Hamas hangs three men convicted of spying or murder

Gaza's Hamas rulers say they have executed three men in dawn hangings. An interior ministry statement said one man was spying for Israel. Palestinians who collaborate with Israeli intelligence are widely loathed. The man was also charged with murder, as were the other two men hanged on Saturday. The statement said the families of the victims could have saved the condemned men by forgiving them at the last minute, but they all refused.
Gaza's Hamas rulers have executed at least 18 men since seizing power in 2007. The Palestinian Authority, which rules the West Bank, also has the death penalty. But President Mahmoud Abbas has not approved an execution since 2004, effectively halting the practice there. (AP)

Update 20.4.12: De executie van de drie mannen was onwettig. Dat heeft het mensenrechtenkantoor van de Verenigde Naties vandaag gezegd. De drie mannen werden op 7 april opgehangen. De mannen hadden geen toegang tot een advocaat en werden, hoewel het burgers waren, berecht door een militair tribunaal, zei een woordvoerder van Navi Pillay, de VN-Hoge Commissaris voor de Mensenrechten.