Promoting human rights from Salisbury UK
Attached is the monthly death penalty report for mid June/July 2019 compiled by group member Lesley. It covers a number of countries and in addition to the usual suspects, includes Sri Lanka which is planning to start executing it citizens again.
Note that China is not included which is believed to execute more of its citizens than the rest of the world put together but the details are a state secret.
Amnesty International has received reports indicating that the President was due to consider signing execution warrants as early as the week of 24 June. Should this be confirmed, up to 13 prisoners would be put at imminent risk of execution.
There is completely secrecy around the dates of any scheduled executions, as well as identities of the death row prisoners most at risk. Amnesty International has not been able to confirm whether the individuals had fair trials, access to lawyers or whether they were able to engage in a meaningful clemency process. Sri Lanka has not implemented this ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment for more than four decades. It should continue to honour a tradition that chooses life instead of vengeance.
Source: Amnesty
The US is the only country in the Americas which still has the death penalty.
There is an opportunity to join Amnesty members for a protest outside the American Embassy on the continued use of the penalty. They will be gathering signatures for a petition and, to illustrate the barbarity of the practice, you can also tweet a picture of yourself sitting in our mock electric chair.
Meeting at 1:30 in the small park opposite the US Embassy on 30 June.
Belarus remains the only country in the whole of Europe and the former Soviet Union which still carries out death sentences. Only days ago, news emerged from Belarus that another death row prisoner had been executed. This was not officially confirmed as the Belarusian authorities do not publicly confirm executions or even tell families of death-row prisoners that their loved ones have been executed until weeks after it has happened.
Join Amnesty and international activists on 8 July for a discussion, exhibition and short film regarding the brutal reality of Europe’s last executioner.
Details: deathpenalty@amnesty.org.uk or on Facebook
Good news today that the Court of Appeal has upheld the appeal by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade who are trying to stop the British government supplying lethal weapons to the Saudis who are using them to cause terrible death and destruction in Yemen.
There will be more about this in future posts. A previous post on this subject can be read here.
While a lot of attention – quite rightly – has been focused on the plight of Zaghari-Ratcliffe, there are other things going in that country including the execution of minors. Below are details of an urgent action which if you have time, we would be grateful if you could send a message of some kind. There is an option to tweet.
Danial Zeinolabedini, an 18-year-old imprisoned in Mahabad prison, West Azerbaijan province, is at risk of execution. He was sentenced to death in June 2018 after an unfair trial in which he was convicted of a murder that took place when he was 17 years old. His execution would be a grave violation of international law.
Further details from an Iran human rights group.
If you live in the Salisbury, South Wilts area and would like to join us, you would be very welcome. The best thing is to keep an eye on this site and come along to an event and make yourself known. It is free to join locally.
The minutes of the group’s meeting on June 13th 2019 are attached thanks to group member Lesley for compiling them.
Attached is the latest monthly death penalty report thanks to group member Lesley for the work in compiling it. It is a little longer than usual as there seems to be a lot of activity on the DP front. Please note that there is no reporting from China which executes more of its citizens than the rest of the world combined but the details are a state secret.
In our links at the bottom of the site page, we have just added Human Rights Connected https://humanrightsconnected.org/ a Washington DC based organisation
Many people were outraged at the treatment Asia Bibi received in Pakistan and have written letters in support of her. We have today (12 June 2019) heard that she has been acquitted.
Asia Bibi is a Christian farm worker, who was sentenced to death for blasphemy in 2010. After an eight-year ordeal, Pakistan’s Supreme Court acquitted her of all charges and released her in October 2018. Following the decision by the Supreme Court to uphold her acquittal on 29 January 2019, it was confirmed by the Pakistani Foreign Office on 9 May that she had left Pakistan and safely arrived in Canada to be reunited with her family.
We are extremely grateful to supporters who wrote appeals to not only acquit Asia Bibi but to also ensure her safe passage out of Pakistan. Her wrongful death sentence has also helped bring more nuance into the discourse around the blasphemy laws and their rampant misuse. Offered asylum in Canada, Asia Bibi can begin to live her life as a free woman.
We thank you, for standing with Asia Bibi during her ordeal. It’s a great relief that Asia Bibi and her family are safe. She should never have been imprisoned in the first place, let alone faced the death penalty. Omar Waraich, Deputy South Asia Director at Amnesty International.
Source: Amnesty press release
We very much regret to announce that the talk planned by Paul mason on 24th June has had to be cancelled. We have heard from Paul’s agent that he will be indisposed on that date.
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire 