Chinese supreme court upholds death sentence for 3 Filipinos convicted of drug trafficking

Chinese mobile execution unit
training for lethal injections

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government said Tuesday that China had upheld death sentences for three Filipinos convicted of drug trafficking, and the mother of one of them appealed to the president to help her "victimized" daughter.

The foreign affairs department said it received information on Friday that the Supreme People's Court in Beijing had reviewed and rendered its decision on five cases of Filipinos sentenced to death by courts in Fujian and Guandong provinces. The court gave two-year reprieves for two of the Filipinos — such reprieves are usually commuted to life in prison — but upheld the death sentences by lethal injection for the three others.

The department said it was disappointed and saddened by the decision and continued to seek lesser sentences for the two women aged 32 and 38 and a 42-year-old man.

Edith Ordinario, the mother of one of the convicted women — 32-year-old Sally Ordinario-Villanueva — tearfully appealed on ABS-CBN television to President Benigno Aquino Jr. to "help my daughter who was just victimized by a drug syndicate."

Villanueva, a mother of two, was convicted of smuggling more than four kilograms of heroin to Xiamen on Dec. 24, 2008.

Ordinario said her daughter went to China thinking she had got a job as a cellphone dealer, and was given a bag by her recruiter in the Philippines to give to the boss when she arrived there. The bag turned out to have drugs hidden inside, she added.

She said the foreign affairs department had told her that her daughter was scheduled to be executed on Monday.

"As ordered by our president, our engagement with the Chinese authorities continues," said Foreign Undersecretary Esteban Conejos on television.

Smuggling at least 50 grams of heroin or other drugs is punishable by death in China. The Philippines has no death penalty.

Under Chinese law, a death verdict may be commuted to life imprisonment if the prisoner displays good behaviour in jail.

The foreign affairs department warned citizens against carrying luggage for strangers and agreeing to carry items for individuals befriended through the Internet.

Corruption among law enforcers and officials and vast stretches of unpatrolled coastline make the Philippines an attractive narcotics source and transshipment point.

Source: The Canadian Press, February 15, 2011

Death sentence vs 3 Pinoys in China final: embassy

The Chinese Embassy on Wednesday said the death sentence on 3 Filipino drug traffickers in China has been sustained after a judicial review of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) of the People's Republic of China.

The embassy said the Philippines has already been informed of the SPC's decision through diplomatic channels.

"The death sentence on the three Filipino drug traffickers is the final verdict by the Chinese judicial authorities in accordance with law. As criminals of death penalty, their legitimate rights and interests have been protected in accordance with law. The Chinese side will render their relatives assistance and facilitation as necessary to visit the inmates in China," the embassy said.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos, Jr. earlier said the Philippine government is racing against time to help the 3 Filipinos with the hope of commuting their sentences to life imprisonment.

He refused to disclose the last-minute legal and diplomatic options the government will be doing, saying this would compromise the cases.

2 of the 3 will be executed in Xiamen on February 21, while 1 will be executed in Guangdong the following day. All 3 will be executed via lethal injection.

The Chinese Embassy said meting out the death penalty to criminals perpetrating extremely serious crimes serves as a deterrent to drug-related crimes. It noted that drug-related crime has been universally recognized as a scourge by the whole world.

It also reminded foreign nationals in China to observe Chinese laws and refrain from engaging in drug trafficking or other drug-related crimes. "Otherwise, they would be punished by the Chinese judicial authorities in accordance with law," it said.

The embassy said the People's Republic of China attaches great importance to China-Philippines friendly relationship.

"Since our 2 countries established diplomatic ties 36 years ago, China-Philippines relations enjoyed smooth development and continuously deepened cooperation in various fields. At present, our 2 countries are facing with great opportunity to expand exchanges and deepen cooperation. The Chinese side stands ready to work with the Philippine side to advance China-Philippines strategic cooperation into greater depth," it said.

"The 2 sides have reached broad-based consensus and conducted sound cooperation on combating drug-related crimes. The Chinese side appreciates the Philippine side for its active measures taken against drug-related crimes and is willing to deepen cooperation with the Philippine side in a relentless effort to eradicate transnational drug-related crimes."

