A British couple jailed in Dubai for kissing in public have lost their appeal against their conviction.
Ayman Najafi, 24, and Charlotte Adams, 25, were sentenced to a month in prison with subsequent deportation and fined about £200 for drinking alcohol.
The couple were arrested in November after a local woman accused them of breaking the country's decency laws by kissing on the mouth in a restaurant.
Najafi said he was "very disappointed". The pair plan to make a second appeal.
The initial complaint against them was made by a 38-year-old woman who said she was offended by their behaviour at the Jumeirah Beach Residence, where she was dining with her daughter.
The couple's defence lawyers said the woman - who did not appear in court - had not seen the kiss herself, but had been told by her two-year-old child that the girl had seen the couple kissing.
The defendants also claimed they had merely kissed each other on the cheek, and therefore had not broken any laws.
Quickly dismissed
The BBC's Ben Thompson, at the court, said the judge spoke entirely in Arabic as he quickly dismissed the appeal, saying he upheld the previous sentence.
They were fined 1000 dirhams, which is about £200.
It was left to the defence lawyer to explain the verdict to Najafi and Adams.
I think that the combination of the alleged kissing and the consumption of alcohol in an illegal place, meant that this was a case that the authorities really wanted to pursue
Professor John Strawson
Najafi said after the case: "It's very harsh, based on contradictory evidence. The courts haven't called on any of our witnesses who are prepared to testify that this didn't happen."
The couple decided not to start their sentence immediately, but the Dubai authorities are holding their passports so they are unable to return to Britain.
Professor John Strawson, an expert in Islamic law, told BBC Radio 5 Live he was not surprised by the judge's decision.
He said: "The problem in this particular case is that one of the British citizens is of Muslim origin.
"And I think that the combination of the alleged kissing and the consumption of alcohol in an illegal place, meant that this was a case that the authorities really wanted to pursue, and they are probably sticking to their rigid interpretation of the law."
Professor Strawson said the Dubai authorities often turned a blind eye to foreigners' behaviour, because of the high income that comes from tourists.
But he said Dubai had recently issued new explanations tightening up their laws.
Sexy texts
The Foreign Office advises Britons going to Dubai, which is part of the United Arab Emirates, to be wary of breaching local customs.
A statement on the its travel advice website reads: "Britons can find themselves facing charges relating to cultural differences, such as using bad language, rude gestures or public displays of affection."
Najafi, from north London, had been working for marketing firm Hay Group in Dubai for about 18 months.
The case is the latest in a series of incidents over recent years in which foreigners have broken Dubai's strict decency laws.
In March, an Indian couple in their 40s were sentenced to three months in jail in Dubai after sending each other sexually explicit text messages.
In 2008, two Britons accused of having sex on a beach in Dubai were sentenced to three months in jail, though the sentences were later suspended.
- It's really difficult to imagine living in an area with such strict laws. For the couple from Britain, kissing and drinking in public must have been something so normal for them that they didn't think twice about it. It seems a bit too sheltered that this is against the law, and that a woman was "offended" because her daughter saw it, but at the same time, you have to respect the customs of a foreign land. Especially since there is fair warning on travel sites, the couple should have known better. However, if what they're saying is true, and it never happened, then the judge is being extremely unfair in terms of the sentencing. He didn't even bother listening to their appeal or witnesses, which is wrong. I can respect the laws in Dubai, but I cannot respect an unfair justice system. Have your laws, but uphold them correctly.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Japan indicts anti-whaling activist
An anti-whaling activist has been indicted in Tokyo for illegally boarding the Shonan Maru II, a Japanese harpoon boat, as part of a protest against a whale hunting expedition in Antarctic seas.
Peter Bethune, a 44 year old activist from New Zealand, "was indicted on Friday for trespassing, causing injuries, obstructing commercial activities, vandalism and carrying a weapon", a spokeswoman at the Tokyo district court said.
Bethune, from the US-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, boarded the harpoon boat from a jet ski in Antarctic waters on February 15, allegedly carrying a knife which he used to cut a guard net as he boarded the ship.
He was held on board and arrested when the ship returned to Japan on March 12. He has since been held in custody in Tokyo.
Ady Gil, the Sea Shepherd's powerboat, was sliced in two in a collision with the harpoon boat in January.
'Citizen's arrest'
Bethune had said he boarded the harpoon boat to make a citizen's arrest of the captain, for what he said was the attempted murder of his six crew, and to present him with a $3m bill for the destruction of the powerboat.
