Latest news with #ShahzadiKhan
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Outside the US, the death penalty is a vestige from another time
On Mar. 31, the United Arab Emirates informed the world that it had sentenced to death three people who had taken the life of an Israeli Moldovan rabbi last November, with what the prosecution called 'terrorist intention.' After the sentence, the Emirates's attorney general stressed that the sentences signified how his country will respond to any attempt to 'undermine national security and stability.' The UAE has shown no hesitancy about turning death sentences into executions. In February, it executed Shahzadi Khan, a domestic worker convicted of killing her employers' baby. Just days after Khan was put to death, the UAE carried out two more executions. Khan's case was marked by a litany of problems familiar to any observer of America's death penalty. She claimed that her taped confession had been coerced and she had been left without 'adequate representation' during the trial. Her lawyer described her death as an 'extrajudicial killing under the guise of legal proceedings.' But arguments about problems in the administration of capital punishment have much less purchase in the global effort to end state killing than they do in this country. There is no one-size-fits-all approach in the battle to end capital punishment. The most common strategy in the international arena has focused more on human rights appeals than worries about executing the innocent, discrimination or botched executions — the things that have moved the needle on the death penalty in this country. Typical is the position of the European Union, that 'Capital punishment violates the inalienable right to life and is incompatible with human dignity.' The UAE, along with some other pro-death-penalty nations, continues to ignore such arguments. Still, efforts to end the death penalty globally are gaining traction. Eighty years ago, 'only eight states had abolished the death penalty for all crimes.' Today, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, 144 countries have abolished it, and four others made progress toward abolition last year. Abolitionists will run into a trap if they insist that there is only one right way for death penalty countries to end the practice. We don't want the effort to end state killing worldwide to be just another 'West knows best' campaign. The danger of that is clear if we look at how the global death penalty scene breaks down. From what we know, China executes more people every year than any other nation. In 2024, Iran, which carried out the second most executions, put about 800 people to death. This was followed by Saudi Arabia (303 people), Iraq (94), North Korea (32) and the U.S. (25). And, like the UAE, other nations continue to impose death sentences for a broader array of offenses than just intentional killings. They use it for such things as 'sexual violence, homosexuality, blasphemy, fraud, security-related offenses, and drug-related offenses.' The International Commission Against the Death Penalty identifies nine different paths that countries have taken to end the death penalty. Some have done so because they needed to in order to be part of organizations like the EU, others because a court ordered them to do so. Some made a one-time and dramatic break from their pasts; others have ended the death penalty gradually. Despite these differences, the commission concludes that 'Leadership is key in the abolition of capital punishment as it increases respect and protection of the fundamental right to life.' Whatever arguments are used, the journey toward worldwide rejection of capital punishment will not be concluded quickly. But it will come. Meanwhile, we will have to endure more death sentences like those handed down in the UAE and the death of Khan and others like her. Austin Sarat is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science at Amherst College. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
15-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Outside the US, the death penalty is a vestige from another time
On Mar. 31, the United Arab Emirates informed the world that it had sentenced to death three people who had taken the life of an Israeli Moldovan rabbi last November, with what the prosecution called 'terrorist intention.' After the sentence, the Emirates's attorney general stressed that the sentences signified how his country will respond to any attempt to 'undermine national security and stability.' The UAE has shown no hesitancy about turning death sentences into executions. In February, it executed Shahzadi Khan, a domestic worker convicted of killing her employers' baby. Just days after Khan was put to death, the UAE carried out two more executions. Khan's case was marked by a litany of problems familiar to any observer of America's death penalty. She claimed that her taped confession had been coerced and she had been left without 'adequate representation' during the trial. Her lawyer described her death as an 'extrajudicial killing under the guise of legal proceedings.' But arguments about problems in the administration of capital punishment have much less purchase in the global effort to end state killing than they do in this country. There is no one-size-fits-all approach in the battle to end capital punishment. The most common strategy in the international arena has focused more on human rights appeals than worries about executing the innocent, discrimination or botched executions — the things that have moved the needle on the death penalty in this country. Typical is the position of the European Union, that 'Capital punishment violates the inalienable right to life and is incompatible with human dignity.' The UAE, along with some other pro-death-penalty nations, continues to ignore such arguments. Still, efforts to end the death penalty globally are gaining traction. Eighty years ago, 'only eight states had abolished the death penalty for all crimes.' Today, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, 144 countries have abolished it, and four others made progress toward abolition last year. Abolitionists will run into a trap if they insist that there is only one right way for death penalty countries to end the practice. We don't want the effort to end state killing worldwide to be just another 'West knows best' campaign. The danger of that is clear if we look at how the global death penalty scene breaks down. From what we know, China executes more people every year than any other nation. In 2024, Iran, which carried out the second most executions, put about 800 people to death. This was followed by Saudi Arabia (303 people), Iraq (94), North Korea (32) and the U.S. (25). And, like the UAE, other nations continue to impose death sentences for a broader array of offenses than just intentional killings. They use it for such things as 'sexual violence, homosexuality, blasphemy, fraud, security-related offenses, and drug-related offenses.' The International Commission Against the Death Penalty identifies nine different paths that countries have taken to end the death penalty. Some have done so because they needed to in order to be part of organizations like the EU, others because a court ordered them to do so. Some made a one-time and dramatic break from their pasts; others have ended the death penalty gradually. Despite these differences, the commission concludes that 'Leadership is key in the abolition of capital punishment as it increases respect and protection of the fundamental right to life.' Whatever arguments are used, the journey toward worldwide rejection of capital punishment will not be concluded quickly. But it will come. Meanwhile, we will have to endure more death sentences like those handed down in the UAE and the death of Khan and others like her.
