Each month we prepare notes on the latest situation on the #deathpenalty around the world and these are appended, thanks to Lesley.
Death penalty
Meeting: update
UPDATE: The full minutes are now available here
We held our monthly meeting on 11 September and a number of items were discussed some of which will be separately posted [P].
- the treasurer reported we had around £334 in the bank. The funds promised from one of the school groups have not arrived
Amnesty logo however and he will chase this up
- North Korea. We have a speaker – Bona Shin – for the November meeting so we will hold it in Sarum College [P].
- Lesley presented the death penalty report which will be separately posted. Executions continue apace in Saudi Arabia, Florida and Texas [P].
- Peter gave an update on progress with the Magna Carta celebrations next year and said that we have held our third meeting with Seif at the Cathedral and arrangements were proceeding well. Caroline was hoping to prepare tapestry with all the regional groups contributing a panel each to illustrate an aspect of the Human Rights Act. Fiona is working with S Wilts on the idea of a film.
- Cathedral service. Jonathan will liaise with the Praecentor about dates and a speaker.
- there is to be a coffee morning on Saturday 20 September in St Thomas’s starting at 09:30.
- the second Citizenship day is to be held next month on 23 October run on similar lines to last year. There is to be a repeat of the competition with 3 prizes totalling £100 from a supporter. Peter is to contact the sixth form colleges and schools in the area [P].
- the forthcoming campaign against torture stall was discussed and will take place on 15 October in the Cheese Market [P].
- the film will take place again on 4 December at the Arts Centre and will be on the subject of Palestine. The speaker is Samiha Abdeljebar [P].
Full minutes will be posted soon.
#Saudi executions
Over the last two weeks there has been considerable outrage over the gruesome execution of the American #JamesFoley by beheading allegedly by a jihadist from the UK, possibly London. That someone nurtured on these shores should go to another country and commit such a crime horrifies people in this country and of course the USA. The execution has added to the degree of urgency in the government and there are plans to bring in legislation to confiscate passports and monitor the movement back to this country of jihadists from ISIS areas of Iraq.
The barbaric and medieval nature of the crime has shocked many in the west.
In the last three weeks – between 4 and 22 August – 23 people in Saudi Arabia have been executed by beheadings. These executions take place in public and frequently, the bodies are left on public display as some kind of deterrent. Around 2000 have been executed in this fashion since 1985. Around half are foreign nationals.
The executions follow trials where confessions are read out. Many or even most of the confessions are extracted following torture. Defendants often do not have legal representation and may not be able to follow the trials such as they are. You will have to look long and hard to find much about these executions in western newspapers.
How are the two connected?
Saudi Arabia, along with Qatar, are in receipt of considerable quantities of arms from western countries including the UK. David Cameron visited the country to promote trade and arms sales. The Campaign Against the Arms Trade #CATT has found out that we exported £113 million of arms to Saudi in 2013.
With American support, both countries were arming the Syrian rebels of which the Islamic State is one. So we support and provide arms to countries which are in turn supporting the Islamic State and which carry out barbaric executions in public. Almost nothing is said about this and it receives very little coverage.
We need to be more balanced in our policies and attitudes to some of these despotic regimes. If we are going to say nothing about barbaric behaviour because it might upset an arms deal to Saudi or Qatar, it is then inconsistent to start making speeches when no arms deals are in the offing.
#Gaza letter
We attach a letter published in the Guardian newspaper on 15th of August from survivors of the Holocaust. It is an extremely moving letter, particularly bearing in mind the people who signed it. It is unequivocal in its criticism of the violence by the IDF in Gaza. It is worthy of a wider audience.
“As Jewish survivors and descendants of survivors and victims of the Nazi genocide, we unequivocally condemn the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza and the ongoing occupation and colonisation of historic Palestine. We further condemn the United States for providing Israel with the funding to carry out the attack, and western states more generally for using their diplomatic muscle to protect Israel from condemnation. Genocide begins with the silence of the world.
We are alarmed by the extreme, racist dehumanisation of Palestinians in Israeli society, which has reached fever-pitch. Politicians and pundits in the Times of Israel and the Jerusalem Post have called openly for genocide of Palestinians and rightwing Israelis are adopting neo-Nazi insignia.