"Bethune inflicted a chemical burn on a Japanese whaler's face by hurling a bottle of butyric acid which smashed aboard the Shonan Maru II days before he boarded the ship," the prosecution brief said.
The Sea Shepherds described the bottles as containing "rancid butter stink-bombs".
Bethune faces assault and business obstruction charges, which each carry prison terms of up to 15 years or fines of up to $5,000.
"Our country will deal strictly with such cases under the law," Hirofumi Hirano, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, said, denying any plans to hold negotiations with the activist group.
The Sea Shepherds urged Australian police to prosecute the captain and crew of the harpoon boat over the collision and have described Bethune as a "political prisoner".
Confrontation
Commercial whaling was banned under a 1986 moratorium, but Japan still hunts whales for what it says are scientific research purposes.
Japan maintains that whaling has been part of its culture for centuries, and does not hide the fact that whale meat ends up in shops and restaurants.
The Sea Shepherd sends vessels to confront the fleet each year, trying to block the whalers from firing harpoons.
The whalers respond by firing water cannons and sonar devices meant to disorient the activists.
Clashes between the anti-whaling protesters and Japan's whaling fleet in Antarctic waters became increasingly confrontational this year, when the Sea Shepherd protest boat was sliced in two by the bow of a whale boat.
Australia has threatened to take Tokyo to the International Court of Justice unless it ceases its annual whale hunts by November. Some legal experts say Japan's hunt breaches international laws such as the Antarctic Treaty System.
A court challenge would lead to provisional orders for Japan to halt whaling immediately ahead of a full hearing.
- Well, this activist sounds a little crazy - I mean, throwing butyric acid in someone's face certainly wasn't the best way to handle the situation - but I absolutely agree with what him and the Sea Shepherds are doing. I am strongly against whaling; I think it's disgusting and unnecessary, especially since whales are now becoming seriously endangered. Plus, it's illegal! The fact that Japan is just choosing to ignore this, and is doing nothing to hide their true uses for the whales, is appalling. There is a huge variety of things for the Japanese to eat, it doesn't have to be whales! I don't really care if it's part of the culture, it's putting an entire ecosystem at great risk. It has to be stopped and I'm glad that Australia is making an effort. While I hope Japan will cease their activities, it doesn't seem likely, so I hope that Australia - and other countries as well - will make sure that there is justice.
Peter Bethune, a 44 year old activist from New Zealand, "was indicted on Friday for trespassing, causing injuries, obstructing commercial activities, vandalism and carrying a weapon", a spokeswoman at the Tokyo district court said.
Bethune, from the US-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, boarded the harpoon boat from a jet ski in Antarctic waters on February 15, allegedly carrying a knife which he used to cut a guard net as he boarded the ship.
He was held on board and arrested when the ship returned to Japan on March 12. He has since been held in custody in Tokyo.
Ady Gil, the Sea Shepherd's powerboat, was sliced in two in a collision with the harpoon boat in January.
'Citizen's arrest'
Bethune had said he boarded the harpoon boat to make a citizen's arrest of the captain, for what he said was the attempted murder of his six crew, and to present him with a $3m bill for the destruction of the powerboat.
"Bethune inflicted a chemical burn on a Japanese whaler's face by hurling a bottle of butyric acid which smashed aboard the Shonan Maru II days before he boarded the ship," the prosecution brief said.
The Sea Shepherds described the bottles as containing "rancid butter stink-bombs".
Bethune faces assault and business obstruction charges, which each carry prison terms of up to 15 years or fines of up to $5,000.
"Our country will deal strictly with such cases under the law," Hirofumi Hirano, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, said, denying any plans to hold negotiations with the activist group.
The Sea Shepherds urged Australian police to prosecute the captain and crew of the harpoon boat over the collision and have described Bethune as a "political prisoner".
Confrontation
Commercial whaling was banned under a 1986 moratorium, but Japan still hunts whales for what it says are scientific research purposes.
Japan maintains that whaling has been part of its culture for centuries, and does not hide the fact that whale meat ends up in shops and restaurants.
The Sea Shepherd sends vessels to confront the fleet each year, trying to block the whalers from firing harpoons.
The whalers respond by firing water cannons and sonar devices meant to disorient the activists.
Clashes between the anti-whaling protesters and Japan's whaling fleet in Antarctic waters became increasingly confrontational this year, when the Sea Shepherd protest boat was sliced in two by the bow of a whale boat.
