UAE: DEATH APPEAL POSTPONED BY LAWYER'S ABSENCE

the appeal of a man in Ras Al Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates, who was sentenced to death for two murders and refuses to appeal against the verdict, has been postponed due to the absence of his lawyer who failed to win his client's cooperation. The case will be heard on September 12. A senior court official said the 36-year-old suspect, identified as A.H.S., an Emirati, shot two Emiratis in Shamal and surrendered to the police. He confessed to murdering the two Emiratis and handed over the gun he used. The official stressed that the suspect did not give a reason behind the murders and kept silent during the interrogations. During the court sessions, A.H.S. did not answer questions put by the panel of judges. The suspect refused to appeal against the verdict and even asked the Public Prosecution to miss the grace period given for the appeal. He requested the death penalty to be final. The Public Prosecution appealed against the death penalty so that the case would be reviewed at the Criminal Appeal Court. The court official said according to the law, it is the duty of the Public Prosecution to appeal against the death penalty. The Criminal Court appointed a lawyer to represent him in the case but the suspect refused to cooperate with his lawyer who did not show up at the appeals session.