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Death and the maiden in Iran Atefeh Rajabi appears to have been a fairly normal 16-year-old: sulky, disobedient, and eager to have sex. In London, those attributes earn lectures from parents and teachers on the importance of acting responsibly and not being offensive. In the city of Neka in Iran, where Atefeh Rajabi comes from, they get you hauled up in front of a judge. Atefeh's typical teenage behaviour meant that she was charged and found guilty of "acts incompatible with chastity". The judge in the Islamic court ruled that the appropriate penalty was death. That's right: death. Her...

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A death row inmate whose case attracted the attention of celebrity capital punishment opponent Susan Sarandon was executed Thursday evening for killing a convenience store clerk. Speaking slowly and quietly, his voice halting at times, James Allridge thanked his family and friends for loving him and expressed remorse. "I am sorry, I really am," he said in a brief final statement. "I am sorry I destroyed y'all's life," he said looking at the family of his victim. "Thank you for forgiving me. To the moon and back, I love you all. I leave you all as...

HUNTSVILLE -- Convicted killer James Allridge was executed Thursday night for the 1985 slaying of a store clerk in Fort Worth during a robbery. < snip > His work attracted the attention of actress and death penalty opponent Susan Sarandon, who visited Allridge last month.

HUNTSVILLE - A 28-year-old Tyler man was executed Wednesday for killing two teen-age girls after spending hours drinking and smoking marijuana with them in Cherokee County in 1995. In a final statement, Jasen Shane Busby thanked his family for "standing by me" and expressed love for them. He turned to relatives of his victims and said he "didn't do what I did to hurt you all. I am sorry that I did what I did." "I don't think you know the true reason for doing what I did, but Brandy and I had a suicide pact, and I just didn't...

HUNTSVILLE, Texas - An inmate was executed Wednesday for gunning down two teenage girls with an assault rifle at a mobile home nine years ago. In a brief, final statement, Jasen Shane Busby thanked his family for "standing by me" and expressed love for them. He turned to relatives of his victims and said that he "didn't do what I did to hurt you all. I am sorry that I did what I did." Busby, 28, was arrested within an hour after Tennille Thompson, 18, and Brandy Gray, 16, were killed. A third person was shot in the neck but...

In the eyes of his family and supporters, James Vernon Allridge III is the portrait of rehabilitation. To the family and friends of Brian Clendennen, Allridge is the portrait of a killer. For 17 years, Allridge has been on Texas' Death Row, where he has become a self-taught artist whose colorful pictures of flowers and landscapes have brought him a small international following. His prison record has won him praise from several former correctional officials who say he is no longer a threat to anyone. But Shane Clendennen and his family say that no amount of artistic flair or gentle...

SPRINGFIELD, VA (AP) - Nguyen Ngoc Loan, whose execution of a Viet Cong prisoner on the streets of Saigon in 1968 became one of the most chilling images of the Vietnam War, died Tuesday. -snip- On Feb. 1, 1968, Loan was director of South Vietnam's national police and the North Vietnamese had just begun the Tet Offensive, their huge military push southward. Firefights had broken out all over Saigon, and Loan's police were trying to rid the South Vietnamese capital of Viet Cong guerrillas. Loan led the prisoner, his hands bound, onto a street corner and in front of a...

Amnesty International Outraged at Execution of a 16 Year Old Girl! Public Statement Amnesty International today expressed its outrage at the reported execution of a girl who is believed to be 16 years old, Ateqeh Rajabi, in Neka in the northern Iranian province of Mazandaran, on 15 August, for "acts incompatible with chastity" (amal-e manafe-ye 'ofat). Ateqeh Rajabi was reportedly publicly hanged on a street in the city centre of Neka. Amnesty International is alarmed that this execution was carried out despite reports that Ateqeh Rajabi was not believed to be mentally competent, and that she reportedly did not have...

The oldest prisoner to be executed in the U-S for decades was put to death last night at Holman Prison in Atmore, Alabama. After being denied a stay of excution by the Supreme Court, 74-year-old James Barney Hubbard died by lethal injection just after six o'clock. He was convicted of killing a 62-year-old Tuscaloosa woman in 1977

KOLKATA: The man, whose crime 14 years ago has kept the city following the fate of his punishment, is dying on his birthday. Dhananjoy Chatterjee is going to be hanged at Alipore Central Jail at 4.30 am on August 14, unless another round of legal battle keeps him alive for a few more days. The state government's announcement came even as human rights activists were plotting their next move to save Chatterjee and took everyone, including many officials in the government and hangman Nata Mallick, by surprise. The news, broken first by inspector-general (prisons) Jaydeb Chakraborty at Writers' Buildings, appears...