Australia has threatened to take Tokyo to the International Court of Justice unless it ceases its annual whale hunts by November. Some legal experts say Japan's hunt breaches international laws such as the Antarctic Treaty System.
A court challenge would lead to provisional orders for Japan to halt whaling immediately ahead of a full hearing.
- Well, this activist sounds a little crazy - I mean, throwing butyric acid in someone's face certainly wasn't the best way to handle the situation - but I absolutely agree with what him and the Sea Shepherds are doing. I am strongly against whaling; I think it's disgusting and unnecessary, especially since whales are now becoming seriously endangered. Plus, it's illegal! The fact that Japan is just choosing to ignore this, and is doing nothing to hide their true uses for the whales, is appalling. There is a huge variety of things for the Japanese to eat, it doesn't have to be whales! I don't really care if it's part of the culture, it's putting an entire ecosystem at great risk. It has to be stopped and I'm glad that Australia is making an effort. While I hope Japan will cease their activities, it doesn't seem likely, so I hope that Australia - and other countries as well - will make sure that there is justice.
Filipinos Nailed To The Cross In Good Friday Rites
SAN FERNANDO, Philippines April 2, 2010, 08:23 am ET Filipino devotees had themselves nailed to crosses Friday to remember Jesus Christ's suffering and death — an annual rite rejected by church leaders in the predominantly Roman Catholic country.
At least 23 people were nailed to crosses in three villages in northern Pampanga province's San Fernando city to mark Good Friday, with foreigners banned from taking part this year except as spectators, said Ching Pangilinan, a city tourism officer and one of the organizers.
She said the ban was imposed after some foreigners took part in previous years just to make a film or make fun of the rites.
"We don't want them to just make a mockery out of the tradition of the people here," Pangilinan said.
The event Friday drew more than 10,000 Philippine and foreign spectators, she said.
Many gathered at San Pedro Cutud, a farming village where devotees dressed in robes and tin crowns walked to a dusty mound carrying wooden crosses on their backs. At the mound, men nailed their hands and feet to the crosses.
Among the devotees was Ruben Enaje, a 49-year-old sign painter who was nailed to a cross for the 24th time as his way of thanking God for his survival after falling from a building.
Mary Jane Mamangon, a 34-year-old rice cake vendor, was the lone female devotee to be nailed to a cross this year in San Juan village. It was her 14th time.
She said she started when she was 18 and has taken part in the annual rites on and off to seek God's help in saving her ill grandmother and now her younger sister, who is suffering from cancer.
"I do it because I have seen that it works," she told The Associated Press. "I saw how my grandmother recovered from her illness."
Mamangon said she has faith that God will take care of her and her family.
Similar rites took place in nearby Bulacan province, while in other parts of the country, half-dressed, barefooted flagellants walked the streets, whipping their bloody backs with pieces of wood dangling from ropes as a way to atone for sins.
Church leaders reject such practices. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said the real expression of Christian faith during Lent is through repentance and self-renewal, not flagellation or crucifixion.
Bishop Rolando Tirona of the Prelature of Infanta said flagellation and cross nailings are expressions of superstitious beliefs, and are usually done out of need for money or to encourage tourism, which make them wrong.
About 80 percent of the Philippine population of more than 90 million are Roman Catholic.
- I think I'm going to definitely side with the Church on this one. Call me ignorant, but I'm pretty sure that God isn't going to cure your relative or save your life just because you've crucified yourself. In fact, I think it's an insult to Jesus to volontarily put yourself through what he endured, especially those who have done it many times. Jesus endured pain and suffering so that others did not have to. He didn't allow himself to be crucified to start a trend. And I'm disgusted by those who are doing it for money or tourism, because it makes a mockery of the whole holiday and completely defeats the purpose. I agree with the Church leaders in the sense that having faith in God means asking Him for forgiveness and constantly trying to better yourself, not by sticking nails through your limbs.
At least 23 people were nailed to crosses in three villages in northern Pampanga province's San Fernando city to mark Good Friday, with foreigners banned from taking part this year except as spectators, said Ching Pangilinan, a city tourism officer and one of the organizers.
She said the ban was imposed after some foreigners took part in previous years just to make a film or make fun of the rites.
"We don't want them to just make a mockery out of the tradition of the people here," Pangilinan said.
The event Friday drew more than 10,000 Philippine and foreign spectators, she said.
Many gathered at San Pedro Cutud, a farming village where devotees dressed in robes and tin crowns walked to a dusty mound carrying wooden crosses on their backs. At the mound, men nailed their hands and feet to the crosses.