Source: abs-cbnnews, February 16, 2011

Feb. 18 update: Aquino appeals China's death sentence for 3 Filipinos

VICE-PRESIDENT Jejomar C. Binay who left for Beijing Friday brought with him a letter from President Benigno S. C. Aquino III appealing to Chinese President Hu Jintao for leniency on the impending execution of three Filipinos over drug trafficking.

Mr. Aquino, in the letter, sought for clemency or a reprieve for Sally Villanueva, Ramon Credo and Elizabeth Batain based on humanitarian grounds, deputy spokesperson Abigail D. Valte said in a briefing at Malacanang.

The three were convicted for smuggling at least 4,000 grams of heroin in 2008. Under the laws of China, those found guilty of smuggling 50 grams or more of heroin or equivalent drugs are punished with death penalty.

“Our appeal is focused on humanitarian grounds. The letter will personally be hand carried by the Vice-President,” Ms. Valte said.

“We reiterate that by our efforts, we do not mean to say that we are condoning the act of the three, but yet we are appealing for a reprieve for humanitarian reason,” she added.

He will meet with President of the Supreme People’s Court and the Chinese Executive Vice Foreign Minister on Saturday.

“We remain steadfast to our hope that the trip of Vice-President Binay will be successful,” Ms. Valte said.
In a statement, Mr. Aquino called on the public to unite in prayer for the grant of a stay of the execution.

“We ask the Divine to provide daily strength to Sally, Ramon and Elizabeth and their families as we all await a miracle,” the president said.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI) joined the mounting appeals for the Chinese government to commute the capital punishment.

“We hope and pray that our pleas be heeded by our Chinese brethren. We also urged our people to pray for the fate of these countrymen ours,” said Maasin Bishop Precioso D. Cantillas, ECMI chairman in a statement.

Source: BusinessWorldOnline, Ana Mae G. Roa, February 18, 2011
_________________________

Use the tags below or the search engine at the top of this page to find updates, older or related articles on this Website.

Comments

Doctors warn against Tennessee death penalty protocols

Tennessee’s execution protocol is medically unethical and should be revamped before further executions occur, nearly 40 health care professionals said in a letter to Gov. Bill Lee. Like the coalition of faith leaders who asked for a moratorium on executions earlier this month, the physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals who signed the July 28 letter said they were motivated to speak up after the gruesome and botched execution of Tony Carruthers in May. Carruthers spent 90 minutes bleeding and writhing in agony as an attending physician made repeated unsuccessful attempts to insert an IV into the inmate’s chest after being unable to find useable veins in the arms, legs, and feet. Lee granted Carruthers a one-year reprieve after the ordeal.

After Nearly 30 Years and a Supreme Court Reversal: Assessing the Likely Result of Richard Glossip’s Oklahoma Retrial

DPN asked Grok for a legal analysis of Richard Glossip’s upcoming murder retrial and its likely disposition. Most likely outcome of Richard Glossip’s retrial: acquittal or a hung jury leading to dismissal or no further prosecution, rather than a conviction for first-degree murder. A conviction remains possible but is the less probable result given the severely damaged core evidence and the state’s own prior admissions. Death is off the table. Case background

Arizona prosecutors seek death penalty a second time for 2 inmates

County Attorney Brad Miller said Aug. 6 that the nature of the attack and both men's past criminal records meet the strict legal bar required for execution under Arizona law. FLORENCE, Ariz. - Pinal County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against two inmates accused of violently killing a fellow prisoner behind bars, officials announced Thursday. Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller filed a Notice of Intent to Seek the Death Penalty against Pete Van Winkle and Tracy Hampton in connection with the fatal attack on Kenneth Thompson.

Florida | 49 years on death row, killer of Bonita Springs teen learns death date

A Fort Myers man on death row for nearly five decades learned his execution date as Gov. Ron DeSantis signed his order Thursday, July 30. Harold Gene Lucas, then 24, shot and killed his 16-year-old girlfriend, Anthia Jill Piper in Bonita Springs on August 14, 1976. Lucas was 24 when he was charged in Piper's shooting death at her parents' home on Aug. 14, 1976. The execution is set for Sept. 1 in a state that has accelerated its pace under DeSantis the past two years, with a record of 19 executions in 2025. Piper was shot seven times by Lucas, who claimed to be intoxicated.

