Death sentences
Archive theme
A death sentence is not the same thing as an execution: years can pass between the two, and the sentence may be overturned on appeal, commuted, or never carried out. Counting them separately measures two different things: how far a state resorts to capital punishment, and how far it actually applies it.
This page collects the news on death sentences handed down around the world, on the later stages of appeal, and on the sentences upheld or overturned. Executions have a page of their own.
Latest news
- OCTOBER 15, 2017AlgeriaDEATH PENALTY
Senior terrorist sentenced to death in absentia
15 October 2017: an Algerian court sentenced in absentia running away senior terrorist, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, alias Belaouar, to death penalty, APS news agency reported.
- OCTOBER 14, 2017FloridaDEATH PENALTY
USA - Florida. A jury has recommended that Randall Deviney be resentenced to death
USA - Florida. A jury has recommended that Randall Deviney be resentenced to death
- OCTOBER 12, 2017CameroonDEATH PENALTY
235 on death row
12 October 2017. a group of lawyers against the death penalty in Cameroon said, through Agence Press Africa, that the detainees sentenced to death are about 235.
- OCTOBER 12, 2017OklahomaDEATH PENALTY
USA - Oklahoma. A jury recommended the death penalty for Alton Nolen
USA - Oklahoma. A jury recommended the death penalty for Alton Nolen
OCTOBER 12, 2017IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: HIGH COURT REDUCES ’CYANIDE’ MOHAN’S DEATH PENALTY TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT
The Karnataka High Court reduced ’Cyanide’ Mohan Kumar’s death penalty to life imprisonment in the rape and murder case of one Anita of Kolimane, Bantwal taluk in 2009.
OCTOBER 12, 2017JordanDEATH PENALTYJORDAN: BENGALI HOUSEMAID SENTENCED TO DEATH AFTER MURDERING JORDANIAN COUPLE WITH AN AXE
A Bengali housemaid was sentenced to death by the Grand Criminal Court after being charged with the premeditated murder of an old couple in March.
OCTOBER 10, 2017EgyptDEATH PENALTYEGYPT: SAUDI SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING LIBYAN WIFE
A 26-year-old Saudi national studying in Egypt was sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Alexandria for murdering his Libyan-born wife, according to Sabq newspaper
OCTOBER 10, 2017KenyaDEATH PENALTYKENYA: KAMITI PRISONERS WANT SUPREME COURT TO REMOVE DEATH PENALTY
Inmates at the Kamiti Maximum Prison called on the Supreme Court to rule on the petition seeking determination of the constitutionality of the death sentence.
- OCTOBER 10, 2017ArkansasDEATH PENALTY
USA - Arkansas. Governor Asa Hutchinson has officially commuted the death sentence of Jason McGehee to life without parole.
USA - Arkansas. Governor Asa Hutchinson has officially commuted the death sentence of Jason McGehee to life without parole.
- OCTOBER 8, 2017EgyptDEATH PENALTY
COURT SENTENCES 13 OF ‘SOLDIERS OF EGYPT’ TO DEATH’
Thirteen convicts out of 44 were sentenced to death over charges of killing police personnel in a case dubbed in the media as “Soldiers of Egypt Cell.”
- OCTOBER 6, 2017MissouriDEATH PENALTY
USA - Missouri. Judge Kelly Wayne Parker sentenced Marvin Rice, 50, White, to death.
USA - Missouri. Judge Kelly Wayne Parker sentenced Marvin Rice, 50, White, to death.
- OCTOBER 6, 2017Sierra LeoneDEATH PENALTY
SIERRA LEONE: 6 SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR CONSPIRACY AND ROBBERY
With the help of jurors, Justice Monfred Momoh Sesay at the Bo High Court convicted and sentenced to death six armed robbers for Conspiracy and Robbery with Aggravation.
- OCTOBER 5, 2017ArkansasDEATH PENALTY
USA - Arkansas. Judge Wendell Griffen, who was barred from execution cases, sues high court.
USA - Arkansas. Judge Wendell Griffen, who was barred from execution cases, sues high court.
- OCTOBER 5, 2017MoroccoDEATH PENALTY
Nador: the killer of a Moroccan couple living in Spain sentenced to death
October 5, 2017: the criminal division of the Court of Appeal of Nador has sentenced to death a young man for the murder of a couple of Moroccans living in Spain.
