977, both of whom had given up their appeals. There are about three of four times as many murders each year in Harris County as there are in Oregon, but Harris County accounts for 50 times as many executions as that west coast state. Indeed, if Harris County was a state, it would rank second only to Texas in the number of executions carried out since 1977. Den gesamten Bericht finden Sie unter: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engamr511252007 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | One county, 100 executions | Harris County and Texas - A lethal combination Report AI Index: AMR 51/125/2007 (Public) 20 July 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engamr511252007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=110 2007-07-17 UPDATE 18 July 2007: Amnesty has heard from Sina Paymard's lawyer that he was not executed last night, but his family have 10 days to reach a financial settlement with the victim's kin. If the money is not raised, then they are determined to have Sina executed. Further information will be posted here as soon as possible. Amnesty International has just learned that 18-year-old Sina Paymard, who was sentenced to death in Iran for a crime committed when he was just 16 years old, may be executed within the next few hours. "Should this execution be carried out it would be in complete violation of international law," said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme. "It would also be a morally unjustifiable, abhorrent act carried out by a government against one of its young citizens." "The Iranian government must take immediate steps to halt this execution." Sina Paymard, a musician, was nearly executed in September last year for murder. On the gallows, Sina's last request was to play the ney (a Middle Eastern flute) for the last time. The family of the victim was so moved by his playing that they granted him a last minute reprieve. Instead, they asked for 150 million toumans (over $US 160,000) as compensation. Sina's family, however, has not been able to raise the full amount. Background Iran continues to have one of the highest rates of executions in the world. Amnesty International has recorded at least 124 executions since the beginning of 2007, suggesting that by the end of this year the total number of executions could exceed the total of 177 executions that Amnesty International recorded in 2006. Two recent victims of the Iranian authorities' use of the death penalty were child offenders, whose alleged crimes were committed before the age of 18, and a third was a man who was stoned to death. The two child offenders -- Mohammad Mousavi and Sa'id Qanbar Zahi -- were executed in April and May respectively, in direct contravention of international law, which requires that no-one should be executed for crimes committed while under the age of 18. While Amnesty International recognizes the right of governments to bring to justice those suspected of serious crimes, it opposes the death penalty in all cases as a violation of the right to life and the ultimate form of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. For a full account of the Sina Paymard case and Amnesty International's concerns regarding executions of child offenders in Iran, please see: MDE 13/059/2007 Wenn Sie mithelfen wollen, diese Hinrichtung zu verhindern, dann besuchen Sie folgenden Link. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Iran: Execution of child offender imminent Press Release, News Flash AI Index: MDE 13/087/2007 (Public) News Service No: 135 17 July 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde130872007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=111 2007-07-17 Today's announcement that the Libyan authorities have commuted the death sentences on six foreign medics is a very welcome, but overdue and insufficient step, Amnesty International said. The six -- a Palestinian doctor and five Bulgarian nurses -- have been in prison since 1999 and under sentence of death since 2004 for allegedly infecting hundreds of children with HIV. "We are relieved that the threat of execution that has hung over the health workers for so long has now come to an end, but we are disappointed that they remain in prison under life sentences," said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme. "This case has been a long and painful one for all concerned, the medics who were twice sentenced to death after unfair trials, but also the families of the children who contracted HIV in a Benghazi hospital." Amnesty International, which will now continue to call for the six medics' release, said that the case underlined the need for the Libyan authorities to accelerate their tentative steps towards judicial reform. "Lessons need to be learnt to ensure that nothing like this can ever happen again in Libya, for the sake of victims legitimately seeking justice and those who are accused of committing crimes," Malcolm Smart said. "The Libyan authorities must ensure that legal safeguards intended to protect suspects from prolonged detention without charge and torture are implemented and that all accused receive fair trials." The organization commended the mediating role undertaken by the Gaddafi Development Foundation, headed by one of Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi's sons, which was the only Libyan institution to repeatedly raise concerns about the medics' trials and treatment. The Foundation is said to have played a key role in helping the Libyan authorities, the families of the children affected and foreign governments to find a political compromise to the case. Background Palestinian doctor Ashraf Ahmad Jum'a Al-Hajouj and Bulgarian nurses Valya Georgieva Chervenyashka, Snezhana Ivanova Dimitrova, Nasya Stoycheva Nenova, Valentina Manolova Siropulo and Kristiana Venelinova Valcheva have been in detention since 1999. They were first sentenced to death by firing squad in May 2004 after being convicted of deliberately infecting 426 children with HIV in al-Fateh Children's Hospital, Benghazi -- a charge which they have all consistently denied. The death sentences were overturned on 25 December 2005 by the Supreme Court, which ordered the health professionals to be retried after noting "irregularities" in their arrest and interrogation. The retrial began on 11 May 2006 at a criminal court in Benghazi, concluding with the death sentences of 19 December 2006. On 11 July 2007 Libya's Supreme Court confirmed the sentences. Today the case was examined by the Supreme Council of Judicial Authorities, which reportedly decided on the commutation of the death sentences. By law all death sentences in Libya have to undergo a final review by the Supreme Council of Judicial Bodies. Since the medics have been in detention, some 56 of the 426 infected children have died of AIDS. While an apparently substantial international fund has been established to assist their families and those now forced to live with HIV/AIDS, all have been denied a process which could have established the truth about these tragic consequences. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Libya: Death sentences on medics commuted Press Release, News Flash AI Index: MDE 19/011/2007 (Public) News Service No: 135 17 July 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde190112007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=112 2007-07-16 amnesty international bedauert zutiefst, dass Liu Ping-lang, Su Chien-ho und Chuang Lin-hsün am 29. Juni 2007 zum Tode verurteilt worden sind und das Gerichtsurteil, das auf Unschuld lautete, verworfen wurde. amnesty international ist der Auffassung, dass die Angeklagten in den letzten 16 Jahren, in denen der Fall im taiwanesischen Gerichtssystem anhängig war, wiederholt unter Fehlurteilen gelitten haben. Die Todesurteile des Oberen Gerichtshofs basieren nicht auf irgendwelchen Sachbeweisen, welche die drei Angeklagten mit den Verbrechen in Verbindung bringen, sondern basieren fast ausschließlich auf ihren Geständnissen und denen eines vierten Mannes, Wang Wen-hsiao, der für dieselben Verbrechen im Januar 1992 hingerichtet worden ist. Die drei Angeklagten haben ständig behauptet, dass ihre Geständnisse durch Folter in Polizeigewahrsam zustande gekommen seien, Anschuldigungen, die zu untersuchen sich der taiwanesische Obere Gerichtshof beständig geweigert hat. Eine große Menge von Spuren, u.a. Blut und Fingerabdrücke, wurden am Ort des Geschehens gefunden, aber nichts davon wurde jemals mit Liu Ping-lang, Su Chien-ho oder Chuang Lin-hsün in Verbindung gebracht. Zudem stützen Sachbeweise, die von sechs ausgewiesenen Zeugen im letzten Verfahren vorgebracht wurden, die Unschuldsbehauptung der Angeklagten, Beweismaterial, das zu berücksichtigen sich der Obere Gerichtshof weigerte. Die Sachbeweise widersprechen auch wichtigen Teilen der Geständnisse der Angeklagten, u.a. dem Geständnis der Männer hinsichtlich der Vergewaltigung. Der Umstand jedoch, dass der Anklagepunkt des sexuellen Übergriffs im neuerlichen Urteil selektiv fallen gelassen wurde, wirft ernsthafte Zweifel an der allgemeinen Zuverlässigkeit der Geständnisse der Männer auf, da das Geständnis der Vergewaltigung Teil des ursprünglichen Geständnisses ist. Das taiwanesische Justizsystem hat so drei Männer zum Tode verurteilt, ohne substantielle Sachbeweise vorzulegen; die einzige Grundlage stellen die Geständnisse dar, die Behauptungen zufolge durch Folter erzwungen wurden, sowie das Geständnis von Wang Wen-hsiao, der 1992 hingerichtet worden ist, die den Sachbeweisen widersprechen. Diese Anschuldigungen, zusammen mit dem offensichtlichen Mangel an Sachbeweisen und Irregularitäten beim Untersuchungs- verfahren liefern ernsthaften Grund zur Sorge, dass dieses Urteil das Resultat eines Justizirrtums ist sowie eine Verletzung der internationalen Menschenrechtsstandards für faire Gerichtsverfahren, Standards, die in Fällen der Todesstrafe besondere Aufmerksamkeit erfordern. Die Entscheidung des taiwanesischen Oberen Gerichtshofs verletzt zudem Taiwans eigenes Strafprozessrecht, das 2003 revidiert wurde und Geständnisse als einzige Beweisgrundlage ausschließt und die Verwendung von Beweismaterial, das auf der Grundlage von Folter zustande gekommen ist, verbietet. Das Urteil vom 29. Juni ist das Resultat des 11. Wiederaufnahmeverfahrens und dreier außerordentlicher Berufungsklagen der Männer, eines Verfahrens, das 16 Jahre dauerte und während dessen sie sieben Jahre in der Todeszelle verbrachten, bevor sie im August 2003 erfolgreich Berufung einlegten. Mit dieser Entscheidung haben es die taiwanesischen Behörden versäumt, die schweren emotionalen Belastungen der Männer zu berücksichtigen, die von vielen Jahren in der Todeszelle verursacht wurden, die Angst vor der Hinrichtung wie den Schock, erneut zum Tode verurteilt zu werden, nachdem sie im Januar 2003 vor dem Oberen Gerichtshof ihre Freiheit wiedererlangt hatten. amnesty international wendet sich in allen Fällen gegen die Todesstrafe als äußerste grausame und unmenschliche Strafe und fordert die taiwanesischen Behörden auf, alle Todesurteile umzuwandeln. Das neuerliche Todesurteil ist besonders enttäuschend im Licht der Versprechungen des Präsidenten Chen Shui-bian, des Justizministers und anderer Regierungsbehörden, die Todesstrafe abzuschaffen, und des weltweiten Trends zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe, nachdem 129 Staaten die Todesstrafe per Gesetz oder in der Praxis abgeschafft haben. Hintergrund In der Nacht vom 23. auf den 24. März 1991 wurden Yeh In-lan und ihr Mann Wu Ming-han in ihrer Wohnung in der Stadt Hsichih erstochen. Fünf Monate später, am 13. August 1991, ermittelte die Polizei einen am Tatort hinterlassenen Fingerabdruck als den eines Marinesoldaten namens Wang Wen-hsiao. Wang Wen-hsiao wurde am 13. August 1991 in Untersuchungshaft genommen und legte bei der Polizei sofort ein Geständnis ab. Mehr als 36 Stunden nach seiner Verhaftung fügte Wang Wen-hsiao weitere Informationen zu seinem Geständnis hinzu und belastete seinen Bruder Wang Wen-chung und drei von dessen Klassenkameraden, die er nicht namentlich nennen konnte, sie seien an der Tat beteiligt gewesen. Wang Wen-chung wurde wenig später von der Polizei ohne Haftbefehl festgenommen und soll gefoltert worden sein. Er nannte die Namen seiner drei Klassenkameraden als Liu Ping-lang, Su Chien-ho und Chuang Lin-hsün. Wang Wen-chung verbrachte wegen seiner angeblichen Beteiligung als Komplize des Verbrechens zwei Jahre im Gefängnis. Nach seiner Freilassung zog er seine Aussage zurück und teilte öffentlich mit, dass die Polizei ihn gezwungen hatte, seine Klas- senkameraden zu belasten. Wang Wen-hsiao wurde für seine Beteiligung an den Morden am 11. Januar 1992 hingerichtet. Das Hsichih-Trio hat die Folter, der es nach eigenen Angaben unterworfen war, mit großer Genauigkeit beschrieben. "(Die Polizisten) drückten ein dickes gelbes Buch gegen meine Brust und hämmerten darauf", berichtete Liu Ping-lang. "Und dann hängten sie mich kopfüber auf und begannen, Wasser und Urin in meinen Mund zu gießen." Liu Ping-lang, Su Chien-ho und Chuang Lin-hsün beschreiben alle drei, wie sie geschlagen wurden und ihnen Wasser oder Urin eingeflößt wurde. Su Chien-ho und Chuang Lin-hsün behaupten auch, mit Elektroschocks an den Genitalien gefoltert worden zu sein, und im Falle von Su Chien-ho sollen die Polizisten außerdem eine konzentrierte