17 May 2023 - NPWJ News Digest on International Criminal Justice

Articles

Singapore’s death row ‘main element of its drug policy’
Al Jazeera, 16 May 2023

Singapore’s use of the death penalty was once again thrust into the global spotlight last month when Tangaraju Suppiah became the first person to be executed in the city-state this year. His case centred on the trafficking of just more than 1kg of cannabis and made headlines around the world, with some expressing surprise at Singapore’s still strict approach to drugs. Last year, 11 men are known to have been hanged by the state. Singapore’s prison authorities do not report details of these cases, so information is gathered via families of prisoners or campaign groups.  

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Iceland Council of Europe summit seeks to hold Russia to account for Ukraine war
Alarabiya News, 16 May 2023

Leaders from across the continent were heading toward Iceland early Tuesday for a rare summit of the 46-nation Council of Europe that will once more step-up support for member state Ukraine and condemn expelled Russia for inflicting war on its neighbor. After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stocked up on promises of military hardware throughout along weekend of diplomatic hobnobbing with the continent’s major leaders, the two-day summit of Europe’s main human rights body will be centering on providing legal and judicial means to go after the Kremlin. 

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Death sentences and executions 2022 [EN/AR]
OCHA ReliefWeb, 15 May 2023

Recorded executions in 2022 reached the highest figure in five years, as the Middle East and North Africa’s most notorious executioners carried out killing sprees, Amnesty International said today as it released its annual review of the death penalty. However, there was good news in Sub-Saharan Africa as recorded executions dropped by 67%, from 33 in 2021 to 11 in 2022, and recorded death sentences reduced by 20%. A total of 883 people were known to have been executed across 20 countries globally, marking a rise of 53% over 2021 – not including the exact number committed by China last year. 

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UN for first time marks anniversary of Palestinian Nakba
Arab News, 15 May 2023

As the UN on Monday officially commemorated the Palestinian Nakba, or “Catastrophe,” for the first time, President Mahmoud Abbas told representatives of member states that his people have the right to live in freedom and dignity in their own independent nation. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke at UN meeting to commemorate the forced displacement of Palestinians when Israel was founded 75 years ago. He called for an independent Palestinian state, full membership of the UN and not just the status of non-member observer state, and for Israel authorities to be held accountable for breaches and illegal crimes under the international law. 

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Ethiopia: Impunity for torture during the Tigray war
OMCT World Organisation Against Torture, 15 May 2023

During its 76th session on May 3 and 4, 2023, the Committee against Torture (CAT) examined Ethiopia's 2nd periodic report. The country rapporteurs were Mr. Todd Buchwald and Mr. Sébastien Touzé. The delegation from Ethiopia was led by Mr. Alemante Agidew, State Minister at the Ministry of Justice of Ethiopia. The Committee commended Ethiopia's self-critical effort in its report. 

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Launch of new project to enhance judicial cooperation within and with the Western Balkans
European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, 15 May 2023

The Western Balkans Criminal Justice Project – WBCJ – kicked off today with a launch conference attended by high-level representatives of the regional partners and several EU institutions. Funded by the European Commission and implemented by Eurojust, the initiative aims to strengthen judicial cooperation within the Western Balkans as well as between the region and the EU in the fight against organised crime and terrorism. Participants are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. 

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Latest de Lima Acquittal Exposes Philippine Justice System’s Politicization
Human Rights Watch, 15 May 2023

The acquittal of former Senator Leila de Lima in the second of three drug cases against her and her likely continued custody in police detention highlight the political nature of the charges against her. De Lima, who has now been in detention for more than six years, was acquitted for allegedly trading illegal drugs while she was secretary of justice, after being acquitted in the first case against her in 2021. Both cases were evidently fabricated and there is no reason to think that the third case against her is any more credible. 

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