FEATURED POST

Communist Vietnam's secret death penalty conveyor belt: How country trails only China and Iran for 'astonishing' number of executions

Published
Image
Prisoners are dragged from their cells at 4am without warning to be given a lethal injection Vietnam's use of the death penalty has been thrust into the spotlight after a real estate tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to be executed in one of the biggest corruption cases in the country's history. Truong My Lan, a businesswoman who chaired a sprawling company that developed luxury apartments, hotels, offices and shopping malls, was arrested in 2022.

China Releases Sydney Woman Facing Death Sentence For Drug Trafficking

Published
Kalynda Davis and Peter Gardiner
Sydney woman Kalynda Davis, who had been facing a possible death sentence in China over drug trafficking, was released. Chinese authorities did not charge Davis who returned to Australia.

The 22-year-old waited for a couple of weeks in China where she could have faced life sentence.

According to her friends, Davis is brash and hot-headed. They said that her life had an abrupt change in a very short period of time. Davis was eventually accused of trying to smuggle 36 kg of ice out of Guangzhou International Airport to Australia. She was accompanied by her co-accused New Zealander Peter Gardiner, whom she had met through the dating app Tinder only 2 weeks before the incident. 

Davis, who has her home in Penrith, is the daughter of a former NSW police officer. She did not inform anyone when she travelled in November. However, she told her friends that they should consider something must have gone wrong if they did not hear from her.

Things did go wrong for Davis who was intercepted by Chinese authorities at the airport. According to the authorities, Gardiner was recruited by an organised crime syndicate in Sydney. Daily Telegraph reported that the drug, which the pair had tried to smuggle had a street value of around $80 million. 

Gardiner, who also has an Australian passport, did not have any prior criminal records Down Under just like Davis who was also declared to be "clean skin" before this. 

Davis is a student of Penrith Christian School while she studied at Penrith Anglican College earlier. A talented athlete, Davis worked part-time in retail.

Gardiner, who lives in Richmond, remains in China. It is unclear whether he has been charged.

It is understood Chinese officials accepted Davis did not have any knowledge of the drugs and agreed to Australian requests for her release and immediate return home to Australia.

Davis repeatedly told consular officials she had no knowledge of the drugs.

ABC News earlier reported that the pair was not likely to appear in China court at least for a few months.

The prospects of Davis and Gardiner getting away with what they did was "very slim," if similar cases in recent times were taken into consideration.

A Chinese customs officer said that there was a possibility that some other people had also been involved in the smuggling.

China has extremely strict laws against drug trafficking as there is possible death penalty or a lengthy jail term.

Source: IB Times, December 9, 2014
Related content:

Most Viewed (Last 7 Days)

Communist Vietnam's secret death penalty conveyor belt: How country trails only China and Iran for 'astonishing' number of executions

Published
Image
Prisoners are dragged from their cells at 4am without warning to be given a lethal injection Vietnam's use of the death penalty has been thrust into the spotlight after a real estate tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to be executed in one of the biggest corruption cases in the country's history. Truong My Lan, a businesswoman who chaired a sprawling company that developed luxury apartments, hotels, offices and shopping malls, was arrested in 2022.
Read more

Could Moscow attack suspects face execution in Belarus?

Published
Image
After the deadly terrorist attack at Moscow's Crocus City Hall, some Russian politicians are debating trying the suspects to Belarus, which still has death penalty. But it's not that simple. The terror attack on Moscow's Crocus City Hall has ignited debate about the reintroduction of the death sentence in Russia. Given that 140 people died and more than 500 were wounded at the concert hall on March 22, 2024, emotions are running high.
Read more

Bill Moves Forward to Prevent Use of Nitrogen Gas Asphyxiation in Louisiana Executions

Published
Image
There’s an effort underway, in the current legislative session in Baton Rouge, to reverse course on the controversial execution method with Senate Bill 430. When Louisiana legislators approved the use of nitrogen gas asphyxiation as an execution method during a second special legislative session in February, the move attracted national attention; not the least because it has only been used in the U.S. once. That’s when Alabama executed convicted killer Kenneth Eugene Smith on January 25th of this year. Now there’s an effort underway, in the current legislative session in Baton Rouge, to reverse course on the controversial execution method with Senate Bill 430.
Read more

Iran | 9 prisoners executed in a single day

Published
Image
9 prisoners of drug charges executed in the central prisons of Kerman, Chabahar and GhezelHesar According to the Iranian Human Rights Society website, on Sunday, April 21st, 2024, 9 prisoners including, Baloch and Kurdish drug suspects were executed in the central prisons of Kerman, Chah bahar, and GhezelHesar.  
Read more

Iran | Probable Child Offender and Child Bride, Husband Executed for Drug Charges

Published
Image
Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); April 15 2024: Marjan Hajizadeh and Esmail Hassaniani, a couple sentenced to death for drug-related charges in a joint case, were executed in Zanjan Central Prison.  Marjan is reported to have been 16 at the time of arrest, which IHRNGO is working to confirm. If verified, she will be the first child offender executed for drug charges since 2014. She was also a child bride forced into marriage.
Read more

U.S. Supreme Court to hear Arizona death penalty case that could redefine historic precedent

Published
Image
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments centering on an Arizona death row prisoner that could set new precedent to determining ineffective assistance of counsel.  A Mohave County Superior Court jury convicted Danny Lee Jones for the 1992 murders of Robert Weaver and his daughter Tisha, as well as the attempted murder of Weaver’s grandmother. A judge sentenced Jones to death for the two murders.
Read more