Chemikalie in die Wunden gerieben haben, welche die Elektroschocks an seinen Genitalien verursacht hatten. AI Index: ASA 38/001/2007 Deutsche Übersetzung: amnesty international Taiwan-Koordinationsgruppe Postfach 1124 72001 Tübingen +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Deutsche Übersetzung: amnesty international Taiwan-Koordinationsgruppe Postfach 1124 72001 Tübingen Verbindlich ist das englischsprachige Orginal: Taiwan: Miscarriage of Justice: "Hsichih Trio" re-sentenced to death Public Statement AI Index: ASA 38/001/2007 (Public) News Service No: 134 16 July 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engasa380012007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=104 2007-07-09 Amnesty International today expressed outrage at the reported execution by stoning of Ja'far Kiani on 5 July 2007 in the village of Aghche-kand, near Takestan in Iran's Qazvin province. The organization urged the Head of the Judiciary, Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi, to immediately intervene to prevent the execution by stoning of Mokarrameh Ebrahimi, a woman convicted in the same case. Ja'far Kiani and Mokarrameh Ebrahimi were sentenced to death by stoning after conviction of adultery. Under article 83 of Iran's Penal Code, execution by stoning is prescribed for adultery committed by a married man or a married woman. Under Iranian law, adultery can only be proved by the testimony of eyewitnesses (the number required varying for different types of adultery), a confession by the defendant (repeated four times), or the judge's "knowledge" that the adultery has taken place. In this case, the basis for the conviction of adultery was the judge's "knowledge" that adultery had taken place. The couple had been imprisoned for the past 11 years in Choubin prison. Their two children are believed to live in prison with their mother. The executions by stoning were initially scheduled for 17 June 2007 after an appeal to the Judicial Commission for Amnesty and Clemency was rejected, but later changed to 21 June. The stonings were to be carried out publicly in the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, in the presence of the judge from Branch 1 of the Criminal Court who sentenced them to death. However, the planned executions were again delayed after activists involved in the 'Stop Stoning Forever' campaign in Iran broke news of the couple's plight and the Iranian government was exposed to widespread domestic and international demands, including by Amnesty International, to prevent the stonings. Following this, it was reported on the afternoon of 20 June that the Head of the Judiciary, Ayatollah Shahroudi, had issued a written order requiring the judiciary in Takestan to stay the execution temporarily. The couple remained under sentence of death by stoning, but they were thought not to be at imminent risk of execution. It caused shock, therefore, when the 'Stop Stoning Forever' campaign reported on 7 July that Ja'far Kiani had been stoned to death in Aghche-kand two days earlier. According to reports, the stoning was conducted mostly by local governmental and judiciary officials, and only a few members of the public participated. On 8 July, the newspaper E'temad-e Melli reported that local people and a source connected to one of the local parliamentary representatives had confirmed the execution, although as yet there has been no statement from the judiciary. Amnesty International is calling on the Head of the Judiciary immediately to clarify whether Ja'far Kiani was stoned to death on 5 July and, if so, whether this was in breach of the stay of execution that he had imposed. The organization is calling on the Head of the Judiciary and other Iranian authorities to take immediate steps to prevent the execution of Ja'far Kiani's co-accused, Mokarrameh Ebrahimi, and to commute her sentence without delay Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases as the ultimate cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment. Execution by stoning is particularly cruel, being specifically designed to increase the victim's suffering since the stones are deliberately chosen to be large enough to cause pain, but not so large as to kill the victim immediately. Amnesty International is also calling on the Iranian government to abolish altogether executions by stoning and to impose a moratorium pending the repeal or amendment of article 83 of the Penal Code. Amnesty International is aware of other individuals under sentence of execution by stoning in Iran: Ashraf Kalhori (f), Iran (f), Khayrieh (f), Shamameh Ghorbani (also known as Malek) (f), Kobra N. (f), Soghra Mola'i (f), Fatemeh (f), and Abdollah F. (m). Amnesty International calls for these, and any other existing sentences of stoning to death in Iran, to be commuted. Amnesty International also opposes the criminalization of consensual adult sexual relations conducted in private, and further urges the Iranian authorities to review all relevant legislation with the aim of decriminalizing such acts. Background In December 2002 Ayatollah Shahroudi, the Head of the Judiciary, reportedly sent a ruling to judges ordering a moratorium on execution by stoning, pending a decision on a permanent change in the law, which was apparently being considered by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. However, in September 2003, a law concerning the implementation of certain kinds of penalties, including stoning, was passed, which appeared to undermine this moratorium. Also despite the supposed moratorium, Amnesty International continued to record sentences of stoning being passed, though none of these were known to have been implemented until May 2006, when a woman and a man were reportedly stoned to death. The two victims- Abbas (m) and Mahboubeh (f) were reportedly stoned to death in a cemetery in Mashhad, after being convicted of murdering Mahboubeh's husband, and of adultery - a charge which carries the penalty of stoning. Part of the cemetery was cordoned off from the public, and more than 100 members of the Revolutionary Guard, and Bassij Forces, who had been invited to attend, reportedly participated in stoning the couple to death. On 21 November 2006, the late Minister of Justice, Jamal Karimi-Rad, denied that stonings were being carried out in Iran, a claim repeated on 8 December 2006 by the Head of the Prisons Organization in Tehran. The campaigners against stoning have since stated in response that there is irrefutable evidence that the Mashhad stoning did indeed occur. In mid-2006, a group of Iranian human rights defenders began a campaign to abolish stoning, having initially identified 11 individuals at risk of stoning. Since the campaign began, three individuals have been saved from stoning: Hajieh Esmailvand (f), Parisa (f) and Najaf (m). Others have been granted stays of execution, and some of the cases are being reviewed or re-tried. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Iran: Amnesty International outraged at reported stoning to death and fears for victim's co-accused Public Statement AI Index: MDE 13/083/2007 (Public) News Service No: 130 9 July 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde130832007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=109 2007-06-29 A prisoner's awareness of the State's rationale for an execution is not the same as a rational understanding of it. (US Supreme Court, Panetti v. Quarterman, 28 June 2007) In a 5-4 decision issued on 28 June 2007, the United States Supreme Court blocked the execution of Scott Panetti, a Texas death row inmate who suffers from severe delusions. Amnesty International welcomes the ruling as a step towards ending the use of the death penalty against this and other criminal offenders with serious mental illness in the USA.(1) The Supreme Court's ruling also drew attention once more to the shoddy standards of capital justice in Texas, which accounts for more than a third of executions in the USA and has routinely contravened international standards in sending prisoners to its death chamber. The central question asked of the Supreme Court by the Panetti case was, in effect, to clarify a ruling it made 21 years earlier. In Ford v. Wainwright in 1986, the Court had affirmed that the execution of the insane violates the US Constitution's Eighth Amendment ban on "cruel and unusual punishments". However, the Ford ruling neither defined competence for execution, nor did a majority mandate specific procedures that must be followed by the individual states to determine whether an inmate is legally insane. The result over the ensuing two decades has been the adoption of different standards in different states, judicial uncertainty, and minimal protection for seriously mentally ill inmates.(2) The Panetti ruling has the potential, at last, to provide additional protection. Scott Panetti shot his parents-in-law to death in 1992, several years after he was first diagnosed with schizophrenia. He had been hospitalized for mental illness, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, in numerous different facilities before the crime. There is compelling evidence that he was psychotic at the time of the shootings, and that he was incompetent to stand trial. Not only was he tried, however, he was allowed to act as his own lawyer, which he did dressed as a cowboy and presenting an often rambling narrative in his defence. His trial has variously been described as a "circus", a "joke", a "farce", "not moral", and a "mockery", by various lawyers, doctors and family members who attended. On 4 February 2004, Scott Panetti was 24 hours from execution in the Texas death chamber when a federal court issued a stay to give the state judge, who had set the execution date, time to consider Panetti's mental state. The judge had earlier, without a hearing, dismissed a defence motion claiming that Panetti was incompetent for execution. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals had refused to intervene on the grounds that under state law - enacted some 13 years after the Ford ruling - it would only have jurisdiction to review such a case after the lower court had determined the prisoner to be incompetent. Such are the obstacles faced by lawyers seeking to stop the Texas conveyor belt of death. With the case back in his court, the state judge again failed to hold a hearing. Instead he appointed two mental health experts who reported back to him that Scott Panetti was competent for execution, and claimed that the prisoner's bizarre behaviour was calculated and manipulative. Ignoring the defence lawyer's objections, and his motions requesting a competency hearing and funding to hire his own mental health expert, the judge dismissed the case with a finding that Panetti had failed to show that he was incompetent for execution. The case went back to the federal courts. A District Court judge ruled that the state proceedings had been constitutionally inadequate, but ruled that, under the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals precedent relating to Ford claims (the Fifth Circuit is the federal circuit which has jurisdiction over Texas cases), Panetti had not shown incompetence. The judge held that under the Fifth Circuit standard it was sufficient that Panetti knew that he had committed two murders; that he would be executed; and that the reason the state had given for that execution was his commission of the murders. The court rejected the defence lawyer's argument that, under the Ford ruling, the Eighth Amendment forbids the execution of a prisoner who lacks a rational understanding of the State's reason for the execution. According to various experts presented by the defence, Panetti had no such rational understanding and believed instead that, notwithstanding the State's purported reason for the execution, its real motivation was to punish him for preaching the Gospel. The Fifth Circuit affirmed the District Court's ruling on 9 May 2006. The Supreme Court agreed to take the case and, after rejecting the state's argument that the Ford claim was procedurally barred from federal review,(3) it overturned the Fifth Circuit's ruling. Firstly, however, it levelled strong criticism at Texas. It found that the Texas court had failed to provide Scott Panetti with the minimum process required by Ford v. Wainwright. It appears, the Supreme Court wrote, that "the state court on repeated occasions conveyed information to petitioner's counsel that turned out not to be true; provided at least one significant update to the State without providing the same notice to petitioner; and failed in general to keep petitioner informed as to the opportunity, if any, he would have to present his case." The Supreme Court also found that the state court made a constitutionally impermissible error in failing to provide Panetti with "an adequate opportunity to submit expert evidence in response to the report filed by the court-appointed experts". These state-level procedural deficiencies "constituted a violation of [Panetti's] federal rights", and meant that the Supreme Court would not defer to the state court's finding of competency. The Supreme Court then turned to the question of the federal Fifth Circuit's standard for competency, and found that it "rests on a flawed interpretation of Ford" and that it "is too restrictive to afford a prisoner