SO MR PRESIDENT HAS SUCH POWERFUL ENEMIES? : Jonathan's Enemies Behind My Arrest In Republic Of Benin Says Asari .. CKNAfrica

Former President of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF) Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, who was arrested last week in Republic of Benin, has said that those opposed to the 2015 presidential ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan were behind his arrest.

Asari, who appeared unperturbed about his arrest outside Nigeria, said that he was arrested and interrogated in Republic of Benin over an allegation from Nigeria that he is a leader of Boko Haram.

Asari, who spoke to journalists on arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja Friday night, also described as lies, the report in Nigerian media, that President Jonathan sent a Presidential Jet to fly him into Nigeria from Republic of a Benin.

His words: "Crisis is normal, it can also happen here in Nigeria, it can happen anywhere in the world. The people and government of Republic of Benin have no problem with me. But if people alleged that somebody is a leader of boko haram, the government of that country will investigate the person.

"The allegation has much to do with 2015 because when your read comments on social media, you find out that anybody who is against President Goodluck Jonathan, said they should vilify me, and make sure I die before 2015. But they are not going to succeed. I am not going to die. I will be present in 2015, and I will do what I am going to do to ensure that Jonathan wins in 2015. There is nothing they can do about it. This is their last fight and it is so unfortunate that the way and manner they are going with show how immature they are."

Speaking on the reports that he was flown into Abuja in a Presidential Jet, Asari said: "That media report shows what Nigerian press is all about. There is not truth in that report. I just arrived from Cotonu. I drove in my car from Cotonu to Lagos airport where I boarded aero contractors flight to Abuja. The report is not true. No presidential jet was sent to me.

"That report has shown that all the Nigerians press have been writing against me are instigated, and the are falsehood. Most of the things they have always written against President Goodluck Jonathan is also falsehood. The press in Nigeria is manipulated and instigated."

"I do business in Cotonu, and I have been living in Cotonu since 2008. Politically, people who are in Nigeria are trying to fabricate lies, which are not variable, and send it to Republic of Benin government. So I was taken for interrogation and they found that the allegations were false, and I was promptly released with over 20 of my staff who were also taken in." Asari said.

 Speaking on his meeting with leaders of government of Republic of Benin after his interrogation, Asari said: "I have met with the top and powerful people in Republic of Benin, since I went to that country. I have never had any reason to meet with their government officials, but this crisis has made it possible for me to meet with all the top government functionaries of the Republic of Benin. The criss has raised my profile in that country.

Asked whether President Jonathan intervened in his release, he said: "It is not just only President Jonathan that intervened, but Nigerians generally intervened. The number of people that came into Cotonu the day I was taken in, and the following day, were over one thousand.

"People from Rivers State, Bayelsa State, and the Igbo community in Republic of Benin, were there for me, in fact the whole of Nigeria community in Republic of Benin were involved. In the first few hours after my arrest, nobody knew where I was, our people took it upon themselves, especially the Igbo community and Rivers/Bayelsa community took it upon themselves to make sure they track me everywhere. They took lawyers to defend me. The wave of sympathy and solidarity shown by our people was far reaching and unprecedented.

"A lot of people here in Nigeria made efforts and sacrifices for me. My friends and allies who couldn't come into Cotonu were calling to know how I was doing. I am grateful to everybody."

JONATHAN CHANGES GEAR IN FG VS ASUU FACEOFF : We didn’t give ASUU ultimatum – Jonathan ... VanguardNews

President Jonathan has weekend, said his government did not give the  Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, an ultimatum to resume work or be sacked.
Fielding questions from newsmen, at the expanded caucus meeting of the Bayelsa State Peoples Democratic Party held  at Government House, Yenagoa,  the President said, the Supervising Minister of Education only passed on the decision of Committee of Vice Chancellors.
“We didn’t give them ultimatum; it was the Committee of Vice Chancellors that took that decision. The Supervising Minister of Education only passed on the decision.”
Jonathan also said the strike embarked upon by the  ASUU  was no longer a trade dispute , but a  subversive action.