Among the devotees was Ruben Enaje, a 49-year-old sign painter who was nailed to a cross for the 24th time as his way of thanking God for his survival after falling from a building.
Mary Jane Mamangon, a 34-year-old rice cake vendor, was the lone female devotee to be nailed to a cross this year in San Juan village. It was her 14th time.
She said she started when she was 18 and has taken part in the annual rites on and off to seek God's help in saving her ill grandmother and now her younger sister, who is suffering from cancer.
"I do it because I have seen that it works," she told The Associated Press. "I saw how my grandmother recovered from her illness."
Mamangon said she has faith that God will take care of her and her family.
Similar rites took place in nearby Bulacan province, while in other parts of the country, half-dressed, barefooted flagellants walked the streets, whipping their bloody backs with pieces of wood dangling from ropes as a way to atone for sins.
Church leaders reject such practices. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said the real expression of Christian faith during Lent is through repentance and self-renewal, not flagellation or crucifixion.
Bishop Rolando Tirona of the Prelature of Infanta said flagellation and cross nailings are expressions of superstitious beliefs, and are usually done out of need for money or to encourage tourism, which make them wrong.
About 80 percent of the Philippine population of more than 90 million are Roman Catholic.
- I think I'm going to definitely side with the Church on this one. Call me ignorant, but I'm pretty sure that God isn't going to cure your relative or save your life just because you've crucified yourself. In fact, I think it's an insult to Jesus to volontarily put yourself through what he endured, especially those who have done it many times. Jesus endured pain and suffering so that others did not have to. He didn't allow himself to be crucified to start a trend. And I'm disgusted by those who are doing it for money or tourism, because it makes a mockery of the whole holiday and completely defeats the purpose. I agree with the Church leaders in the sense that having faith in God means asking Him for forgiveness and constantly trying to better yourself, not by sticking nails through your limbs.
Malaysia beer drink woman's caning sentence commuted
A Malaysian woman sentenced to be caned for drinking beer has had her punishment commuted.
Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarnor had pleaded guilty to the offence under Malaysia's Islamic law and was to have received six strokes of a rattan cane.
But her family said religious officials had overturned the ruling, ordering her to carry out community service instead.
Ms Kartika's original sentence, which had been delayed several times, had provoked fierce debate.
While drinking alcohol is forbidden for Muslims, prosecutions are rare.
Ms Kartika's family was informed by letter that the sultan of Pahang state, where Ms Kartika was arrested for drinking beer in a beachfront hotel in December 2007, had overturned the ruling.
The religious leader has the power to rule on matters of Islamic law.
Kartika will go on with her life
Shukarno Mutalib
"The sultan has decided that the caning sentence will be substituted with a three-week community service at a children's home in Pahang from 2 April," Ms Kartika's father, Shukarnor Mutalib, told the AFP news agency.
"Kartika was expecting a caning, she is surprised by this development as she will be separated from her children for three weeks, but we respect the sultan's decision," he said.
"We will abide by the order. Kartika will go on with her life," he told the Associated Press news agency.
The commutation was welcomed by Malaysia's Bar Council, which had called caning "anachronistic and inconsistent with a compassionate society".
"Our view is that no one should be caned. We are against any form of corporal punishment," council Ragunath Kesavan told the AFP news agency.
The case had caused controversy in Malaysia, where Muslims are subject to Islamic law in personal matters, and attracted international criticism.
Ms Kartika, a mother of two, had not appealed against her sentence and had asked that her punishment be carried out in public.
When first convicted, she seemed set to become the first woman to be caned in Malaysia.
But in February, three women were caned at a prison near the capital, Kuala Lumpur, for having extra-marital sex, leading to fears Ms Kartika's punishment would also go ahead.
- All I can say is thank God. I understand that Muslims cannot drink alcohol, and I respect that. It's a completely foreign concept to me because Western culture thrives off alcohol, but I still respect it. However, I do not agree with or respect caning. Her initial sentence was six strokes with the cane and a fine. Breaking the law by drinking beer does not make assault okay. And yes, anyway you word it, caning is assault. It is just not an appropriate form of punishment, and I feel that it is outrageous that women who had sex out of wedlock were punished this way just over a month ago. I can respect a different culture, but as soon as you're talking about beating someone with a cane, human rights outweighs religion. I am thrilled by the way this situation panned out though. I'm glad that there were people criticizing the sentence and standing up for this woman. Now, she has the much more appropriate punishment of community service. I hope that in the future with cases like this, people will continue to speak out against abusive sentences and that the government in countries such as Malaysia will continue to make judgements calls consistent with "a compassionate society".
Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarnor had pleaded guilty to the offence under Malaysia's Islamic law and was to have received six strokes of a rattan cane.
But her family said religious officials had overturned the ruling, ordering her to carry out community service instead.
Ms Kartika's original sentence, which had been delayed several times, had provoked fierce debate.
While drinking alcohol is forbidden for Muslims, prosecutions are rare.
Ms Kartika's family was informed by letter that the sultan of Pahang state, where Ms Kartika was arrested for drinking beer in a beachfront hotel in December 2007, had overturned the ruling.
The religious leader has the power to rule on matters of Islamic law.
Kartika will go on with her life
Shukarno Mutalib
"The sultan has decided that the caning sentence will be substituted with a three-week community service at a children's home in Pahang from 2 April," Ms Kartika's father, Shukarnor Mutalib, told the AFP news agency.
"Kartika was expecting a caning, she is surprised by this development as she will be separated from her children for three weeks, but we respect the sultan's decision," he said.
"We will abide by the order. Kartika will go on with her life," he told the Associated Press news agency.
The commutation was welcomed by Malaysia's Bar Council, which had called caning "anachronistic and inconsistent with a compassionate society".
"Our view is that no one should be caned. We are against any form of corporal punishment," council Ragunath Kesavan told the AFP news agency.
The case had caused controversy in Malaysia, where Muslims are subject to Islamic law in personal matters, and attracted international criticism.
Ms Kartika, a mother of two, had not appealed against her sentence and had asked that her punishment be carried out in public.
When first convicted, she seemed set to become the first woman to be caned in Malaysia.
But in February, three women were caned at a prison near the capital, Kuala Lumpur, for having extra-marital sex, leading to fears Ms Kartika's punishment would also go ahead.
- All I can say is thank God. I understand that Muslims cannot drink alcohol, and I respect that. It's a completely foreign concept to me because Western culture thrives off alcohol, but I still respect it. However, I do not agree with or respect caning. Her initial sentence was six strokes with the cane and a fine. Breaking the law by drinking beer does not make assault okay. And yes, anyway you word it, caning is assault. It is just not an appropriate form of punishment, and I feel that it is outrageous that women who had sex out of wedlock were punished this way just over a month ago. I can respect a different culture, but as soon as you're talking about beating someone with a cane, human rights outweighs religion. I am thrilled by the way this situation panned out though. I'm glad that there were people criticizing the sentence and standing up for this woman. Now, she has the much more appropriate punishment of community service. I hope that in the future with cases like this, people will continue to speak out against abusive sentences and that the government in countries such as Malaysia will continue to make judgements calls consistent with "a compassionate society".
Saudis 'give Lebanese sorcerer stay of execution'
A Lebanese man sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for sorcery has been given a temporary reprieve, his lawyer says.
Ali Sabat's execution was scheduled for Friday but his lawyer, May el-Khansa, told the BBC she had been assured by a Lebanese minister it would not happen.
Mr Sabat, who is in his 40s, was the host of a satellite TV programme in which he predicted the future.
He was arrested by religious police while on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia in 2008 and convicted of sorcery.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri had been urged to intervene on his behalf.
"The minister of justice for Lebanon called me and told me that nothing would happen [on Friday]," Ms Khansa told the BBC.
"But after that I don't have an answer as to if he will be alive or not.
"Time is passing and if they don't kill him this Friday maybe next Friday," Ms Khansa told the World Today programme.
There has been no official confirmation from Saudi Arabia, where executions are often carried out with little warning.
'Witch hunt'
Amnesty International said Mr Sabat seemed to have been convicted for "exercising of his right to freedom of expression".
Malcolm Smart, head of Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa programme, said it was "high time the Saudi Arabian government joined the international trend towards a worldwide moratorium on executions".
Ms Khansa says her client did make a confession but he only did so because he had been told he could go back to Lebanon if he did.
Human rights groups have accused the Saudis of "sanctioning a literal witch hunt by the religious police".
An Egyptian working as a pharmacist in Saudi Arabia was executed in 2007 after having been found guilty of using sorcery to try to separate a married couple.
There is no legal definition of witchcraft in Saudi Arabia, but horoscopes and fortune telling are condemned as un-Islamic.
Nevertheless, there is still a big thirst for such services in a country where widespread superstition survives under the surface of strict religious orthodoxy, the BBC's Sebastian Usher says.