the protections granted by the Eighth Amendment". The Court acknowledged that its Ford decision 21 years earlier had "not set forth a precise standard for competency" and had discussed the standard "at a high level of generality". However the Court noted that the various Justices' opinions that made up the Ford ruling "nowhere indicate that delusions are irrelevant to comprehension or awareness if they so impair the prisoner's concept of reality that he cannot reach a rational understanding of the reason for the execution." The Fifth Circuit's standard, the Supreme Court stated, puts at risk the principles that lie behind the Ford ruling: "A prisoner's awareness of the State's rationale for an execution is not the same as a rational understanding of it. Ford does not foreclose inquiry into the latter... [Panetti's] submission is that he suffers from a severe, documented mental illness that is the source of gross delusions preventing him from comprehending the meaning and purpose of the punishment to which he has been sentenced. This argument, we hold, should have been considered... To refuse to consider evidence of this nature is to mistake Ford's holding and its logic. Gross delusions stemming from a severe mental disorder may put an awareness of a link between a crime and its punishment in a context so far removed from reality that the punishment can serve no proper purpose." The Supreme Court reversed the Fifth Circuit's judgment and remanded the case for further proceedings consistent with the Panetti ruling. The majority wrote: "The underpinnings of [Panetti's] claims should be explained and evaluated in further detail on remand. The conclusions of physicians, psychiatrists, and other experts in the field will bear upon the proper analysis. Expert evidence may clarify the extent to which severe delusions may render a subject's perception of reality so distorted that he should be deemed incompetent". The State of Texas, approaching its 400th execution since 1982 (no other state has yet executed 100 inmates since resumption of judicial killing in the USA in 1977), does not give up easily in death penalty cases. Perhaps emboldened by the four dissenting Justices who accused the majority of "bend[ing] over backwards to allow Panetti to bring his Ford claim", and of issuing a "half-baked holding that leaves the details of the insanity standard for the District Court to work out", the Texas authorities have said that they will continue to seek Scott Panetti's execution. The Solicitor General of Texas, the official responsible for the state's appeals before the state and federal courts, is quoted as saying that the Supreme Court's ruling "will invite abuse from capital murderers, subject the courts to numerous false claims of incompetency and even further delay justice for the victims' families. Texas will now return for further proceedings, where we will continue working to carry out the jury's unanimous capital sentence for Scott Louis Panetti's premeditated double homicide".(4) The suggestion that the defendant or inmate is faking or exaggerating their mental illness is a position that has frequently been adopted by the state. Texas adopted this approach, for example, in the case of Monty Delk before putting him to death in February 2002. If Monty Delk was indeed faking his serious mental illness, as the state claimed, he fooled many mental health professionals. He also maintained the "act" for many years and right up to the point of his death. The Texas prison authorities recorded his final statement before being executed as "I've got one thing to say, get your Warden off this gurney and shut up. I am from the island of Barbados. I am the Warden of this unit. People are seeing you do this". The international community will now watch to see how Texas responds to the Panetti ruling. Amnesty International urges the state to use this opportunity to turn over a new leaf. The five Justices in the Panetti majority noted that there is "much in the record to support the conclusion that [Panetti] suffers from severe delusions". However, it also acknowledged that "a concept like rational understanding is difficult to define". In the Ford ruling two decades earlier, four of the Justices had similarly noted that although "the stakes are high", the evidence of whether a prisoner is incompetent for execution "will always be imprecise". A fifth Justice had added that "unlike issues of historical fact, the question of [a] petitioner's sanity calls for a basically subjective judgment." In 2005, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reiterated this when it said "undoubtedly, determining whether a person is competent to be executed is not an exact science". In other words, there will always be errors and inconsistencies, at least on the margins. Arbitrariness in the application of the death penalty should be abhorrent even to those who do not oppose this punishment. In the end, there is only one solution - abolition. And in the end, the Panetti ruling is one more example - albeit this time a rights-protective one - of a Court "tinkering with the machinery of death", in the words of the late Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun. The USA should recognize, as Justice Blackmun did 15 years ago, that the USA's modern experiment with the death penalty has failed.(5) -- (1) The organization has been campaigning on Scott Panetti's case since 2004. See USA: 'Where is the compassion?' The imminent execution of Scott Panetti, mentally ill offender, AMR 51//011/2004, January 2004, http://web.amnesty.org/library/pdf/AMR510112004ENGLISH/$File/AMR5101104.pdf. (2) Also, USA: The execution of mentally ill offenders, AMR 51/003/2006, January 2006, http://web.amnesty.org/library/pdf/AMR510032006ENGLISH/$File/AMR5100306.pdf. (3) The state argued that, under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) of 1996, the Ford claim was procedurally barred from review as a successor appeal that should have been raised earlier. The Panetti ruling noted that acceptance of this argument would force prisoners either to forgo the opportunity to raise a Ford claim in federal court, or to file such a claim in their first federal habeas petition, even if it was premature (e.g. their mental illness could subsequently deteriorate). "Instructing prisoners to file premature claims", the Supreme Court stated, "does not conserve judicial resources, reduce piecemeal litigation, or streamline federal habeas proceedings", the purported aims of the AEDPA. (4) Supreme Court blocks execution of delusional killer. New York Times, 28 June 2007. (5) See USA: The experiment that failed. A reflection on 30 years of executions (AMR 51/011/2007, January 2007, http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR510112007.   +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ USA: Supreme Court tightens standard on 'competence' for execution victim's co-accused Report AI Index: AMR 51/114/2007 (Public) 29 June 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engamr511142007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=108 2007-06-29 Three men are facing imminent execution in Egypt. Muhammed Gayiz Sabbah, Usama 'Abed al-Ghani al-Nakhlawi and Younis Muhammed Abu Gareer were convicted of terrorist offences after a grossly unfair trial. The three were tried before the (Emergency) Supreme State Security Court in Ismailia in connection with a series of bomb attacks in Taba and elsewhere on the Sinai Peninsula in October 2004. Amnesty International condemned these attacks, which left at least 34 people dead, and called on the Egyptian authorities to bring those responsible to justice in accordance with international standards and without recourse to the death penalty. The men denied the charges, but the emergency court sentenced them to death in November 2006. Ten other people were convicted in connection with the bomb attacks and sentenced to terms of imprisonment. Muhammed Gayiz Sabbah, Usama 'Abed al-Ghani al-Nakhlawi and Younis Muhammed Abu Gareer continue to be held on death row in separate cells in Liman Tora Prison and are allowed short family visits only once a month. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases, irrespective of the crimes that were committed, on the grounds that it violates the right to life and constitutes the ultimate form of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. It is particularly abhorrent that Muhammed Sabbah, Usama al-Nakhlawi and Younis Abu Gareer are facing execution after a grossly unfair trial before a special court after being convicted on the basis of "confessions" they allege were extracted from them under torture. The trial was marred by a long list of violations, some of which were witnessed by an Amnesty International observer at the trial in July 2005. The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights has called for a stay of the executions. Amnesty International and others are also urging the authorities to uphold their international obligations, halt the executions and hold a fair retrial before a civilian court without recourse to the death penalty to ensure that justice is done and is seen to be done. For more information: • Egypt: Executions imminent after unfair trials (Focus Sheet, 29 June 2007) • Egypt: Systematic abuses in the name of security (Report, 11 April 2007)   +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Egypt: Executions imminent after unfair trials Web Feature 29 June 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/pages/egy-130707-feature-eng http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=51 2007-06-27 Berlin, 27. Juni 2007 - Sa'id Qanbar Zahi war 17 Jahre alt, als er im Mai dieses Jahres gehenkt wurde. Mohammad Mousavi wurde mit 16 Jahren zum Tode verurteilt und im April im Alter von 19 Jahren hingerichtet. Mindestens 71 weitere junge Frauen und Männer in iranischen Todesstrakten fürchten täglich die Hinrichtung - wegen Taten, die sie als Minderjährige begangen haben. amnesty international (ai) hat diese Fälle in einem heute veröffentlichten Bericht dokumentiert. "Der Iran ist derzeit der einzige Staat, der Jugendliche zum Tode verurteilt und hinrichtet, obwohl er sich in internationalen Abkommen zum Gegenteil verpflichtet hat", sagte ai-Experte Oliver Hendrich. ai fordert die Abschaffung der Todesstrafe für minderjährige Straftäter und einen sofortigen Hinrichtungsstopp. Die deutsche ai-Sektion hat dazu im Mai 16.000 Unterschriften an die iranische Botschaft in Berlin übergeben. Seit 1990 wurden im Iran mindestens 24 minderjährige Straftäter hingerichtet, mehr als in jedem anderen Land der Welt. "Die Gerichte schrecken auch nicht davor zurück, sehr junge Menschen zum Tode zu verurteilen", sagte Hendrich. "In solchen Fällen sitzen die Jugendlichen meist im Todestrakt, bis sie volljährig werden. Erst dann werden sie hingerichtet." Nach iranischem Recht steht die Todesstrafe auf Mord, aber auch auf Rauschgifthandel, Entführungen und auf Handlungen, "die der Keuschheit zuwider laufen". Die Prozesse entsprechen selten internationalen Standards. Die Urteile werden oft durch Erhängen und teilweise öffentlich vollstreckt. Der Internationale Pakt über bürgerliche und politische Rechte und die Kinderrechtskonvention verbieten die Todesstrafe für Minderjährige. "Außerdem gibt es einen internationalen moralischen Konsens, diese grausame Strafe für Kinder abzulehnen. Auch in der iranischen Bevölkerung wächst diese Ablehnung", sagte Hendrich. Menschenrechtsverteidiger im Iran und Menschenrechtsorganisationen wie ai, hoffen auf parlamentarische Initiativen. "Doch dieser Prozess ist schmerzhaft langsam." Weitere Informationen unter: www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/iran http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=49 2007-06-26 On the occasion of the UN Anti-Drugs Day on 26 June, the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN), of which Amnesty International is a member, expressed growing concern that more people are sentenced to death for drug offences than for any other crime in a number of Asia Pacific countries. This is at a time when there is a worldwide trend towards restricting and abolishing the death penalty. Sixteen Asia Pacific countries continue to apply the death penalty for the offences of drug trafficking and possession, said ADPAN. ADPAN recognizes that it is legitimate for governments to take appropriate law-enforcement measures against drug traffickers and related crime, and that states may be party to international drug control treaties which require them to do so. However there is no convincing evidence that the death penalty deters would-be drug traffickers more than any other punishment. In the sixteen countries that impose the death penalty for drug offences, Amnesty International remains unaware of any evidence to show that the death penalty has led to a drop in drug use or trafficking. In China for example, police data shows that the number of drug users grew 35 percent in the five years since 2000. In Viet Nam, the BBC quoted an official who said in 2005 the quantity of drugs seized by customs had increased 400 percent year-on-year, despite its use of the death penalty. Over the years, United Nations human rights monitoring bodies and experts have examined the scope of the death penalty as applied in different countries in