Indian Court Orders Death Sentence for Three Rapists

By Brian Lanciault
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NEW DELHI, India–Three men were sentenced to death on Friday for two gang rapes committed last year in Mumbai.  These included an attack on a photojournalist that sparked protests in the city and raised fresh questions about attitudes to women in the world’s largest democracy.

Police escort one of the convicted rapists outside of a jail in Mumbai. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

A Mumbai court on Friday sentenced Vijay Jadhav, Kasim Bengali and Mohammed Salim Ansari to death, the first time capital punishment has been ordered in a case of rape not involving the death of the victim.

“There was no chance of reformation in these men and this sends a strong signal to society,” special prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told reporters outside the court.

Women’s safety in India has been under the heavy scrutiny since the gang rape and murder of a student on a bus in Delhi two years ago.  The 2012 rape-murder provoked nationwide protests and the introduction of tougher sexual assault laws. Recently a stream of high-profile and highly publicized attacks has raised concerns that little has changed.

In this most recent case out of Mumbai, four men were convicted last week of gang-raping a photojournalist. The woman was attacked in the early evening of August 22 while on an assignment with a male colleague at an abandoned textile mill.

Three of the men were given the death penalty because they had also been found guilty of raping another woman at the same location in July. The fourth man received a life sentence and a juvenile charged for his involvement in the case is being tried separately.

“I think the court has given a distinct, definite and welcome verdict,” said Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police in Mumbai.

The attack on the photojournalist provoked a public outcry partly because Mumbai, India’s financial capital and the home of Bollywood, is considered one of the country’s safest cities for women. Mahalaxmi, the neighborhood where the two rapes took place, is a central district close to many new offices and bars. Since the attack, public scrutiny has been at a zenith.

For more information, please see:

BBC News–Mumbai gang rape: Death sentence for India rapists–4 April 2014

Voice of America–Indian Court Orders Death Sentence for Rapists–4 April 2014

Reuters–Three sentenced to death for gang rapes in Mumbai–4 April 2014

Channel News Asia–Indian court orders first death sentences for multiple rapes–4 April 2014

Church Raid Bullet Removed from Infant’s Brain

By: Danielle L. Gwozdz
Impunity Watch News Reporter, Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya – A bullet lodged in the brain of an infant boy during an attack on a church near Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa has been removed following an operation, a hospital spokesman says.

Infant after bullet removed from his brain (photo courtesy of F2F)

 

The 18-month old boy survived a raid attack that left six people dead. The infant was shielded by his mother who was shot and the bullet passed through her and into her son’s head. This act saved her son’s life.

No group has admitted to the raid that occurred on March 23rd.

The bullet was removed during a three-hour operation at the Kenyetta National Hospital in the capital, Nairobi.

“The baby is fully awake and he is back to his old state,” chief neurosurgeon Mwangi Gichuru said.

Kenyan police say the attack on the church could be an “act of terrorism.”

At least two gunmen burst into the church and started shooting indiscriminately.

Blood-soaked Bibles and overturned chairs law strewn across the church’s floor after the shooting.

The shooters escaped the scene before authorities arrived. The investigation is still continuing.

Kenyan officials said on Tuesday that they have arrested more than 650 people in an ethnic Somali part of Nairobi.

In a statement, the Interior Cabinet Secretary said a thorough security operation has been launched aimed at arresting the perpetrators of the Monday attack.

The Secretary described the attack as “barbaric” and an “act of cowardice” against innocent and peace-loving Kenyans.

The Somali al-Qaeda group al-Shabab has carried out several attacks in Kenya since 2011, when Kenya sent troops into Somalia to battle it.

On Monday, six people were killed in explosions in the Eastleigh suburb of Nairobi, which has the largest Somali population. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Late Monday, Nairobi police chief Benson Kibui assured Kenyans they are safe and that the attackers would be found.

“We are here to ensure that you and me are secure, so there is no need to panic. The government is on top of issues investigating all this and terrorism. But whoever is doing this or whoever is collaborating with whatever is going on, we will nab him,” Kibui said.

For more information, please visit:
BBC News – Kenyan church raid: Bullet removed from boy’s brain – 1 April 2014
Face 2 Face Africa – Kenya’s church raid: Bullet removed from boy’s brain – 1 April 2014
Panorama – Kenyan church raid: Bullet removed from boy’s brain – 1 April 2014
Nigerian Tribune – Kenya’s church raid: Bullet removed from boy’s brain •Police arrest 650 after bomb attack – 2 April 2014
News.nom.co – Church attack: Bullet removed from Kenyan boy’s brain – 1 April 2013