Just two years ago, 43-year-old Rebecca Thompson moved to the Middle Eastern nation of Oman with her husband of 2 ½ years, Mark, when he got a job with a local oil company. Rebecca's 14-year-old son from a previous marriage, Derrick Green, went with them. On New Year's Day this year, Mark Thompson was found dead — his body battered and badly burnt. In July, a court in Oman — with the input of an Omani religious leader — convicted Rebecca and Derrick of murder. Two 17-year-old Omani boys, accused of being their hired accomplices, were convicted too. The two...

ATMORE, Ala. - A 74-year-old murderer became the oldest U.S. inmate put to death in decades Thursday after courts and the governor refused to stop his execution. James Barney Hubbard died by injection at 6:36 p.m. at Holman Prison near Atmore. Hubbard was executed for the 1977 murder of 62-year-old Lillian Montgomery of Tuscaloosa. She was shot in the head and robbed after befriending Hubbard, who had been released from prison after serving 19 years for a 1957 killing. Earlier Thursday, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to deny a stay for Hubbard. His attorney contended the execution would amount to...

JARRATT, Va. (AP) — A man who fatally shot his wife and 2-year-old son was put to death by injection Thursday night. Asked by the warden if he had any final words, Mark W. Bailey said in a clear, strong voice, "No, thank you." He was pronounced dead at 9:07 p.m. at the Greensville Correctional Center. Gov. Mark R. Warner on Thursday evening denied Bailey's request for clemency, noting that his case had been reviewed by several courts. The Supreme Court unanimously denied Bailey's appeal Wednesday. Bailey, 34, shot his wife three times in the head as she slept in...

An alleged US army deserter who has spent the last 40 years in North Korea is facing an uncertain future after arriving in Japan for medical care. Charles Jenkins, 64, could be turned over to US custody once he has been treated for a stomach complaint. He flew to Tokyo with his Japanese wife and their two daughters, after a dramatic reunion in Indonesia. His wife returned to Japan from North Korea in 2002, but Mr Jenkins remained, fearing he would be sought by the US. Television footage showed a frail Mr Jenkins using a cane as he walked hesitantly...

WITNESSES have reportedly told an Australian journalist how new Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi shot and killed up to six prisoners just days before his government took control of the country. A newspaper report today said the two witnesses saw Dr Allawi pull a pistol and execute suspected insurgents at a Baghdad police station. Dr Allawi's office has denied the claims and branded them "outrageous". The witnesses said the handcuffed and blindfolded prisoners were lined up against a wall in a courtyard next to the maximum-security cell block in which they were held at the Al-Amariyah security centre. They say...

Australian Broadcasting Corporation TV PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT LOCATION: http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2004/s1155990.htm Broadcast: 16/07/2004 Iraqi PM executed six insurgents: witnesses Reporter: Maxine McKew MAXINE MCKEW: Let's go straight to the allegations that Iyad Allawi executed as many as six suspected insurgents at a Baghdad police station at the end of June. The explosive claims in tomorrow's Sydney Morning Herald and Age newspapers allege that the prisoners were handcuffed and blindfolded, lined up against a courtyard wall and shot by the Iraqi Prime Minister. Dr Allawi is alleged to have told those around him that he wanted to send a clear message to the police...

MAXINE MCKEW: Let's go straight to the allegations that Iyad Allawi executed as many as six suspected insurgents at a Baghdad police station at the end of June. The explosive claims in tomorrow's Sydney Morning Herald and Age newspapers allege that the prisoners were handcuffed and blindfolded, lined up against a courtyard wall and shot by the Iraqi Prime Minister. Dr Allawi is alleged to have told those around him that he wanted to send a clear message to the police on how to deal with insurgents. Two people allege they witnessed the killings and there are also claims the...

The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, set to go to press in a few hours, will include a story alleging the Iraqi leader Allawi was involved in the execution of 6 Iraqis in the week leading up to the handover. Allegations made by 2 people who say they witnessed the event in a Baghdad jail. - ALLAWI IS DENYING THE ALLEGATIONS. The story will probably end up on http://www.smh.com.au/ soon.

QUANTICO, Va. (AP) - A U.S. Marine who disappeared in Iraq and turned up in Lebanon three weeks later arrived at a Marine Corps base south of Washington, D.C., on Thursday after six days of evaluation in a U.S. military hospital in Germany, a military official said. Lt. Col. David Lapan, a Marine Corps spokesman, said Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun would continue to undergo a "repatriation" process until it is determined he is fit and capable of returning to normal duty. He said the process could take from weeks to months. Hassoun was not made available at Quantico for questions...

Actress Sarandon visits Texas condemned killer04:35 PM CDT on Wednesday, July 14, 2004Associated Press LIVINGSTON -- Actress Susan Sarandon spoke with a convicted killer for about two hours Wednesday in a Texas death row visit. Sarandon declined to talk with reporters after she met with James Allridge, III at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston. Sarandon is a death penalty opponent who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of an anti-capital punishment nun in the film "Dead Man Walking." Allridge, who declined to speak with reporters Wednesday, faces execution August 26. He was condemned for the 1985 shooting death of...