the world. When it comes to the death penalty for drug-related crimes, legal definitions of the offences of possession and trafficking vary considerably from country to country. Most recently, in analysing the practice, the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions, Professor Philip Alston, concluded in January 2007 that the death penalty should be understood to be "a quite exceptional measure" that can only be imposed on cases where "it can be shown that there was an intention to kill which resulted in loss of life". In a challenge to Indonesia's Constitution, Professor Alston acting as a witness told the Constitutional Court in April that, "[d]eath is not an appropriate response to the crime of drug trafficking." Because the death penalty is shrouded in secrecy in many Asian countries it is not possible to say exactly how many death sentences are imposed for drug crimes. However, reports have shown that in South East Asian countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, the majority of death penalty cases are for drug crimes. In addition mandatory death sentences are applied for certain drug offences in Brunei, India, Laos, Thailand, North Korea, Singapore and Malaysia, giving judges no authority to take into account extenuating circumstances. All legal proceedings, and particularly those related to capital offences, must conform to the minimum procedural guarantees contained in article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, including the right to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal, the presumption of innocence, the right to adequate legal assistance and the right to review by a higher tribunal. Some countries in Asia such as Malaysia, China and Singapore fail to apply the presumption of innocence for drug offences, instead creating a presumption of guilt. The presumption of innocence is an established international standard. The requirement that the accused be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in the course of a trial which meets all guarantees of fairness has enormous implications for the defendants' right to a fair trial. It means that the prosecution has to prove an accused person's guilt. If there is reasonable doubt, the accused must not be found guilty. If the burden is reversed, the accused person effectively loses the benefit of the doubt. This increases the risk that an innocent person may be executed. The failure to apply the presumption of innocence to those charged with drug offences, combined with the mandatory imposition of the death penalty, is an obvious violation of international legal standards. Often these violations are coupled with lack of adequate legal assistance at all stages in the proceedings including when defendants are too poor to pay for proper legal defence,compounding the unfairness of the trial. In China, UN Anti-Drugs Day has been used by the authorities as an occasion for mass executions in recent years. In the period between 13 and 26 June 2006, Amnesty International recorded 55 executions for drugs offences. Studies have shown that the death penalty is disproportionately imposed on the poorest, most vulnerable members of society. In many cases, people have become involved in drug trafficking out of desperation or ignorance. Executing these people not only fails to deter others, but also fails to deal with the underlying issues that drive them to offend, such as poverty and lack of education, and obviously precludes the possibility of reform. ADPAN urges Asia Pacific countries to take the lead of countries such as the Philippines and Nepal and join the global trend towards total abolition of the death penalty -- starting by ending the use of the death penalty for drugs offences and studying and implementing alternative treatment to break the cycle of drug abuse and crime. The sixteen Asia Pacific countries that still have the death penalty for drug- crimes are: Bangladesh, Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Viet Nam. For further information on ADPAN, please go to : http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/apro/APROweb.nsf/pages/adpan +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Asia Pacific: Death sentences for drug-related crimes rise in region Public Statement AI Index: ASA 01/004/2007 (Public) News Service No: 114 26 June 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engasa010042007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=38 2007-06-20 Amnesty International today made an urgent appeal to the Head of the Judiciary, Ayatollah Shahroudi, to prevent the executions of two people due to be publicly stoned to death tomorrow, 21 June 2007. The two - Mokarrameh Ebrahimi (f) and an unnamed man - are scheduled to be killed in a cemetery in the town of Takestan, Qazvin province. According to activists involved in the 'Stop Stoning Forever' campaign in Iran, (which can be viewed in Persian at http://www.meydaan.com/news.aspx?nid=391) Mokarrameh Ebrahimi and the unnamed man were sentenced to death after conviction of adultery. Under article 83 of Iran's Penal Code, execution by stoning is prescribed for adultery committed by a married man or a married woman. Under Iranian law, adultery can only be proved by the testimony of eyewitnesses (the number required varying for different types of adultery), a confession by the defendant (repeated four times), or the judge's "knowledge" that the adultery has taken place. In this case, the basis for the conviction of adultery was the judge's "knowledge", apparently on the basis that they had a child together. Mokarrameh Ebrahimi and the unnamed man have been imprisoned for the past 11 years in Choubin prison. Qazvin province. Recently, they reportedly appealed to the Judicial Commission for Amnesty and Clemency to overturn their stoning sentence, but the appeal was rejected. The stoning was then scheduled for 17 June, but is now due to take place on 21 June - in public, and reportedly in the presence of the judge from Branch 1 of the Criminal Court in Takestan. It is reported that he will throw the first stone, following which those present at the public gathering will continuing stoning the two until they are pronounced dead. The pits in which Mokarrameh Ebrahimi and the unnamed man will be placed in order to be stoned are reported to have been dug already in Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in preparation for the executions. Amnesty International is urging the Iranian authorities to intervene immediately to prevent the planned stonings and to commute the death sentences in both cases. The organization opposes the death penalty in all cases as the ultimate cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment. Execution by stoning aggravates the brutality of the death penalty, being specifically designed to increase the victim's suffering since the stones are deliberately chosen to be large enough to cause pain, but not so large as to kill the victim immediately. Amnesty International is also calling on the Iranian government to abolish altogether executions by stoning and to impose a moratorium pending the repeal or amendment of article 83 of the Penal Code All existing sentences of execution by stoning should be commuted. Amnesty International also opposes the criminalization of consensual adult sexual relations conducted in private, and further urges the Iranian authorities to review all relevant legislation with the aim of decriminalizing consensual adult sexual relations conducted in private. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Execution by stoning is prescribed under Iranian law for adultery committed by a married man or a married woman. The Iranian Penal Code is very specific about the manner of execution and types of stones which should be used. Article 102 states that men will be buried up to their waists and women up to their breasts for the purpose of execution by stoning. Article 104 states, with reference to the penalty for adultery, that the stones used should "not be large enough to kill the person by one or two strikes; nor should they should they be so small that they could not be defined as stones". In December 2002 Ayatollah Shahroudi, the Head of the Judiciary, reportedly sent a ruling to judges ordering a moratorium on execution by stoning, pending a decision on a permanent change in the law, which was apparently being considered by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. However, in September 2003, a law concerning the implementation of certain kinds of penalties, including stoning, was passed, which appeared to undermine this moratorium. Also despite the moratorium, Amnesty International continued to record sentences of stoning being passed, though none of these were known to have been implemented until May 2006, when a woman and a man were reportedly stoned to death. The two victims- Abbas (m) and Mahboubeh (f) were reportedly stoned to death in a cemetery in Mashhad, after being convicted of murdering Mahboubeh's husband, and of adultery - a charge which carries the penalty of stoning. Part of the cemetery was cordoned off from the public, and more than 100 members of the Revolutionary Guard, and Bassij Forces, who had been invited to attend, reportedly participated in stoning the couple to death. On 21 November 2006, the late Minister of Justice, Jamal Karimi-Rad, denied that stonings were being carried out in Iran, a claim repeated on 8 December 2006 by the Head of the Prisons Organization in Tehran. The campaigners against stoning have since stated in response that there is irrefutable evidence that the Mashhad stoning did indeed occur. In mid-2006, a group of Iranian human rights defenders, mostly women, including activists, journalists and lawyers, began a campaign to abolish stoning, having identified nine women and two men under sentence of death by stoning: Hajieh Esmailvand, Ashraf Kalhori, Parisa, Iran, Khayrieh, Shamameh Ghorbani (also known as Malek), Kobra Najjar, Soghra Mola'i, Fatemeh, Abdollah F., and Najaf. The 'Stop Stoning Forever' campaign aims to save the lives of the nine women and two men under sentence of stoning, and to abolish stoning in law and practice. Lawyers in the group undertook to represent them. Since the campaign began, three individuals have been saved from stoning, others have been granted stays of execution, and some of the cases are being reviewed or re-tried. Hajieh Esmailvand was acquitted on 9 December 2006 of the charge of adultery, for which she had been sentenced to stoning, and is now free from prison; Parisa was released on 5 December 2006 after receiving 99 lashes, following a Supreme Court ruling which changed her sentence of execution by stoning to flogging; the stoning sentence of Najaf - Parisa's husband - was also changed to flogging by the Supreme Court. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Iran: Amnesty International appeals against planned executions by stoning Public Statement AI Index: MDE 13/075/2007 (Public) News Service No: 115 20 June 2007 http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde130752007 http://www.amnesty-todesstrafe.de/index.php?id=156 2007-04-27 Pressemitteilung | Pressestelle der deutschen Sektion von amnesty international Berlin, 27. April 2007 - Der Trend zur Abschaffung der Todesstrafe hält an. Das belegen die neuen Zahlen von amnesty international (ai) zu den Hinrichtungen und Todesurteilen im Jahr 2006. ai fordert mehr Druck auf die Hinrichtungs-Staaten und die Aussetzung aller Hinrichtungen weltweit. "Ein Moratorium in allen Staaten, die an der Todesstrafe festhalten, wäre der nächste richtige Schritt in eine Welt ohne Todesstrafe", sagte Oliver Hendrich von der deutschen ai-Sektion. "Der politische Wille muss nur da sein." ai unterstützt einen entsprechenden Vorstoß der italienischen Regierung bei der UNO und stellte die diesjährige Todesstrafen-Statistik deswegen in Rom vor. Im Jahr 2006 hat ai mindestens 1.591 Hinrichtungen (2005: 2.148) in mindestens 25 (22) Ländern dokumentiert, mindestens 3.861 (5.186) Menschen in 55 (53) Ländern wurden zum Tode verurteilt. Insgesamt haben 129 (123) Länder die Todesstrafe im Gesetz oder in der Praxis abgeschafft, 68 (73) halten daran fest. 2006 schafften die Philippinen die Todesstrafe ab, Südkorea und etliche andere Länder diskutieren darüber. In Afrika fanden nur in sechs Staaten und in Europa mit Weißrussland lediglich in einem Staat Hinrichtungen statt. Dennoch lebt nur knapp ein Drittel der Weltbevölkerung (ca. 30 Prozent) in Staaten, die nicht hinrichten. Wie auch in vergangenen Jahren vollstreckten einige wenige Staaten den Großteil aller Todesurteile weltweit: China (1.010), Iran (177), Pakistan (82), Irak (65), Sudan (65) und die USA (53) waren für 91 Prozent der registrierten Hinrichtungen verantwortlich. Im Iran verdoppelte sich die Zahl der Hinrichtungen im vergangenen Jahr. "Dieser harte Kern der Hinrichtungsstaaten ist isoliert und handelt gegen den weltweiten Trend", sagte ai-Experte Hendrich. Minderjährige Straftäter wurden - trotz des völkerrechtlichen Verbots - im Iran und Pakistan hingerichtet. Offizielle Zahlen zur Todesstrafe veröffentlichen nur die USA. In China werden Hinrichtungen als Staatsgeheimnis behandelt, ai schätzt, dass die tatsächliche Zahl über 8.000 liegt. Kontakt amnesty international Pressestelle 030/420248-306 presse@amnesty.de