Death Penalty News

Taipei, March 17 (CNA) Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) on Monday said his party will launch a campaign to hold referendums opposing the abolition of the death penalty and what he alleged was a push toward martial law and war by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Chu announced the referendum campaigns at a press conference held with KMT lawmakers in front of the Legislative Yuan, saying Taiwan's democracy had reached a "critical moment" due to "destructive" actions by President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and the DPP. On the issue of the death penalty, Chu slammed a ruling issued by the Constitutional Court last year, which found the death penalty constitutional only for the "most serious" premeditated murders and crimes leading to death.

Two Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-affiliated groups yesterday urged the Constitutional Court to uphold the constitutionality of the death penalty, with justices expected to issue a ruling tomorrow. More than 80 percent of Taiwanese who participated in the organizations’ polls and group discussions said they opposed the abolition of capital punishment, the Chinese Association for Human Rights and Taiwan Deliberative Democracy Association told a news conference in Taipei.

Abolfazl Ghadyani, a prominent Islamic revolutionary-turned-dissident, says that Iran may be ripe for a revolution to overthrow the Islamic leadership as anger turns to rage over the execution of protesters, oppressive policies, and poor living standards. The 78-year-old Ghadyani, a senior member of the reformist party the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution of Iran Organization, said in a published statement on May 22 that the most peaceful path for political change in Iran would require Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to "willingly resign, ask for national forgiveness, and make way for a democratic system of governance."

As debate on whether to abolish death penalty or not continues, one of Malawi’s legal expert has trashed a call by Malawi Law Society (MLS) for a referendum on death penalty. This comes following a public hearing on whether the country should abolish death penalty or not which was held on Friday May 20, 2022 in Blantyre, organized by the Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee (PLAC). Presenting his views on the matter, Malawi Law Society president Patrick Mpaka said his institution is of the view that Malawi Parliament should call for a referendum in 2025 where he said authorities could get the right direction on the matter. Mpaka indicated that section 196 (a) of the constitution of Malawi, states that some proposed amendments have to be put to a referendum, as the country is regarded as collective wisdom based country. “What we would suggest is to seek collective wisdom of the people. Section 196 points to the collective wisdom to seek a referendum in 2025. This issue should be presen...

The Council of Europe continues to call on Minsk to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its abolition, a spokesperson for the organization told Sputnik, commenting on the consent of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to put the issue to a referendum. On Tuesday, Lukashenko said that the majority of Belarusians, in his opinion, are in favor of preserving capital punishment, but agreed to submit the issue of its abolition to a separate referendum in the future. “The position of the Council of Europe on death penalty is well known: death is not justice, and capital punishment does not deter crime. As a first step towards abolition of the death penalty, the Council of Europe has repeatedly called on Belarusian authorities to impose a moratorium on its use,” the spokesperson said. RELATED | Proposal to hold referendum on death penalty in Belarus On Tuesday, after Lukashenko announced that Belarus will hold a referendum on a new constitution in February...

MINSK, 28 September (BelTA) - There is a proposal to hold a separate referendum on the death penalty in Belarus, Chairman of the Constitutional Court and Chairman of the Constitutional Commission Piotr Miklashevich told the media following the discussion of the changes to the Belarusian Constitution with the president on 28 September, BelTA has learned. “The meeting of the Constitutional Commission also highlighted the issue related to Article 24 of the Constitution that provides for the use of the death penalty. Today's position of the Constitutional Commission is that there is currently no need to submit this issue to the upcoming referendum [on a new version of the Constitution which is to be held no later than February 2022]. This matter needs a separate referendum in the future,” said Piotr Miklashevich. In his words, it is considered inexpedient to raise the question of abolishing the death penalty and changing the order of its application today.  “This is a very sensitive is...

The head of state will also consider the constitutional status of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly and the question of labor staffs’ participation in nominating candidates for seats in the legislative bodies of power Belarus’ Constitutional Commission has suggested considering issues related to the death penalty and the constitutional status of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly at the level of the president, the Constitutional Commission’s chairman, Pyotr Miklashevich, told the media on Wednesday. "We have identified three items that should be considered with the head of state taking part. First, there is the constitutional status of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, because this new institution in the system of state power must have certain constitutional powers and at the same time do not upset the existing system of public administration," Miklashevich said. "Second, the death penalty. 3 options are on the agenda here," he said. The current constitutio...