Jonathan

He said, “What ASUU is doing is no longer trade union. I have intervened in other labour issues before now, once I invite them they respond and after the meeting they take decision and call off the strike.
“At times we don’t even give them a long notice unlike, in the case of ASUU that was given four days notice before the meeting. As you are meeting to resolve trade disputes, you expect the trade unions to get their officials ready.
“What was expected having met with the highest authorities in the land for long hours, was for ASUU to immediately issue statement within 12 or latest 24 hours to state their position whether they were accepting government’s offer or not. And if they are not accepting they state the reason for that.
“But despite the fact that I had the longest meeting with ASUU in my political history, we did not start that meeting until around 2:00 pm and the meeting ended the next day in the early hours.  As far as the government of Nigeria was concerned, all the critical people that should be in a meeting were there, so what else do they want?
“After that they didn’t meet until one week, despite the fact that you met with the highest authority. It was unfortunate one of them, Prof. Iyayi died.
“The way ASUU has conducted the matter shows they are extreme and when Iyayi died, they now said the strike was now indefinite, our children have been at home for over five months.

A STORY THAT TOUCHES THE HEART : Crushed by a cow, chased out of hospital, bedridden for 10 yrs ... SAD TALE ... GinaInternationalNews

 
An escaped but wild cow changed the destiny of Daniel Emori, 31, when it knocked him down leaving him with permanent disability. Like a bonnet of a fast moving car, the animal came full at him with its bawling sound throwing him on his back on the concrete track; and by the time the cow finished and strayed away, Emori became immovable.
The unlucky young man, a native of Adadama community in Abi Local Government Area in Cross River State who had just started a job as a delivery van driver in one pharmaceutical company was rushed to the hospital but was later turned back for his inability to pay the required hospital emergency fee. Ten years after, Emori is not only atrophied, his condition is getting worse as he has since not been able to access medical attention as a result of poverty. “It was after my SSCE in year 2000 I traveled to Onitsha, Anambra State in search of greener pasture. I was employed in Peter E. Venture Plastic Company as a Machine Operator where I worked for two years and went for a 6-month driving training at Fegge Driving Trainning Field.
After the training, I was employed by Ricol Pharmaceutical Company as a Delivery Van Driver. That fateful day which was 10th of October 2003, as I went to work that morning, our manager called me and told me that a customer had just paid for a large quantity of goods, that we should load and go straight to deliver the goods before going any other place.” “So, on getting there, we did not meet the said customer and it was on our way back after we waited for more than three hours that a close-by customer pleaded that we deliver the goods to her instead of taking the goods back. I parked out of the road and jumped down from the vehicle but unfortunately I was immediately knocked down by a stray cow which came from God knows where.”
“I became paralyzed till date. I was rushed to a nearby clinic and the next day being Saturday, I was later referred to University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu, where cervical (neck) injury was detected after some series of medical test (scan and x-ray). But after all efforts at providing the hospital emergency fee of N75,000 before any treatment failed, I was rejected and sent back home.” “Since then I have been critically lying at home helpless and disable with part of my joints now stiff due to constant lying down on my sick-bed. I can’t sit, I can’t work and I can’t access medical attention. I have written to both my local and state government but all to no avail. That is why I decided to use this medium to seek support from Nigerians.”
On his parents, Emori said he lost his father a few years after the incidence as a result of the overwheming health condition. “My health condition contributed to my father’s death in June 2009.” My mother who is an ordinary village farmer cannot afford the money for my drugs let alone paying my hospital bills. My siblings who could have assisted are not working.” Emori who was not very coherent while speaking with Saturday Vanguard pleaded: “please sir, try include my contact details for people who may wish to assist me.”
Emori can be reached on 07031655209, 08086387108. Bank details: 0062253610 Edu Blessing Benjamin, EcoBank.

MAKE UNA SEND AM COME MEET US HERE .. WE DE WAIT YOU : 45yr Old Nigerian Man On Hunger Strike To be Deported From UK.

Lawyers for a failed asylum seeker who was on hunger strike have said the Home Office has confirmed his removal from the UK.

They said Isa Muazu, 45, is now "near death", but the Home Office said he was "fit to fly" back to Nigeria.

The Court of Appeal had ruled against his argument he was being "unlawfully held" at the Harmondsworth Immigration Detention Centre in west London.

Last-minute challenges by his lawyers to halt his removal were also rejected.

Mr Muazu began his hunger strike in September, arguing his asylum claim "was not treated fairly".

He said that he came to the UK "for a better life", and would "rather die" than face removal.

His lawyers launched two last-minute attempts to halt his removal at midnight on Thursday and 06:00 GMT on Friday, but each challenge was rejected by a judge.

Solicitor Toufique Hossain said Mr Muazu had not been answering his phone since early on Friday and he believed a charter flight had been booked to fly him to Abuja, Nigeria, at 08:00 GMT.

'Like a skeleton'

Neither the Home Office nor the charter flight company would comment.

On Thursday night protesters gathered outside Harmondsworth detention centre, near Heathrow Airport.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed one man was arrested for criminal damage and was reported to have glued himself to a gate.

Duncan Lewis Solicitors said in a statement that Mr Muazu feared he would be "killed by Islamic extremists" on his return to Nigeria.

Mr Muazu has been held in detention since he claimed asylum in July, saying he faced persecution from the hardline Islamic group Boko Haram.

His case was fast-tracked but refused in August, just seven days after his interview.

Mr Muazu's supporters say he has been on hunger strike for more than 100 days.

His lawyers said that despite being 5ft 11in (1.8m) tall, he weighed just eight stone (53kg) and Mr Muazu had told the Independent newspaper he looked "like a skeleton".

Mr Hossain also said that Mr Muazu's removal was originally set by scheduled flight for 27 November.

This was then rearranged for "express reasons of administrative preference".

Mr Hossain said: "The home secretary went to great lengths to remove this seriously-ill man from the UK.

"She didn't allow him an in-country right of appeal against his asylum refusal - at massive expense to taxpayers, she hired a private charter plane to remove Mr Muazu to Nigeria."

Mr Hossain said he now "did not know" where Mr Muazu was. "We lost contact with him late last night," he said.

"We fear for his safety now on return but we will be looking at pursuing further appeals if we do make contact with him in Nigeria. He should not have been removed from the UK."

THE BURDEN OF A CELEBRITY'S STATUS : Many Men Can’t Handle My Fame, They’re Scared I'm A Celebrity – Karen Igho (SEE INTERVIEW HERE)

Many Men Can’t Handle My Fame, They’re Scared I'm A Celebrity – Karen Igho

  

 

Model and ex-Big Brother Africa winner, Karen Igho tells Ademola Olonilua of the Punch about her fashion and style; how Many men can’t handle her fame, they’re scared of celebrities; how she's not in any relationship at the moment; what she admires in a man and loads more:

Would you say your celebrity status scares men away from you?

It attracts and it scares men away too. It scares some because not every man can handle or understand fame. It takes a strong and understanding man to be able to be with a female celebrity. The attracting aspect comes from when they just want to be with you because they want to be able to say ‘I’ve been with Karen Igho.’ It takes God’s grace to be able to sift the chaff from the wheat.

Are you in a relationship?

I’m not in any relationship at the moment because I need to concentrate on building my career. I have a lot ahead of me. Love is unpredictable though; if my man comes along the way, then it is all well and good.

What do you admire in a man?

Confidence. If a man is decked up from head to toe in a designer label but lacks confidence, then he is lacking the most important fashion accessory of them all. Arrogance should not be confused for confidence though. There’s a very thin line and it should not be crossed.Do you wear your natural hair at all?

I’d rather rock my natural hair than weaves . Natural hair is easier to maintain than weaves and it is more convenient.

But do you have a favourite hairstyle?

 I love braiding my hair. Braids are versatile and can be packed or styled in different ways. It’s also cheaper than weaves and easier to maintain.  There is no stress to it at all. There are no bad hair days with braids. I can roll out of the bed and go out with my braids without doing anything to it. That is impossible with weaves.

Does it cost you so much to braid your hair?

It depends on the hair style and the hairdresser. Braids don’t cost as much as weaves. I won’t put a price to it but I spend enough to look good. No ridiculous amounts though because I don’t wear any hairstyle for long.

How often do you visit a salon?

I visit the salon every week. The nature of my job as a showbiz personality does not give me the luxury of keeping hair for any time longer than a week.

How long does it take to make your hair?

It depends on whether it’s braids or weaves. Weave is a maximum of two hours but braids can take as long as a whole day, depending on the length.

Do you feel incomplete without your make-up on?

I love looking natural. I always prefer natural look or light make-up over the heavy ones. I can do with or without makeup. I don’t feel like anything is missing without it.

You really love tattoos.

Yes I’m a tattoo lover and I have a number of them.

Do you think they are fashionable and do they have a meaning?