Furthermore, we are disgusted and outraged by Elie Wiesel’s abuse of our history in these pages (advertisement, 11 August; Report, 11 August) to promote blatant falsehoods used to justify the unjustifiable: Israel’s wholesale effort to destroy Gaza and the murder of nearly 2,000 Palestinians, including many hundreds of children. Nothing can justify bombing UN shelters, homes, hospitals and universities. Nothing can justify depriving people of electricity and water.
We must raise our collective voices and use our collective power to bring about an end to all forms of racism, including the ongoing genocide of Palestinian people. We call for an immediate end to the blockade of Gaza. We call for the full economic, cultural and academic boycott of Israel. “Never again” must mean “Never again for anyone”. ”
Hajo Meyer survivor of Auschwitz; The Netherlands, Henri Wajnblum survivor and son of an Auschwitz victim from Lodz, Poland; Belgium, Norbert Hirschhorn refugee of Nazi genocide and grandson of three people who died in the Shoah; London, Suzanne Weiss survived in hiding in France, whose mother died in Auschwitz; Canada, Felicia and Moshe Langer survivors from Germany, Moshe survived five concentration camps, family members were exterminated; Germany, Michael Rice child survivor, son and grandson of survivor; United States and 30 Jewish survivors of the Nazi genocide and 260 children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other relatives of survivors
See full list at ijsn.net/gaza/survivors-and-descendants-letter/
Gaza
The world has been horrified by the films, reports and photographs coming out of #Gaza since the latest violence started. Amnesty teams – along with other organisations – have been in Gaza to assess the damage and have found evidence of war crimes by both sides in the conflict. There have been serious violations by both parties but since the Israel Defence Force is the best equipped army and air force in the region by far, the damage and destruction has been predominantly on the Palestinian side.
Hamas continues to fire rockets into Israel but with the protection of Iron Dome, few have resulted in casualties. The casualties on the Palestinian side have now passed 2000 (12 August, Sky News) with 67 Israeli deaths. Many of the Palestinian casualties are women and children, killed in strikes on schools, mosques and hospitals.
Israel is able to carry on its attacks secure in the knowledge that it has, and continues to have, the support of the United States. Indeed, the USA has continued to supply weapons to replace those lost in the latest fighting. The United Kingdom supplied £6.3m in weapons to Israel last year.
It seems clear to most outside observers that whatever the provocation Israel has suffered, the scale of destruction in Gaza has been disproportionate. This latest incursion follows hard on operation Cast Lead which also wrought terrible destruction in the territory.
Nor is the suffering imposed limited to the fighting but comes on top of the relentless expansion of settlements and the blockade of Gaza which has now lasted over seven years. Gaza is in effect a prison surrounded by a stifling regime of checkpoints, barriers and walls. They are not allowed to catch fish in the sea. Inhabitants also have to endure power and water cuts for no apparent reason.
Is there any hope in all this? Surprisingly, there may be. It will not come from the ceasefires and feeble political statements wishing peace while at the same time continuing to sell arms. The key difference this time is that Israel is losing the propaganda war. Such is the volume of evidence emerging from Gaza, the harrowing footage of injured children and pictures of the scale of destruction, that people around the world have been moved to protest (see picture).
British Ministers are forbidden to use the word ‘disproportionate’ in their various statements. But the public can see that it is. Nick Clegg described the attacks on schools as ‘outrageous’. Israel is desperate to avoid its actions going to the International Criminal Court and will no doubt succeed with US help in so doing.
With Cast Lead, the Israelis were able to keep journalists out of Gaza so that very little was seen on our TV screens. This time, with a range of devices, images are coming through loud and clear. This is another example of the public seeing things for what they are and politicians being behind the curve. Support for Israel is still strong in the United States certainly among Senators and Congressmen, but younger people are not so supportive. This is likely to be the key difference this time.
Visit the South Region site of Amnesty
Amnesty International comments on Gaza
Death penalty
DEATH PENALTY SUMMARY – JUNE 2014
General
- USA
- Tennessee – are reported to be considering bringing back the electric chair in the light of the recent difficulties with the use of lethal injections
- Wyoming – are reported to be considering using a firing squad
- New Hampshire – disappointingly, the second attempt at the repeal of the death penalty was defeated in the Senate on 22nd May. The death sentence remains.
