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Communist Vietnam's secret death penalty conveyor belt: How country trails only China and Iran for 'astonishing' number of executions

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Prisoners are dragged from their cells at 4am without warning to be given a lethal injection Vietnam's use of the death penalty has been thrust into the spotlight after a real estate tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to be executed in one of the biggest corruption cases in the country's history. Truong My Lan, a businesswoman who chaired a sprawling company that developed luxury apartments, hotels, offices and shopping malls, was arrested in 2022.

Sri Lanka releases Indian fishermen on death row

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The Sri Lankan Government on Wednesday released the 5 Indian fishermen, sentenced to death in a case of alleged drug trafficking.

An official told The Hindu that the 5 fishermen had been released to the care of the Indian High Commission in Colombo, before being sent back to India.

It is learnt that they will serve no further jail term in India.

PTI adds:

The release came after Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa commuted their death penalty.

Prison officials said the 5 fishermen have been handed over to the immigration authorities for further action.

Emerson, P Augustus, R Wilson, K Prasath and J Langlet, all hailing from Tamil Nadu, were apprehended in 2011 and were sentenced to death by the Colombo High Court on October 30 for alleged drug trafficking.

The court ruling had triggered fiery protests in parts of Tamil Nadu and sporadic violence broke out in and around Rameswaram island as a large number of people staged protests.

India on November 11 had filed an appeal in the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka against a verdict of the high court awarding death sentence to them.

Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation last week on the issue.

The issue of fishermen is a very emotive matter for both Sri Lanka and India, where Tamil Nadu-based parties including AIADMK and DMK have been regularly pressing the government to take up the matter with the Lankan authorities seriously and have often resented high - profile visits from the island nation.

Source: The Hindu, Nov. 19, 2014
Location: Sri Lanka
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