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Japan | Hakamada found religion, but then felt under attack by ‘the devil’

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Editor's note: This is the last in a four-part series on letters that Iwao Hakamada wrote while on death row. About a decade after cursing God, Iwao Hakamada was baptized Catholic at the Tokyo Detention House on Dec. 24, 1984. “Since I have been given the Christian name Paul, I am keenly feeling that I should be aware of the greatness of Paul.” (June 1985)

Hosni Mubarak charged with murder

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Former president's sons Alaa and Gamal are also referred to criminal court days before more planned protests in Egypt

Egypt referred Hosni Mubarak to court on Tuesday over the killing of protesters and other charges, defying speculation that Egypt's new military rulers would spare the former president public humiliation.

Mubarak was ousted from power on 11 February after mass demonstrations demanded an end to his 30-year rule. He was then detained by prosecutors investigating corruption during his rule and a crackdown on the protesters.

His two sons, Alaa and Gamal, – the latter of whom many had believed was being groomed by his father to replace him, – were also referred to the criminal court on a range of charges, the public prosecutor said in a statement.

The decision was announced before another demonstration planned for Friday in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the heart of the uprising. Activists have called for a big turnout to demand faster reforms and a public trial for Mubarak and others.

"Every time the youth threaten to go to Tahrir Square again with a huge number of protesters, I think they make some concessions," said Hassan Nafaa, a political scientist and longtime critic of Mubarak.

The crimes listed by the prosecutor included "intentional murder, attempted killing of some demonstrators ... misuse of influence and deliberately wasting public funds and unlawfully making private financial gains and profits".

The prosecutor charged the former intelligence chief Hussein Kamal al-Din Ibrahim Salem, who has fled, with the same crimes.

Source: The Guardian, May 24, 2011
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First Third Of 2024 In Saudi Arabia: Executions Rise By 189% And Portend Another Bloody Year. At Least 71 Currently Facing Execution.

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Since the beginning of 2024 until the end of April, the Ministry of Interior in Saudi Arabia announced the execution of 55 individuals. This figure constitutes a 189% increase compared to the executions in the first third of 2023, which witnessed 19 executions. The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights views these numbers as a clear indication of the Saudi government's continued approach towards executing and issuing death sentences, and that the promises made in recent years have become elusive.
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20 Minutes to Death: Witness to the Last Execution in France

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Mississippi | Biloxi man gets death penalty for torture, murder of toddler

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Cruel and Unusual: Documentary explores epicenter of Texas’ prison system

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Saudi authorities agree to postpone execution of Kenyan national

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Tennessee | New law allows death penalty for child rape

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has approved legislation allowing the death penalty in child rape convictions, a change the Republican-controlled Statehouse championed amid concerns that the U.S. Supreme Court has banned capital punishment in such cases. Lee, a Republican, quietly signed off on the legislation last week without issuing a statement.
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