- A man is sentenced to death for... sorry, what? Sorcery? What century are we in again? It's hard to believe that this is actually happening. First of all, it's hard to believe that there is a country still superstitious enough to believe that such a thing exists. Second, that they would condemn such a thing with death. Death! For telling a fortune or reading a horoscope, simply becomes it's "un-Islamic". Seems like pretty much everything these days is un-Islamic and is costing innocent people their lives. There's not even a definition for what constitues sorcery in Saudi Arabia and they're still putting people to death for it! I'm fine with religion playing a part in the law, but in this case, it seems to be bordering on madness.
Ali Sabat's execution was scheduled for Friday but his lawyer, May el-Khansa, told the BBC she had been assured by a Lebanese minister it would not happen.
Mr Sabat, who is in his 40s, was the host of a satellite TV programme in which he predicted the future.
He was arrested by religious police while on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia in 2008 and convicted of sorcery.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri had been urged to intervene on his behalf.
"The minister of justice for Lebanon called me and told me that nothing would happen [on Friday]," Ms Khansa told the BBC.
"But after that I don't have an answer as to if he will be alive or not.
"Time is passing and if they don't kill him this Friday maybe next Friday," Ms Khansa told the World Today programme.
There has been no official confirmation from Saudi Arabia, where executions are often carried out with little warning.
'Witch hunt'
Amnesty International said Mr Sabat seemed to have been convicted for "exercising of his right to freedom of expression".
Malcolm Smart, head of Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa programme, said it was "high time the Saudi Arabian government joined the international trend towards a worldwide moratorium on executions".
Ms Khansa says her client did make a confession but he only did so because he had been told he could go back to Lebanon if he did.
Human rights groups have accused the Saudis of "sanctioning a literal witch hunt by the religious police".
An Egyptian working as a pharmacist in Saudi Arabia was executed in 2007 after having been found guilty of using sorcery to try to separate a married couple.
There is no legal definition of witchcraft in Saudi Arabia, but horoscopes and fortune telling are condemned as un-Islamic.
Nevertheless, there is still a big thirst for such services in a country where widespread superstition survives under the surface of strict religious orthodoxy, the BBC's Sebastian Usher says.
- A man is sentenced to death for... sorry, what? Sorcery? What century are we in again? It's hard to believe that this is actually happening. First of all, it's hard to believe that there is a country still superstitious enough to believe that such a thing exists. Second, that they would condemn such a thing with death. Death! For telling a fortune or reading a horoscope, simply becomes it's "un-Islamic". Seems like pretty much everything these days is un-Islamic and is costing innocent people their lives. There's not even a definition for what constitues sorcery in Saudi Arabia and they're still putting people to death for it! I'm fine with religion playing a part in the law, but in this case, it seems to be bordering on madness.
Killer of US abortion doctor George Tiller gets life
A US court has sentenced an anti-abortion activist to life in prison for murdering the prominent abortion doctor, George Tiller, last year.
Scott Roeder, 52, said he shot Dr Tiller at a church in Wichita, Kansas, to save the lives of unborn babies.
George Tiller was one of the few doctors to offer late-term abortions. The case highlighted the bitter debate over abortion in the US.
The judge said Roeder would not be eligible for parole for 50 years.
Warren Wilbert, the judge at Sedgwick County court, said he gave Roeder the maximum sentence because he admitted stalking Dr Tiller for months.
A life sentence was mandatory, but the judge had the option of making Roeder ineligible for parole for 25 or 50 years.
Judge Wilbert also sentenced Roeder to serve an additional two years in prison for threatening two ushers at the church last May.
In a statement to the court, Roeder said he did not regret killing Dr Tiller.
"I stopped him so he could not dismember another innocent baby," Roeder said. "Wichita is a far safer place for unborn babies without George Tiller."
The Tiller family's lawyer, Lee Thompson, called the murder an act of "domestic terrorism" against a devoted family man who believed strongly in women's rights.
"He respected and trusted the right of women to make their own decisions," said Thompson. "He gave his life to the rights of women."
Dr Tiller's clinic was one of only three in the US that offered late-term abortions - performed after 21 weeks - which are legal in Kansas.
His clinic was heavily fortified after a bomb attack in 1986. Dr Tiller also survived an attempt on his life in 1993.
- Murder is never acceptable. A man shooting and killing someone in a church should absolutely receive life in prison. However, is an abortion performed on a six-month-old fetus not also murder? I am very strongly pro-choice, and believe in the choice to have an abortion, but to an extent. A woman should have the right to choose what to do with her body, yes. But she shouldn't be loafting around for five months and then decide to get an abortion. I believe in the procedure in the first few weeks of the pregnany, when the fetus is just a mass of cells. But after a month of two, that ball of cells now has a heartbeat. And after twenty-one weeks - the amount of time for it to be called a late-term abortion - it's a baby. You cannot argue with that; there has been enough development in its body and mind that the fetus is a person. So while this man shouldn't have killed the abortion doctor, I can understand his outrage that late-term abortions were taking place in his city, because at that point, the line between a woman's choice and taking a life is significantly blurred.
Scott Roeder, 52, said he shot Dr Tiller at a church in Wichita, Kansas, to save the lives of unborn babies.
George Tiller was one of the few doctors to offer late-term abortions. The case highlighted the bitter debate over abortion in the US.
The judge said Roeder would not be eligible for parole for 50 years.
Warren Wilbert, the judge at Sedgwick County court, said he gave Roeder the maximum sentence because he admitted stalking Dr Tiller for months.
A life sentence was mandatory, but the judge had the option of making Roeder ineligible for parole for 25 or 50 years.
Judge Wilbert also sentenced Roeder to serve an additional two years in prison for threatening two ushers at the church last May.
In a statement to the court, Roeder said he did not regret killing Dr Tiller.
"I stopped him so he could not dismember another innocent baby," Roeder said. "Wichita is a far safer place for unborn babies without George Tiller."
The Tiller family's lawyer, Lee Thompson, called the murder an act of "domestic terrorism" against a devoted family man who believed strongly in women's rights.
"He respected and trusted the right of women to make their own decisions," said Thompson. "He gave his life to the rights of women."
Dr Tiller's clinic was one of only three in the US that offered late-term abortions - performed after 21 weeks - which are legal in Kansas.
His clinic was heavily fortified after a bomb attack in 1986. Dr Tiller also survived an attempt on his life in 1993.
- Murder is never acceptable. A man shooting and killing someone in a church should absolutely receive life in prison. However, is an abortion performed on a six-month-old fetus not also murder? I am very strongly pro-choice, and believe in the choice to have an abortion, but to an extent. A woman should have the right to choose what to do with her body, yes. But she shouldn't be loafting around for five months and then decide to get an abortion. I believe in the procedure in the first few weeks of the pregnany, when the fetus is just a mass of cells. But after a month of two, that ball of cells now has a heartbeat. And after twenty-one weeks - the amount of time for it to be called a late-term abortion - it's a baby. You cannot argue with that; there has been enough development in its body and mind that the fetus is a person. So while this man shouldn't have killed the abortion doctor, I can understand his outrage that late-term abortions were taking place in his city, because at that point, the line between a woman's choice and taking a life is significantly blurred.
Moscow subway bomber was 17, alleged rebel widow
By MANSUR MIROVALEV (AP) – 1 hour ago
MOSCOW — A 17-year-old from Dagestan was one of two female suicide bombers who attacked Moscow's subway, Russian investigators said Friday. A leading newspaper called her the widow of a slain Islamist rebel.
President Dmitry Medvedev also urged harsher measures Friday to crack down on terrorism and the death toll from Monday's subway bombings rose to 40 as a man died in the hospital. At least 90 others were injured in the twin subway attacks.
Federal investigators identified one of the attackers as Dzhanet Abdurakhmanova, 17, of Dagestan and said they were still trying to identify the second bomber and track down the organizers of the attack.
Dagestan, one of the predominantly Muslim provinces in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region, was the site of two suicide bombings on Wednesday that killed 12 people, mostly police officers. Another explosion there Thursday killed two suspected militants.
The Kommersant newspaper published what it said was a picture of Abdurakhmanova, also known as Abdullayeva, dressed in a black Muslim headscarf and holding a pistol. A man with his arm around her, also holding a gun, is identified as Umalat Magomedov, whom the paper described as an Islamist militant leader killed by government forces in December.
The paper said the second subway bomber has been has been tentatively identified as 20-year-old Markha Ustarkhanova from Chechnya, the widow of a militant leader killed last October while he was preparing to assassinate Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, who is backed by the Kremlin.
The subway suicide bombings — the first such attacks in Moscow since 2004 — refocused attention on the violence that for years has been confined to the North Caucasus.
A Chechen militant leader on Thursday claimed responsibility for the subway bombings. Federal Security Service director Alexander Bortnikov said some terror suspects in the subway bombings had been detained, but did not elaborate.