The following article has been Google translated from Uktainian. In Belarus, for the first time in 2021, the death penalty was handed down. Viktor Skrundzyk was sentenced to death in Slutsk. This was reported by the human rights organization " Viasna ". The decision was made by the Minsk Regional Court of Slutsk on January 15.  Skrundzik and three of his accomplices were found guilty of killing two retirees and attempting to kill an 85-year-old woman.  Two accomplices received 22 and 18 years of strict regime colonies, another - a year of work with the payment of 10% of wages. Skrundzik was first sentenced to death last year. However, in the fall, the Supreme Court overturned the decision and remanded the case for retrial. At the same time, human rights activists noted that in Belarus the death penalty is rarely imposed if the panel of the Supreme Court overturns the previous sentence. Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko has previously declared that the death penalty can b...

EU leaders will hold a special online summit on Wednesday (19 August) backing Belarusian protesters and telling Russia not to interfere, top EU officials said on Monday. European Council president Charles Michel called for the extraordinary video summit as mass protests continued in Belarus against long-time president Alexander Lukashenko, who claimed a landslide victory in an election on 9 August, which the opposition says was rigged. Lukashenko's security forces brutally cracked down on initial protests, which prompted the biggest rally in the country's modern history over the weekend against the strongman. "The people of Belarus have the right to decide on their future and freely elect their leader," said Michel in a tweet announcing the summit of the 27 leaders. "Violence against protesters is unacceptable and cannot be allowed," he added. EU leaders are also expected to send a message to Russia not to meddle in Belarus, as Russian...

Any day now, it's possible that two men will be executed in the only European country where the death penalty still exists - but their family will never find out when they were shot, or where they were buried. Five months ago, Hanna Kostseva was in court when her two brothers, Stanislaw and Ilya, aged 19 and 21, were sentenced to death for murder. "When the judge read out the verdict to 'apply an exceptional measure of punishment in the form of execution', people in the courtroom began to clap," she says. "Initially, just one started, then another followed, then a third, and in the whole hall only applause was heard. For me, at that moment, it was like my own life was cut short." Hanna says she then approached the cage in which her brothers had pleaded guilty to the murder of one of her neighbours. She managed to squeeze close to them and hug them through the bars, and promised she would do everything possible to save their lives. ...

In reaction to some parliamentarians’ opposition to harsh punishment for child rapists, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan on Monday suggested holding a referendum on public executions. RELATED |  National Assembly passes resolution to publicly hang child rapists Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, the minister termed the resolution that called for publicly hanging those involved in cases of the sexual assault and murder of minors a correct decision. “If the opposition has any objection to public executions, a referendum be held [on the issue],” he suggested, adding the plebiscite will determine whether the people support public hanging for those involved in heinous crimes or not. RELATED |  Public executions: a bad idea Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MNA Syed Naved Qamar, slamming the resolution, said it was passed without forethought. He said the country is being run through presidential ordinances despite the prese...

The 26-year-old woman was drinking with her friend at her apartment when the latter committed the heinous act A 26-year-old mother, who witnessed her 8-month-old child being brutally beaten and beheaded by her 48-year-old accomplice, has lost her appeal against a maximum prison sentence, and now faces 25 years of imprisonment. While her killer accomplice, identified as Viktar Syarhel, also lost his Supreme Court appeal in Belarus against a death sentence and is now set to be executed by a a single pistol shot to the back of the head. The child's mother, Natalya Kolb, was reportedly drinking with friend Syarhel at her apartment when the latter committed the heinous act while she watched.  RELATED |  Man who beheaded 8-month-old girl in "drunken stupor" sentenced to death The baby, identified as Hanna, had 46 separate injuries on her body and was killed with a kitchen knife.  The child's bloodied body was discovered by Kolb's husband Leoni...