Iran, Saudi Arabia & Japan: Capital Punishment
Iran hangs four criminals; 14/3/08; http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=7139
Iran has hanged four criminals, including two members of a Sunni group blamed for a string of attacks in the southeast of the country, media reports said on Sunday. The two men, identified by only their initials A.M. and M.S., were hanged in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan for the capital offence of being “moharebeh” (an enemy of God), Kayhan newspaper reported. The local revolutionary court found them to be members the “terrorist group” Jundallah, and they were hanged in prison in the provincial capital of Zahedan. Jundallah has been behind a string of attacks in the province in recent years and is led by Abdolmalek Rigi, a shadowy young Sunni. Iran accuses its arch-enemy the United States of backing the group. Two other men convicted of abduction and murder were hanged in a prison in the northern city of Sari, the official IRNA new agency reported. The number of executions soared last year to 298, according to an AFP count.
Saudi Arabia beheads 2 drug smugglers
14/3/08: http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=7139
The Saudi interior ministry says authorities have beheaded two Nigerian men convicted of drug trafficking. The two Nigerians, identified as Mohammad Qodous and Idris Abdul-Ghani, were convicted of swallowing sachets of cocaine to smuggle it into the kingdom. The interior ministry says Sunday’s beheadings took place in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah. Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam under which those convicted of murder, drug trafficking, rape or armed robbery are executed in public with a sword. Forty-two people have been beheaded this year, according to an Associated Press count. Saudi Arabia beheaded 137 people last year, a number that was sharply up from 38 executed in 2006.
Four prisoners executed in Japan
10/4/08
Four death row prisoners have been executed in Japan, the authorities have announced. The four inmates, aged between 41 and 64, were hanged at separate locations in Japan, the justice ministry said. Japan, one of the few industrialised countries to retain the death penalty, appears to be stepping up the pace of prisoner executions. Three capital sentences were carried out in February, as well as nine executions in 2007.
See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7339955.stm
Tags: Capital Punishment