Tennessee | The doctor who helps put prisoners to death

Dr. Mark Fowler assisted in the failed execution of a Tennessee prisoner. Physicians are meant to heal patients—why is he working in the death chamber? Mark Fowler, a physician with 25 years’ experience, stepped beneath the bright lights and approached the middle-aged man lying on a gurney. Around him, people in medical gowns prepared needles and sterile tubing. It had all the appearances of a hospital setting. Fowler had been called in to help establish an IV line through which the 57-year-old man, Tony Carruthers, would be injected with pharmaceutical drugs. The team had struggled to find a vein, so Fowler was summoned to set a central line—an intravenous catheter inserted into the major vein below the collarbone.

Iran executes 20-year-old protester as fears grow for other detainees

Iranian authorities executed 20-year-old protester Arvin Kheirkhah at Shahroud prison on Saturday morning, according to information obtained by Iran International, amid concerns that several other detainees could also face execution. Kheirkhah was arrested during the January protests and sentenced to death by a Revolutionary Court on charges including moharebeh , or “waging war against God.” He was transferred to solitary confinement on Wednesday ahead of the execution. His family gathered outside Shahroud prison on Friday night in an attempt to stop the sentence from being carried out. According to information received by Iran International, Kheirkhah told his family in a final conversation: “Don’t let them forget me. We stood up for the liberation of our homeland. Don’t let the path we chose be silenced.”

Florida | Judge refuses to let convicted serial killer speak as she sentences him to death

A Florida judge denied a request from a convicted serial killer to speak in court as she sentenced him to death on Tuesday. A jury convicted Demorris Hunter, 60, of 1st-degree murder and theft in the death of Theresa Ann Green, 38, who was strangled and left in the trunk of her car. “Demorris Andy Hunter, you have not only forfeited your right to dwell among us as a free man, but by your actions and under the law of the State of Florida, you have forfeited your right to live, as well,” Judge Lisa Munyon said as she handed down the sentence Tuesday morning.

Death row inmate sues Tennessee, claiming state denied private confession before execution

A Tennessee death row inmate and his chosen spiritual advisor have filed a federal lawsuit against the Tennessee Department of Correction, alleging state prison policies violate their religious rights by preventing a private confession before execution. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, does not challenge Tennessee’s authority to carry out executions. Instead, it asks whether condemned inmates have a constitutional and federally protected right to privately practice their faith before the state carries out a death sentence. John Michael Bane has spent decades on Tennessee’s death row after a Shelby County jury convicted him of 1st-degree felony murder in the 1988 robbery and killing of 60-year-old Royce Frazier.

Idaho | How Bryan Kohberger’s Guilty Plea Move Could Be His Death Sentence

If Bryan Kohberger successfully withdraws his guilty plea and goes to trial for the murders of four University of Idaho students, it could lead to him being sentenced to death, experts told Newsweek . Kohberger, 31, filed a handwritten petition on Monday from the Idaho Maximum Security Penitentiary, where he is serving four consecutive life sentences for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen in a rental home near the university's campus in Moscow, Idaho, in 2022. Kohberger pleaded guilty to the fatal stabbings just over a year ago, a month before jury selection was set to start.

North Korea | 'I was only 9': North Korean defector recalls childhood memory of public execution

Kim Eun-joo was 9 years old when her teacher stopped their lesson and told the class to follow her outside. The children were marched to a public execution ground in North Korea. “I would cry even when our family dog died,” Kim said in a recent interview with The Korea Times. “But the first time I watched humans killing a human, I had no words for what I was feeling. It was the most brutal scene I have ever seen, in any movie or in real life.” The memory has stayed with her ever since. Now a human rights advocate after defecting from North Korea, Kim recently brought that childhood scene to the 9th World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Paris, where North Korea’s use of public executions and capital punishment was officially placed on the agenda for the first time.

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog