UAE: TWO AFGHAN MEN TO BE EXECUTED FOR MURDER

January 30, 2012: Two men will be executed in UAE for premeditatedly stabbing a sex worker 23 times and killing her and stealing her mobile phone in February 2010
The Dubai Cassation Court upheld the capital punishment against the two Afghan murderers, 30-year-old Ismail Haji Taher and 40-year-old Ahmad Allah Nadhar Mohammad.
Prosecutors said Taher and Mohammad bought two knives worth Dh26 then premeditatedly killed the Uzbek sex worker and stole her Dh600, two mobile phones, DVD player and perfumes.
The case surfaced for the first time before the Dubai Court of First Instance in June 2010. The defendants were sentenced to death.
In April 2011, the Appeal Court upheld the capital punishment before Taher and Mohammad appealed their death punishment before the Cassation Court.
In August 2011, the Cassation Court overturned the capital punishment and ordered the appellate court to hold a retrial. The appellate court, again, sentenced the defendant to death in December 2011.
On January 30, Presiding Judge Nabil Mohammad Riyadh confirmed the capital punishment against Taher and Mohammad, who are expected to face a shooting squad as soon as the capital punishment is endorsed by the ruler.
During the five-court stages, the Afghans pleaded not guilty and claimed that they did not intend to kill the victim, M.H. The confessed that they intended to steal her belongings.
"I intended to rob her. We fought and I unintentionally killed her. I did not preplan the crime," argued Mohammad when he defended himself in court.
Taher denied the premeditated murder charge.
They also denied the charge of unlawfully locking up a 42-year-old Uzbek woman, N.A., in the washroom of the victim's flat and absconding.
N.A. was jailed for six months for working in prostitution. She was deported.
Records said N.A. moved into M.H.'s flat three days prior to the murder.
N.A. said: "The accused brought fruits and came to spend the evening with us. She told me she dated Mohammad before they broke up several times because of jealousy. M.H. told me Mohammad came to reconcile with her. M.H. took money from Mohammad and gave me Dh300. They had sex behind a curtain. Taher had sex with me. I woke up upon M.H.'s cries for help… Taher threatened me with a knife. They locked me in the washroom and threatened me with the knives and asked me about where the victim hid her money."
An Emirati police captain said N.A. claimed that the Afghans locked her inside the washroom and ran away.
"N.A. broke the washroom door when she discovered the murder and ran away. We arrested the Afghans in Sharjah after we identified them from the surveillance cameras of the shop from where they bought the knives," the captain claimed. (Sources: Gulfnews, 30/01/2102)