Female suicide bombers from the North Caucasus are referred to in Russia as "black widows" because many of them are the wives, or other relatives, of militants killed by security forces.
Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have called for the terrorists to be unceremoniously destroyed. On Friday, Medvedev broadened the targets to include their accomplices, even those who help terrorists in tangential ways.
"In my opinion, we have to create such a model for terrorist crimes that anyone who helps them — no matter what he does, be it cook the soup or wash the clothes — has committed a crime," Medvedev said.
Russian police and security forces have long been accused of seizing people suspected of aiding militants. Some people have been tortured and many disappeared, and rights activists trying to document the abuses have also been slain, kidnapped or threatened.
- To me the conflict between terrorists and governments is never ending. It seems to be a cyclical pattern; there is a terrorist attack, the government hunts down those responsible, and new terrorists respond to the deaths of the initial terrorists. When a rebel is killed, his widow starts a terrorist group. Then suddenly anyone who has come into contact with this widow is a criminal in the eyes of the government. While the government is simply trying to stop terrorist activity in what they view as the most effective way possible, I'm worried that this extreme approach could lead to nothing but more and more bloodshed. The more attacks that take place, the more gruesome the government's strategy becomes ("terrorists to be unceremoniously destroyed"). At this point, it feels like a war without a victory in sight. However, as governments are turning more of their attention to this problem, I'm hoping that together they will have the insight to hinder or hopefully stop these terrorists altogether.
MOSCOW — A 17-year-old from Dagestan was one of two female suicide bombers who attacked Moscow's subway, Russian investigators said Friday. A leading newspaper called her the widow of a slain Islamist rebel.
President Dmitry Medvedev also urged harsher measures Friday to crack down on terrorism and the death toll from Monday's subway bombings rose to 40 as a man died in the hospital. At least 90 others were injured in the twin subway attacks.
Federal investigators identified one of the attackers as Dzhanet Abdurakhmanova, 17, of Dagestan and said they were still trying to identify the second bomber and track down the organizers of the attack.
Dagestan, one of the predominantly Muslim provinces in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region, was the site of two suicide bombings on Wednesday that killed 12 people, mostly police officers. Another explosion there Thursday killed two suspected militants.
The Kommersant newspaper published what it said was a picture of Abdurakhmanova, also known as Abdullayeva, dressed in a black Muslim headscarf and holding a pistol. A man with his arm around her, also holding a gun, is identified as Umalat Magomedov, whom the paper described as an Islamist militant leader killed by government forces in December.
The paper said the second subway bomber has been has been tentatively identified as 20-year-old Markha Ustarkhanova from Chechnya, the widow of a militant leader killed last October while he was preparing to assassinate Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, who is backed by the Kremlin.
The subway suicide bombings — the first such attacks in Moscow since 2004 — refocused attention on the violence that for years has been confined to the North Caucasus.
A Chechen militant leader on Thursday claimed responsibility for the subway bombings. Federal Security Service director Alexander Bortnikov said some terror suspects in the subway bombings had been detained, but did not elaborate.
Female suicide bombers from the North Caucasus are referred to in Russia as "black widows" because many of them are the wives, or other relatives, of militants killed by security forces.
Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have called for the terrorists to be unceremoniously destroyed. On Friday, Medvedev broadened the targets to include their accomplices, even those who help terrorists in tangential ways.
"In my opinion, we have to create such a model for terrorist crimes that anyone who helps them — no matter what he does, be it cook the soup or wash the clothes — has committed a crime," Medvedev said.
Russian police and security forces have long been accused of seizing people suspected of aiding militants. Some people have been tortured and many disappeared, and rights activists trying to document the abuses have also been slain, kidnapped or threatened.
- To me the conflict between terrorists and governments is never ending. It seems to be a cyclical pattern; there is a terrorist attack, the government hunts down those responsible, and new terrorists respond to the deaths of the initial terrorists. When a rebel is killed, his widow starts a terrorist group. Then suddenly anyone who has come into contact with this widow is a criminal in the eyes of the government. While the government is simply trying to stop terrorist activity in what they view as the most effective way possible, I'm worried that this extreme approach could lead to nothing but more and more bloodshed. The more attacks that take place, the more gruesome the government's strategy becomes ("terrorists to be unceremoniously destroyed"). At this point, it feels like a war without a victory in sight. However, as governments are turning more of their attention to this problem, I'm hoping that together they will have the insight to hinder or hopefully stop these terrorists altogether.
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