India: Amnesty urges govt to save four death-row prisoners

Source: Adnkronos


London and New Delhi, 14 Feb. - India must immediately halt the impending executions of four prisoners after President Pranab Mukherjee denied them mercy, Amnesty International said.
“This government has executed more people since November 2012 than in the previous ten years. To continue such a regressive trend would be truly shameful,” said G. Ananthapadmanabhan, chief executive of Amnesty International India.
“Given the political climate and the two other recent executions, there is a real concern that these four men will be put to death soon. The Indian government must ensure that this does not happen.”
Gnanprakasham, Simon, Meesekar Madaiah and Bilavendran are now at high risk of imminent execution, after Mukherjee turned down their mercy petitions - the final level of appeal in India's judicial system, the campaign group said.
Amnesty called for a moratorium on executions in India.
The four men were convicted in 1993 for their involvement in a landmine blast that killed 22 people, and injured many others, including police officers.
The men originally sentenced to life imprisonment by a special anti-terrorism court in Karnataka but on appeal were given the death penalty by the Supreme Court in 2004. They had filed mercy petitions in 2004.
Special anti-terrorism courts such as the one in Karnataka that convicted the men were disbanded in 1995 as they failed to meet international fair trial standards.
Mukherjee’s rejection of their mercy plea came just days after the hanging of Afzal Guru – the second execution in India in fewer than three months following an eight-year hiatus.