Middle East Eye
04-03-2025
- Middle East Eye
Indian worker executed in UAE over child's death
An Indian woman was executed in Abu Dhabi after being convicted of killing her employer's child - a charge that her family denies. Shahzadi Khan, 33, was executed on 15 February, her family were informed on Monday. The Indian external affairs ministry informed Delhi high court that they received confirmation of Khan's execution from UAE authorities last week. It came after her father Shabbir Khan had petitioned the Delhi court to ascertain information on his daughter's condition. Shahzadi Khan travelled to Abu Dhabi in 2021 from her village in Uttar Pradesh, after an Indian businessman on Facebook offered her the promise of a better future in the Gulf country. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters She believed that future would involve medical treatment for severe burns she suffered as a child. However, when she arrived in November 2021, she found that she had been "sold" to a married Indian couple as a bonded labourer, her father told The Independent. Her main responsibility was to care for the couple's newborn child. The child died in February 2022, and the couple immediately accused Khan of being responsible. According to court documents, Khan was accused of asphyxiating the child because she was angry over "mistreatment and nondelivery of salaries". Khan and her family strongly denied the allegations, and have stated that the baby died from an incorrect vaccination received earlier that day. Khan's father told The Independent that no autopsy was carried out. He also said that his daughter was forced to sign a false confession, which led to her conviction. She was sentenced to death by an Abu Dhabi court in July 2023. Khan's last phone call with her family was on 13 February, during which she said she may be executed imminently. She was put to death two days later. In an interview with the Press Trust of India, her father said she was not granted justice. "I tried a lot with the Indian government. I had been running around since last year. We did not have the money to go [to Abu Dhabi]," he said. "The lawyers were expensive and the government did not support us." In an earlier interview to the BBC, Khan's employer said: "Shahzadi brutally and intentionally killed my son which is already proven by the United Arab Emirates authorities in the light of all the evidence. "Misleading information has been provided to media and other authorities to gain sympathy and shift the focus from the actual crime which she committed." Last month, India's government informed parliament that 54 Indians were facing execution abroad, of whom 29 were in the UAE. According to the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, several individuals are currently under sentence of death in the UAE. The last known execution before Khan's was that of a man accused of raping and killing an eight-year-old boy. He was executed in 2017.
The Independent
04-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Indian woman, 33, quietly executed in Abu Dhabi for infant's murder
An Indian woman sentenced to death in Abu Dhabi in the murder of a four-month-old child was executed on 15 February, weeks before her family and the Indian embassy was officially informed, the Delhi High Court was told on Monday. Shahzadi Khan, 33, had been in custody since 10 February 2023 before being convicted and sentenced to death on 31 July that year. She was held at Al Wathba prison, where she was executed last month. The revelation about her execution came during a court hearing on Monday following a plea filed by Khan's father, Shabbir Khan, who had sought information about her legal status and well-being. 'It is over. She was executed on 15 February. Her last rites will be held on 5 March,' additional solicitor general Chetan Sharma informed the court. Justice Sachin Datta described the development as 'very unfortunate'. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that the Indian embassy had provided legal support, including submitting mercy petitions and pardon requests to the UAE government. However, the country's highest court, the Court of Cassation, upheld the death sentence, and UAE authorities officially notified the Indian embassy of the execution on 28 February. Mr Khan, a resident of Banda district in Uttar Pradesh, said he had struggled for clarity on his daughter's fate, as he lashed out at the Indian government for not taking enough initiative. In his plea before the court, he stated: "The petitioner, with considerable effort, submitted an application dated February 21, 2025 to the Ministry of External Affairs, seeking to ascertain the current legal status of his daughter and confirm whether she remains alive or has been executed.' 'I tried a lot with the Indian government [to help reverse the judgment]. I had been running around since last year,' Mr Khan told the Press Trust of India. 'We did not have the money to go there [Abu Dhabi]. The lawyers were expensive and the government did not support us. They hanged her on 15 February and there was no news from MEA. I had a number on which I called and the woman who spoke to me told me my daughter was no more,' he said. He has now requested the government to arrange his travel to Abu Dhabi to attend his daughter's last rites. Earlier on 14 February, Mr Khan said, he received a 'phone call from my beloved daughter who while crying on phone told me she has been informed about her execution'. 