As I said earlier, I have a number of tattoos, so I must think highly of them. Yes they have meanings. Meanings I won’t go into because my tattoos are my private life.

Do you patronise Nigerian designers?

I buy both foreign and Nigerian labels. I don’t favour any over the other. It all depends on the occasion and the designs readily available at the time the need arises for them. And then again, our Nigerian designers are very talented and have taken fashion to a whole new level. A lot of our Nigerian designers are now recognised at international level and make clothes of the same quality. So, why won’t I patronise them? I am a proudly Nigerian babe and I always identify with my own.

To you, is there a clear cut difference between fashion and style?

I believe your style is your fashion. It all depends on how you combine the things you want to wear and matching the right colours and outfits for the right occasion. As for me, I always ensure I wear the dresses; the dresses don’t wear me.

What influences your fashion trend?

I really don’t know.  I honestly don’t have anything I can pinpoint as an influence on my fashion trend. I know I love the good things of life and also quality things.

What is that fashion item you can’t leave home without and how did you come about it?

There’s nothing I can’t leave home without. I don’t have any ‘must have on’ fashion item, not even a make-up item. I never attach unnecessary importance to any item. Won’t I go out if I don’t have the item available in an emergency?

What’s the most expensive item you own and how much did it cost?

My most expensive possession has to be my house. Of course, I won’t say the price it costs but that is the most expensive item I have.

Do you have a fashion weakness?

Shoes! Shoes! Shoes and more shoes! I can never have enough shoes. I have a strong weakness for shoes. I own lots of shoes, a whole lot. My whole house is filled with shoes. I’ve even lost count of the number of shoes I own.

How is it competing with men in the industry?

Competing? With who? Why? See, the industry is big enough for everyone, so there is no need for any form of competition or rivalry. There is enough space for both men and women. But after all is said and done, staying relevant so far has been God.

What is your take on cleavage exposure and ladies wearing skimpy and tight dresses?

Whatever rocks anybody’s boat; anything that makes anyone happy, the person should go for it. Who am I to judge? So far they feel comfortable in the dress and they are rocking the dress properly, that is okay for them.

You recently became a British citizen, how did it happen?

Yes I did. I lived in the UK for ten years and fulfilled all other necessary requirements to make me a British citizen and I did become one.

Do you intend to leave Nigeria for UK in the near future?

No. I’m still a Nigerian citizen. I’ll forever be a Nigerian. I have Nigerian blood flowing through my veins. I still have my Nigerian passport. Nigeria is my home anytime any day, no matter how far I travel, where I travel to, how long I’m gone for, I always yearn to come back to my fatherland.

What are the challenges you face while building your brand?

It has not been easy but I thank God. We Nigerians find it easy to believe everything we hear about celebrities and some of these false stories can put a dent in anyone’s image or brand. So staying afloat of the scandals and different stories has been by the grace of God.

What are you currently working on?

I’ve been going from one set to another, shooting different movies. Also, the shoot for my reality television show will soon start. I also have a charity event I’m working on.

WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH WOMEN THESE DAYS? : Female Teacher Defiles 4-Year-Old Pupil in Lagos (PHOTO) ... PunchNews

  

 

The Punch is reporting that: At Golden Sharon Nursery and Primary School (formerly Kingdom Sharon), located at Ijaba area of Ota, Ogun State, an incident occurred on Tuesday, November 26, 2013, that has created panic in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson (not real name).

One of their twins, four-year-old Lydia (not real name), who attended the school, was defiled by a female teacher, Olajumoke Oyewole, in a fashion they suspected had ritualistic intent.

Lydia, who is a pupil of Nursery One with her twin brother, got home on Tuesday afternoon and started complaining of a nagging pain in her private part. But things she later revealed confounded her mother.

Saturday PUNCH decided not to reveal the real names of the victim and her parents because of the nature of the case.

The mother, who spoke with this correspondent on Thursday at Ota after a visit to the police station where the accused female teacher had been taken, said after Lydia came home after school, she began complaining consistently when she wanted to urinate.

She said, “I asked her what was wrong and she said, ‘stone.’ I thought she meant that somebody stoned her and I waved off the matter that she would be alright.

“But when the pain persisted and she kept complaining, I decided to check why she was feeling pain there. That was when I discovered a wound on her private part.

“I was alarmed and I asked her who did that to her. She immediately mentioned Aunty Jummy (the accused.) I asked what the teacher did to her and she said the lady dipped her finger in her private part and brought out a stone which she used to scratch her there.

“The lady is not her class teacher. She (Oyewole) teaches another class beside my daughter’s. I did not understand this and I quickly called my daughter’s class teacher on the phone to help investigate the issue. She said I should come the following day but I decided to go that same day.

“I reported the matter to the head of the school and while we were leaving, we went past the (accused’s) class. My daughter said, ‘Mummy come, this is where she did it. She sat on that chair and put me on her lap and used the stone.’ She pointed to the teacher’s chair in the classroom. The lady was not around at the time.”

According to the woman, who was clearly confused when she spoke with our correspondent, the way her daughter was defiled was strange. She said she had to take her daughter to the family clinic to conduct a test on the little girl.

Meanwhile, she had apprised her husband who is away at work in Benin, Edo State, of the incident. He instructed her to report the matter to the police as soon as possible.

“The doctor examined her and asked me to have a look at my daughter’s private part. She explained that apart from the wound from which my daughter was bleeding, her hymen had been torn. The doctor said only a state hospital could give a report on such test since it was suspected that a crime might have been committed,” the woman said.

The case was reported at the Onipanu Police Division, Ota, later.

The police were said to have taken the little girl to a state hospital nearby, where a test was done and the same confirmation was made about the defilement of the girl.

When the police went to arrest Oyewole, she denied committing any crime and resisted arrest. But the school owner advised her to go with the police.

A member of the victim’s family, who did not want the case to be treated with levity, informed the Children’s Anti-Corruption Initiative, a non-governmental organisation, concerned with the protection of children’s future.

In company with this correspondent, CACTI visited Onipanu Police Division to find out how investigation into the matter was going.

While the divisional police officer was not available at the time, a divisional crime officer, said Oyewole had been locked up in a cell.

“The teacher is in the cell. This is a serious matter that we are still investigating. We are still working on the case. She will probably be transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department in Abeokuta soon,” the police officer said.

While in the premises of the police station, the accused’s mother, with tears on her face, approached CACTI’s group and knelt down pleading with them to let the matter be settled.

But when asked if she had asked her daughter why she carried out such act on the little girl, she said she had not asked her.

The victim’s mother was asked whether there was any possibility that her daughter might be confused as to who did such a thing to her, she said she considered it but that it had become clear that it was Oyewole.

“The night of the incident, we woke her up in the middle of the night just to be sure, we asked who did it to her, she said, ‘Aunty Jummy’. The following morning, it was the same answer.

“When we got to the hospital, the doctors threatened her with injection to say who really did it. My daughter can faint at the sight of an injection. That is what she hates most in life. But she repeated the same name.”

CACTI’s Executive Secretary, Mr. Omololu Akinwande, said there was a high possibility that the teacher had been sent to perform the act in order to use the girl’s blood for ritual purpose.

He said, “What you must note is that the girl is not in the accused teacher’s class. She is also a twin and the strange object the teacher allegedly used is suspicious.

“We cannot rule out the possibility that some wicked people had connived with the teacher to get them something from a twin. This is why this case must not be swept under the carpet.

“It is just unfortunate that many schools in Nigeria are no longer safe for children. Government needs to make it compulsory for schools to put in place CCTV cameras in order to keep children safe. When people know they are being watched, they are not likely to try something bad with children in their care.”

Akinwale insisted that rape in Nigeria had gone beyond sexual desire, adding that many now indulge in it for ritual purposes.

The phone number of the proprietor of Golden Sharon Nursery and Primary School was switched off when an attempt was made to contact her on Thursday.

Saturday PUNCH learnt on Friday that members of the accused’s family have sought the help of community leaders in the area to appeal to the victim’s parentst to drop the case.

A member of the victim’s family who did not want to be named, also told this correspondent that the police at the Onipanu division have been making efforts to make the parents drop the case.

“They told the mother that she would be the one paying for the transportation of police and the accused from Ota to Abeokuta for the duration of the investigation and anytime they need to go to court. They just want to pressure them into dropping the case,” the relation said.

But the spokesperson of the Ogun State Police Command, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, has said that the police at the division did not have any power to stop the prosecution of the case.

“I have been briefed on the case and I have been told the accused is still in custody. The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikemefuna Okoye, has directed that the case be transferred to the state  CID.  The CID will take over the investigation of the case and justice will surely be done in the matter,” he said.