- Missouri – a stay of execution was granted for Russell Bucklew on 22nd May following his claim that a congenital illness would probably cause additional suffering under the current regime of lethal injection
- A report appeared on Google that the US Supreme Court has said states must look beyond an intelligence test score in borderline cases of mental disability to determine whether a death row inmate is eligible to be executed
Urgent Actions
- #Sudan – Meriam Ibrahim – a Christian woman has been sentenced to hang (and to a flogging) for the ‘apostasy’ of marrying a non-muslim, and for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. An AI email UA was circulated to the DPLWG on 26th May. Information in media on 31.5.14 that she was to be released but there are doubts as to the truth of this. Note – Nesrine Malik expressed concern in the Guardian (4.6.14) that western media are harming Meriam’s chances of release. Initial local opposition had been having an effect, and Government pride is an issue. She criticised David Cameron’s approach. Latest news – Meriam gave birth in chains. She is to be hanged in 2 years.
- # USA – Florida – Michael Duane Zak – UA 140/14 – has exhausted his ordinary court appeals and is seeking executive commutation of his death sentence of life imprisonment. Circulated to DPLWG 28.5.14 (this month’s Urgent Action)
- #Iraq – UA 151/13 – Osama Jamal ‘Abdullah Mahdi’s files are now with the office of the President for review. If his death sentence is ratified, he could be executed at any time. Circulated to DPLWG 30.5.14
Campaigning
- Reggie Clemons – no further news (Website: justiceforreggie.com)
- Hakamada Iwao – information has been received from Caroline Butler that the Devizes Group have been in contact with AI in Japan in order to send cards and messages to Hakamada. Would the Salisbury Group like to do so?
- #Belarus – a response has now been received from SCT with contact details of Barry Hay for seeking further advice – an email was sent on 10th June. Note:
Belarus is the last UN member state in Europe to have retained the death penalty. In 2013 there were no reported executions, but the death penalty was reinstated this year, and to date two men are believed to have been executed. Death row prisoners receive no advance notice and are executed by a bullet through the back of the head. This month the UN Human Rights Council will be focusing on the human rights situation in Belarus – making it a particularly appropriate time for action by Amnesty.
Oklahoma
The botched execution this week of Clayton Lockett in #Oklahoma has shocked many people around the world. The focus has mainly been on the time it took for him to die – 43 minutes – during which he was seen to writhe in agony and struggle against the straps of the gurney. Towards the end, the curtains were drawn across the execution chamber and it was reported later that he had died from a ‘reported heart attack.’
The southern states of the USA have a particular devotion to the death penalty with #Texas in the lead. The penalty has a high degree of support from sections of the public despite the lack of any evidence that it has a deterrent effect. On the blog posts of an Oklahoma newspaper there is a selection of comments both against and for the execution. There are many Americans who find the process barbaric and the fact that it took Lockett 43 minutes to die is especially upsetting. But there are plenty who relish it, for example;
‘how can people feel pity for these cons?’
‘I am glad he died a slow and painful death. I only wish he suffered more.’
‘NO SYMPATHY from me.’
‘I only hope this happens to each and every other inmate where the death sentence is carried out.’
And so on and so forth. This is a selection and there are people who found it repugnant. Although the particular circumstances of this man’s death has caused a storm of outrage, the fact remains that many people are being executed and in the southern states at least, it remains in rude health. The posts show that a significant number of people relished the suffering and were not afraid of expressing this, albeit anonymously. On another blog post we reported on the governor of Texas’s use of the penalty as a draw for people to come to his state – a kind of promotional tool.
Although slow progress is being made with abolition, it will be many years before it is removed from states like Oklahoma and Texas. But why focus on this when the level of executions in China (a state secret but known to thousands) and Iran are at very much higher levels? The difference is that the USA is a leading nation and sets the moral tone in all sorts of situations. It is hard to persuade other countries in the world to stop this practice if the USA is still very publicly using it.
Amnesty is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances.
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire 