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
JANUARY 17, 2017NigeriaDEATH PENALTYNIGERIA: ARMED ROBBER SENTENCED TO DEATH BY HANGING
An Akure High Court in Ondo State has sentenced one Mr Femi Aseye to death by hanging for his involvement in armed robbery.
JANUARY 17, 2017DEATH PENALTYUSA: PRESIDENT OBAMA COMMUTES TWO DEATH SENTENCES
President Barack Obama commuted the death sentences of Abelardo Arboleda Ortiz, a federal death row prisoner, and Dwight Loving, a military death row prisoner.
- JANUARY 17, 2017United StatesDEATH PENALTY
USA - President Obama Commutes Death Sentences of Abelardo Arboleda Ortiz and Dwight Loving
USA - President Obama Commutes Death Sentences of Abelardo Arboleda Ortiz and Dwight Loving
- JANUARY 16, 2017BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
BANGLADESH: 26 SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR NARAYANGANJ KILLINGS
twenty-six people, including a former city councillor extradited from India, were sentenced to death by a Bangladeshi court for brutal murders of seven persons in Narayanganj in 2014.
- JANUARY 16, 2017MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: GUINEAN COLLEGE STUDENT SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
A 29-year-old Guinean college student was sentenced to death by the High Court in Kuala Lumpur after he was found guilty of trafficking in 3,304.6gm of cocaine.
JANUARY 15, 2017IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: PRESIDENT CONVERTS 4 TRIBALS’ DEATH SENTENCES TO LIFE TERMS
President Pranab Mukherjee has disposed of all mercy petitions of death penalties pending before him till
- JANUARY 13, 2017CaliforniaDEATH PENALTY
USA - California. Judge Richard A. Erwood sentenced Elias Carmona Lopez to death
USA - California. Judge Richard A. Erwood sentenced Elias Carmona Lopez to death
- JANUARY 12, 2017DEATH PENALTY
FLORIDA (USA): FIVE COUNTIES DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPOSE DEATH PENALTY AGAINST SERIOUSLY MENTALLY IMPAIRED DEFENDANTS
Nearly two-thirds of death row prisoners in five Florida counties whose cases were studied by Harvard University's Fair Punishment Project suffer from serious mental impairments.
JANUARY 12, 2017IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN: ‘ENSAMBLE CONTRE LA PEINE DE MORT’ ALERTS FIFA THAT IN IRAN PEOPLE ARE EXECUTED IN FOOTBALL STADIUMS
In a letter sent by Raphael Chenuil-Hazan, President of “Ensamble contre la peine de mort-Together
- JANUARY 12, 2017FloridaDEATH PENALTY
USA - Florida. Report: 5 Counties Disproportionately Impose Death Penalty Against Seriously Mentally Impaired Defendants.
USA - Florida. Report: 5 Counties Disproportionately Impose Death Penalty Against Seriously Mentally Impaired Defendants.
- JANUARY 12, 2017ArizonaDEATH PENALTY
USA - Arizona. The Arizona Supreme Court threw out the death sentence for Joel Escalante Orozco
USA - Arizona. The Arizona Supreme Court threw out the death sentence for Joel Escalante Orozco
JANUARY 11, 2017MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: BRUNEIAN MAN AND MALAYSIAN ACCOMPLICE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
The Sabah High Court sentenced a Bruneian man and his Malaysian accomplice to death after they were
JANUARY 10, 2017DEATH PENALTYINDIA: DEATH SENTENCE TO COUPLE FOR MURDERING DALIT WOMAN
A sessions court in Tirunelveli has awarded death sentence to a couple for murdering a Dalit woman on
JANUARY 10, 2017DEATH PENALTYUSA: DYLANN ROOF SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR THE MURDERS OF NINE BLACK CHURCH MEMBERS
Dylann Roof, a white supremacist who shot dead nine black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina, was sentenced to death by a federal jury.
- JANUARY 9, 2017Sri LankaDEATH PENALTY
SRI LANKA: TEN PEOPLE SENTENCED TO DEATH BY BADULLA AND MATARA HIGH COURTS
Ten persons were sentenced to death after being found guilty of two murders reported in Matara and Badulla.
JANUARY 9, 2017BahrainDEATH PENALTYBAHRAIN: DEATH SENTENCES UPHELD IN KILLING OF UAE OFFICER
Bahrain’s Cassation Court upheld the death sentence for three people found guilty of killing UAE army
- JANUARY 9, 2017United StatesDEATH PENALTY
USA - Massachusetts. A federal jury has sentenced Gary Lee Sampson to death
USA - Massachusetts. A federal jury has sentenced Gary Lee Sampson to death
- JANUARY 6, 2017AlabamaDEATH PENALTY
USA - Alabama. A jury recommended the death penalty for Ryan Clark Petersen
USA - Alabama. A jury recommended the death penalty for Ryan Clark Petersen
- JANUARY 5, 2017SudanDEATH PENALTY
Sudan frees 25 S. Sudanese death-row inmates
5 January 2017: the twenty five inmates who were sentenced to death by the government of Sudan have been pardoned, says the Humanitarian Attaché at South Sudan’s Embassy in Khartoum.
- JANUARY 5, 2017CaliforniaDEATH PENALTY
USA - California. A jury sentenced Cherie Lash-Rhoades to death
USA - California. A jury sentenced Cherie Lash-Rhoades to death
- JANUARY 1, 2017NigerDEATH PENALTY
Capital crimes are: premeditated murder, torture, aggravated theft, treason and offences against the State. Niger has not imposed the death penalty since 1976.
Capital crimes are: premeditated murder, torture, aggravated theft, treason and offences against the State. Niger has not imposed the death penalty since 1976.
- JANUARY 1, 2017Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islamic law
Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islamic law
- JANUARY 1, 2017SomaliaDEATH PENALTY
The penal code of Somalia represents an amalgam of various legal systems and traditions.
The penal code of Somalia represents an amalgam of various legal systems and traditions.
- JANUARY 1, 2017Sierra LeoneDEATH PENALTY
Sierra Leone’s 1991 Constitution allows the use of the death penalty for aggravated robbery
Sierra Leone’s 1991 Constitution allows the use of the death penalty for aggravated robbery
- JANUARY 1, 2017South SudanDEATH PENALTY
The Republic of South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011
The Republic of South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011
- JANUARY 1, 2017Trinidad & TobagoDEATH PENALTY
The sentence of death is the mandatory punishment for murder in Trinidad and Tobago.
The sentence of death is the mandatory punishment for murder in Trinidad and Tobago.
- JANUARY 1, 2017United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
The death penalty is rarely applied in the UAE...
The death penalty is rarely applied in the UAE...
- JANUARY 1, 2017TunisiaDEATH PENALTY
In Tunisian law the death penalty is issued for 21 separate offenses
In Tunisian law the death penalty is issued for 21 separate offenses
- JANUARY 1, 2017ZimbabweDEATH PENALTY
After independence from Britain in 1980, there were nine offences which warranted
After independence from Britain in 1980, there were nine offences which warranted
- JANUARY 1, 2017YemenDEATH PENALTY
Yemen's legal system is based on both Sharia principles and customary law.
Yemen's legal system is based on both Sharia principles and customary law.