The police also arrested the proprietor of the school on Friday.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA AGAIN : Governor Oshiomhole Apologies To Widow One Whole Week After Assault ... All This After He Was Hounded By Public Outcry ... WATCH VIDEO FOOTAGE HERE

STRANGE THINGS ARE HAPPENING O ... THE MAN MUST DIE : EXECUTED TWICE: Man Who Survived Execution Will Be Hanged Again ... NaijNews

On an autumnal Wednesday earlier this month, Alireza, a 37-year-old man jailed for smuggling drugs and sentenced to death in Iran, woke up to what was supposed to be his last day alive.
Outside his cell in Bojnurd prison, in Iran's northern Khorasan province, the gallows were waiting and the countdown had already begun.
Just before sunrise, the guards hooked ropes around his neck and hanged him for possessing a kilo of crystal meth. Exactly 12 minutes later medics pronounced him dead and sent his body for burial.
But in the morgue the next day, something unusual caught the eyes of a worker who was preparing the corpse for family collection: steam in the plastic cover he was wrapped in. He was still alive.
Now, to the dismay of his family, Iranian judicial authorities are waiting for him to make a full recovery before they hang him again, according to the state-run Jam-e-Jam newspaper, which was first to break the news of Alireza's ordeal.
Iran's judiciary has argued that he was sentenced to death, rather than to hanging, and should be re-executed. But human rights activists, already concerned about Iran's high rate of executions, say he should be spared.
A nurse told Jam-e-Jam that Alireza's general health was satisfactory and he was making progress day by day. "We couldn't believe he was still alive when we went to collect his body," a relative told the Iranian newspaper. "More than anyone, his two daughters are very happy."
Mohmmad Erfan, a judge with Iran's administrative justice court, told Jam-e-Jam: "The sentence issued by the revolutionary court is the death penalty in such circumstances it should be repeated once again."
Alireza, whose surname has not been published by the Iranian media to protect his identity, was arrested three years ago for carrying and possessing Shisheh, an Iranian nickname for methamphetamine in the form of crystal, which among many other drugs such as opium is relatively cheap to buy in the Islamic republic. A revolutionary court found him guilty and sentenced him to death.
Under Iranian law, convicts should be conscious and relatively healthy before execution – hanging is delayed for people who are pregnant or in a coma.
When someone is sentenced to death by stoning in Iran, for instance in adultery cases, if they manage to climb out of the ground after being buried up to the neck or somehow survive the ordeal, their life is spared.
As a neighbour of Afghanistan, a leading producer and supplier of the world's drugs, Iran has high rates of drug use, especially among its huge number of young people.

In order to tackle this, Iranian authorities have launched a campaign, with financial aid from Europe, to crack down on drug smuggling, which has led to an alarming rate of executions in the country.
In recent years, Iran has remained among the five countries with the highest rates of executions. China tops the list.
In 2012, Iran is known to have executed at least 314 people, according to figures released by Amnesty International, but this number could be far below the true number of executions in the country. Iran says most of the executions are related to drug offences.
Since Hassan Rouhani took office in early August as the new president of Iran, at least 125 people have been executed.
"While Rouhani was elected on promises of change and human rights reforms, there have been at least 125 executions since his inauguration on 4 August, with dozens of other prisoners sentenced to death or facing imminent execution," said a joint statement issued by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran and the Iran Human Rights Documentation Centre.
Iran's judiciary is independent from Rouhani's government and its chief is appointed by the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Amnesty, which has long campaigned for the abolition of the death penalty globally, said the plan to send Alireza to the gallows again was wrong.
"I am appalled by the ghastly plan to 're-execute' a man who had been hanged, certified as dead and whose body had been turned over to his family before he revived," Amnesty's Drewery Dyke said.
"Drug trafficking is a serious criminal offence and while the authorities need to do their utmost to combat the scourge of drug use in Iran, use of the death penalty is wrong and out of step with international standards.
Carrying it out twice on man who somehow managed to survive 12 minutes of hanging, who was certified as dead and whose body was turned over to his family is simply ghastly. It betrays a basic lack of humanity that sadly underpins much of Iran's justice system.
"History and experience indicates not only that that the death penalty is not working in the fight against drug trafficking and use, but that it has heaped even more misery upon Iranians. None more so than in this appalling instance."
READ MORE:  http://news.naij.com/49813.html