OCTOBER 4, 2017PakistanDEATH PENALTYPAKISTAN: THREE HARDCORE TERRORISTS HANGED IN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA PRISON
- OCTOBER 3, 2017Sierra LeoneDEATH PENALTY
Sierra Leone High Court sentences nursing mother to death by hanging
3 October 2017: the convict , Yatta Bakarr was charged with one count of Murder, after she was committed by a Magistrate court in Pujehun and was arrainged before the High Court Holden at Bo during its Special Criminal Session.
OCTOBER 3, 2017BangladeshDEATH PENALTYBANGLADESH: WOMAN GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLING STEPDAUGHTER
A Dhaka court sentenced a woman to death for killing her six-year-old stepdaughter in the capital’s Jatrabari area in 2014.
- OCTOBER 3, 2017CaliforniaDEATH PENALTY
USA - California. A jury sentenced David Ponce to death.
USA - California. A jury sentenced David Ponce to death.
- SEPTEMBER 29, 2017VietnamDEATH PENALTY
EX-CHIEF OF PETROVIETNAM SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR EMBEZZLEMENT
A court in Vietnam has sentenced the former head of state-owned oil-and-gas giant PetroVietnam to death after finding him guilty of embezzlement and abuse of power in a high-profile corruption case.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2017LebanonDEATH PENALTYLEBANON: MILITARY TRIBUNAL SENTENCES TAKFIRI PREACHER TO DEATH FOR ATTACKS ON ARMY
Lebanon's Military Tribunal sentenced an extremist preacher to death for his role in fueling sectarian violence in the Arab country and organizing attacks against members of the army.
- SEPTEMBER 27, 2017IraqDEATH PENALTY
HANGING OF 42 PRISONERS IN IRAQ RAISES CONCERN OVER FLAWED DUE PROCESS – UN RIGHTS CHIEF
The mass hanging of 42 prisoners on September 24 in a prison in southern Iraq raises massive concerns over the country's use of the death penalty, the UN human rights chief said.
SEPTEMBER 27, 2017Sri LankaDEATH PENALTYSRI LANKA: SEVEN SENTENCED TO DEATH OVER VIDYA MURDER
The three-member judge bench hearing the case filed over the abduction, gang rape and murder of schoolgirl Sivaloganathan Vidya gave the death penalty to the 7 suspects including the chief suspect in the case ‘Swiss Kumar’.
SEPTEMBER 26, 2017VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: HEROIN TRAFFICKER SENTENCED TO DEATH
A court passed a death sentence on a 30-year-old man from Vietnam's Hanoi capital for trafficking over 230.5 kg of heroin and illegally possessing military weapons.
SEPTEMBER 26, 2017IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN: ONE PRISONER HANGED IN URMIA CENTRAL PRISON
According to a close source, on the morning the execution sentence of a prisoner who was charged with murder was carried out at Urmia Central Prison. The prisoner was identified as Javad Khayyeri from ward 15.
- SEPTEMBER 26, 2017IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN: 74-YEAR-OLD SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR HOSTING 'MIXED AND HALF-NAKED PARTIES'
Iran has sentenced a 74-year-old man to death for hosting “mixed and half-naked parties”, the head of Tehran’s judiciary said.
- SEPTEMBER 25, 2017EgyptDEATH PENALTY
EGYPT: 4 SENTENCED TO DEATH AFTER BURNING AGOUZA'S NIGHTCLUB
The Giza Criminal Court sentenced four defendants to death over charges of burning a nightclub in Al Agouza, resulting in killing 17 persons inside.
- SEPTEMBER 25, 2017FloridaDEATH PENALTY
USA - Florida. A jury sentenced Raymond Curtis Bright to die
USA - Florida. A jury sentenced Raymond Curtis Bright to die
- SEPTEMBER 24, 2017SudanDEATH PENALTY
SUDAN: STUDENT SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING POLICEMAN
A court in Sudan sentenced a university student to death after convicting him of killing a policeman during protests in the capital last year, a defence lawyer said.
SEPTEMBER 20, 2017IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN: AN UNIDENTIFIED MAN WAS HANGED IN PUBLIC ON MURDER CHARGES
- SEPTEMBER 16, 2017EgyptDEATH PENALTY
EGYPT: 7 ‘IS MEMBERS’ SENTENCED TO DEATH
An Egyptian court sentenced to death seven people for membership of the Islamic State (IS) group and over the beheading in Libya of 21 Christians, all but one of them from Egypt, judicial officials said.