The people on death row
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On death row live the people who have been sentenced and are waiting to be executed. The wait can last years or decades, often in isolation, with a date that arrives or is put off again and again. It is a punishment inside the punishment, and in many countries the number of people held there is the hardest figure of all to obtain.
This page collects the news on the people on death row, on the conditions they are held in, and on the numbers the association is able to document.
Latest news
- AUGUST 19, 2008MoroccoDEATH PENALTY
MOROCCO: FIRING SQUADS SILENT- BUT DEATH HOVERS
Morocco's death row prisoners, some 150 inmates, are living in sub-human, "life-threatening conditions", according to leading NGOs and rights activists
- AUGUST 18, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN: FOUR YOUNG PEOPLE FACE EXECUTION
four young people, who were minors at the time their alleged crimes were committed, are expected to be hanged in the next few days.
- AUGUST 15, 2008Trinidad & TobagoDEATH PENALTY
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: 52 ESCAPE DEATH ROW
fifty-two people in Trinidad & Tobago convicted of murder had their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment after Justice Nolan Bereaux at the Port-of-Spain High Court ruled in favour of a Constitutional motion brought by the prisoners, that they be
- AUGUST 12, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN: KURDISH STUDENT SENTENCED TO DEATH
an Iranian court sentenced to death a Kurdish student, Habibollah Latifi, his lawyer Nemat Ahmadi announced.
- AUGUST 12, 2008CubaDEATH PENALTY
CUBA: SENTENCES COMMUTED BUT TREATMENT STILL HARSH
prisoners in Cuba who were facing the death penalty but had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment or 30 years in jail are still being treated like death row inmates, a dissident organisation complained.
- JULY 24, 2008United StatesDEATH PENALTY
USA - The time prisoners spend on death row has nearly doubled during the past 2 decades
USA - The time prisoners spend on death row has nearly doubled during the past 2 decades
- JULY 24, 2008JapanDEATH PENALTY
HANDS OFF CAIN CRITICISES JAPANESE JUSTICE MINISTER
Hands Off Cain criticised Japanese Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama in its annual report, describing him as an ''outspoken supporter of the death penalty'' who broke taboos maintained in Japan over executions.
- JULY 15, 2008NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
NIGERIA. AMNESTY INT'L WANTS YAR’ADUA TO END CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Amnesty International asked Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to suspend the execution of hundreds of convicts presently on death row pending the abrogation of the death penalty from the nation’s statute book.
- JULY 15, 2008St. Kitts & NevisDEATH PENALTY
ST KITTS and NEVIS: SEVEN ON DEATH ROW FOR MURDER
Franklyn Dorset, the Superintendent of Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) in Basseterre, St Kitts...
- JULY 11, 2008CaliforniaDEATH PENALTY
USA - The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California has set aside the death-penalty sentence for Chay'im Ben-Sholom
USA - The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California has set aside the death-penalty sentence for Chay'im Ben-Sholom
- JULY 7, 2008JapanDEATH PENALTY
Japan's justice minister, dubbed the "grim reaper" for ordering...
Japan's justice minister, dubbed the "grim reaper" for ordering...
- JULY 3, 2008UgandaDEATH PENALTY
the Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments...
the Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments...
- JULY 1, 2008CaliforniaDEATH PENALTY
CALIFORNIA DEATH PENALTY SYSTEM 'DYSFUNCTIONAL': REPORT
California's death penalty system is close to collapse, an independent commission said
- JUNE 27, 2008North CarolinaDEATH PENALTY
USA - Superior Court Judge Robert Bell found Guy Tobias LeGrande incompetent for execution
USA - Superior Court Judge Robert Bell found Guy Tobias LeGrande incompetent for execution
- JUNE 17, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN. RIGHTS GROUP PUBLISHES LIST OF CHILDREN ON DEATH ROW
Iran has sentenced 177 people under the age of 18 to death over the past decade
- JUNE 16, 2008TexasDEATH PENALTY
The longest-serving prisoner on Texas' death row won a U.S. Supreme Court ruling today that his case must go back to his trial court
The longest-serving prisoner on Texas' death row won a U.S. Supreme Court ruling today that his case must go back to his trial court
- JUNE 13, 2008BurundiDEATH PENALTY
BURUNDI FREES POLICE ON DEATH ROW FOR MURDER
Burundi's High Court freed four former senior policemen who were sentenced to death for
- JUNE 10, 2008IndonesiaDEATH PENALTY
NIGERIA. 60 CITIZENS ON DEATH ROW IN INDONESIA
no fewer than 60 Nigerian nationals are on the death row over drug- related offences
- JUNE 9, 2008VirginiaDEATH PENALTY
VIRGINIA (USA). KAINE COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE FOR TRIPLE MURDER
in the United States, Virginia Gov Timothy Kaine stopped tomorrow's execution
- JUNE 8, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: AFZAL 'SICK' OF DELAY IN DEATH PENALTY
on death row for the last three years, India's most controversial convict, Mohammed Afzal, wants a speedy conclusion to his ordeal.
- JUNE 3, 2008TennesseeDEATH PENALTY
Richard Taylor, a severely mentally ill man who spent 18 years on death row, was sentenced to life imprisonment today
Richard Taylor, a severely mentally ill man who spent 18 years on death row, was sentenced to life imprisonment today
- MAY 30, 2008United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE. FORMER INMATE SAVES TWO FRIENDS FROM DEATH ROW
an Indian and a Sri Lankan were saved from death row in the United Arab Emirates by
- MAY 20, 2008ZambiaDEATH PENALTY
ZAMBIA: FORMER DEATH ROW INMATE TELLS OF CONDITIONS
the common prayer of those on Zambia’s jam-packed death row is for divine intervention to end their hell on earth and let the waiting hangman carry out his job speedily, according to a recently released inmate.
- MAY 9, 2008KenyaDEATH PENALTY
KENYA. MAN ON DEATH ROW FREED
a man sentenced to death in Kenya was set free after a High Court accused police
- MAY 2, 2008DEATH PENALTY
NORTH CAROLINA (USA). DEATH ROW INMATE WALKS FREE-129TH EXONERATION
The state of North Carolina dropped all charges against Levon Jones, and he was freed after
- MAY 2, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
AMNESTY URGES INDIA TO BAND EXECUTIONS
Rights group Amnesty International urged the Indian government to impose an immediate moratorium on executions and move to abolish the death penalty.
- APRIL 28, 2008IndonesiaDEATH PENALTY
INDONESIAN DEATH ROW PRISONER HONOURED FOR WORK AGAINST DRUGS
Indonesian Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Mattalatta presented an award to a death row inmate for speaking out against drugs inside the prison.
- APRIL 22, 2008TexasDEATH PENALTY
2 new execution dates
2 new execution dates
- APRIL 21, 2008Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA SENTENCES 30 SYRIANS TO DEATH - ACTIVISTS
Saudi Arabia sentenced to death at least 30 Syrians in recent months for alleged
- APRIL 21, 2008BotswanaDEATH PENALTY
DEATH ROW INMATES SEEK APPEAL COURT REPRIEVE
death row inmates, Michael Molefe of South Africa and Brandson Samson...