'A captain visited me today, and I've been isolated. He told me I have no time left,' she said. Khan was allegedly deceived by a fraudster and trafficked to Abu Dhabi in December 2021 before being implicated in the death of an infant, a crime she vehemently denied committing. The child, Mr Khan claims, died on 7 December 2022, hours after receiving routine vaccinations. Her legal team argued that she had been pressured into a confession and was inadequately represented during her trial, as Khan's family maintained her innocence. According to Abu Dhabi court submissions seen by The Independent, Khan asphyxiated the infant on the 'spur of the moment'. She was angry with her employers over 'mistreatment and nondelivery of salaries', the court was told during the trial, and she took out her frustration on their child. Earlier, her father told The Independent, he had written president Droupadi Murmu and prime minister Narendra Modi to intervene and secure clemency for his daughter. Her lawyer, Ali Mohammad, criticised the judicial process, alleging that Khan's execution amounted to an 'extrajudicial killing under the guise of legal proceedings'. He said efforts to appeal the sentence were unsuccessful, with a final rejection in February 2024 despite extensive documentation challenging the conviction. "We wrote to the Indian Embassy, the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of External Affairs, urging them to take the matter forward. But what happened in the end, we cannot say," he told India Today. 'We approached the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of External Affairs again on February 21, but no information was provided. After two to three days, we filed a writ petition in court, and today, we received official confirmation that she has been executed. Her last rites will be performed in Abu Dhabi on 5 March," he said.
Times of Oman
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
India: Father's plea for MEA intervention for daughter on UAE death row ends in tragedy
New Delhi: In a heartbreaking turn of events, the Additional Solicitor General (ASG), appearing for the Centre, informed the court that Shahzadi Khan, the woman from Uttar Pradesh, had been executed on February 15. The ASG also stated that the authorities are extending all possible assistance to her family and her cremation is scheduled for March 5. The father's plea for MEA intervention for his daughter on UAE death row ended in tragedy, and as a result, the court has disposed of the plea. Representing the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma and Advocate Ashish Dikshit informed the Delhi High Court that the Embassy of India in UAE received an official communication on February 28, 2025, from the UAE government. The communication stated that Shehzadi's death sentence was executed on February 15, 2025, in accordance with UAE laws and regulations. On the same day, the Embassy informed Shabbir Khan, the father of Shehzadi, about the confirmation of her execution. He was also informed that the family could come to the UAE by March 5, 2025, to participate in her last rites. Additionally, a dedicated mobile number for contacting the Indian Embassy was provided to Khan, stated MEA. The father of Shahzadi Khan, the UP woman facing a death sentence in the UAE, has approached the Delhi High Court seeking a directive to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and appropriate authorities to issue a bulletin and ascertain information regarding the exact current legal status and well-being of his daughter. Shahzadi Khan, a 33-year-old woman from Banda district in Uttar Pradesh, was facing execution in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Shahzadi Khan, who was imprisoned in Abu Dhabi's Al Wathba jail, was sentenced to death by a court for the death of a child who was under her care. Plea moved through advocate Ali Md Maaz stated that in December 2021, Shabbir Khan's daughter obtained a visa and traveled to Abu Dhabi, with a transit in Dubai. In August 2022, her employer gave birth to a son for whom Shabbir's daughter was employed as a caregiver. On December 7, 2022, the infant received routine vaccinations and tragically passed away that evening. The hospital recommended a postmortem, but the infant's parents refused and signed a consent letter waiving further investigation, the plea stated. It further stated that in February 2023, a video recording allegedly showed Shabbir's daughter confessing to the infant's homicide, a confession she claims was extracted through torture and abuse by Employer and her family. On February 10, 2023, she was handed over to the Abu Dhabi police, and on July 31, 2023, she was sentenced to death for the infant's homicide. Although legal counsel was provided by the Indian Embassy, it reportedly pressured her to confess, denying her adequate representation. Her appeal in September 2023 was dismissed, and the death penalty was upheld on February 28, 2024. Following the dismissal, Shabbir Khan sought clemency proceedings through the Indian Embassy but received a reply concerning an unrelated case. He filed a new mercy petition in May 2024. On July 11, 2024, he forwarded a mercy petition to the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi but received no response. On February 14, 2025, Shabbir Khan received a call from his incarcerated daughter, suggesting imminent execution. He then filed a formal request with the Ministry of External Affairs on February 20, 2025, seeking an inquiry into her legal status and wellbeing, but received no update.
