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 16, 2008MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
NURUL HUDA MURDER CASE: ACQUITTED ON GROUNDS OF INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
citing incomplete investigations and insufficient evidence, the Malaysian Federal Court set aside the murder conviction and death sentence of a former security guard
- OCTOBER 16, 2008CaliforniaDEATH PENALTY
USA - California. A Los Angeles Superior Court jury have recommended the death penalty for Steven Dewayne Cheatham
USA - California. A Los Angeles Superior Court jury have recommended the death penalty for Steven Dewayne Cheatham
- OCTOBER 16, 2008PennsylvaniaDEATH PENALTY
USA - Pennsylvania. For the 3rd time Freeman May has been sentenced to death for the 1982 stabbing death of Kathy Lynn Fair
USA - Pennsylvania. For the 3rd time, Freeman May has been sentenced to death for the 1982 stabbing death of Kathy Lynn Fair
- OCTOBER 15, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: HIGH COURT REPRIEVE FOR MOTHER-DAUGHTER DUO
the Bombay High Court in India corrected the sessions judge who awarded the death sentence to the mother-daughter duo in the Dr Deepak Mahajan murder case, saying the judge recorded the evidence like a "tape-recorder" without any interruption and hence, i
- OCTOBER 15, 2008IllinoisDEATH PENALTY
USA - Illinois. A Jo Daviess County jury sentenced David Damm to die
USA - Illinois. A Jo Daviess County jury sentenced David Damm to die
- OCTOBER 14, 2008BahamasDEATH PENALTY
BAHAMAS: TIDO MURDER APPEAL DISMISSED
the Court of Appeal in the Bahamas dismissed the appeal against the murder conviction and death sentence of Maxo Tido.
OCTOBER 14, 2008DEATH PENALTYUSA: SUPREME COURT ALLOWS DAVIS EXECUTION IN GEORGIA. OHIO EXECUTES RICHARD COOEY
the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for Troy Davis to be put to death for killing a police officer, despite calls from his supporters to reconsider the case.
- OCTOBER 12, 2008SomaliaDEATH PENALTY
a Somali court handed death sentences to three men convicted...
a Somali court handed death sentences to three men convicted...
- OCTOBER 10, 2008MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA. DEATH FOR SMUGGLING DRUGS
the Malaysian High Court sentenced a 61 year old senior citizen to death after
- OCTOBER 10, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA LABOR OFFICIAL GETS DEATH SENTENCE
a labor and social security official was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve at the first trial for taking bribes and embezzling public funds in east China's Jiangxi Province.
- OCTOBER 9, 2008AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
LAWYER DEMANDS RELEASE FOR AFGHAN REPORTER ON DEATH ROW
the lawyer of an Afghan reporter sentenced to death on blasphemy charges accused authorities of holding his client beyond a legal deadline, as the young man neared a full year in detention.
- OCTOBER 8, 2008MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA. DEATH SENTENCE FOR FOUR UPHELD
four lorry drivers, sentenced to death for the murder of a factory worker six years ago, will remain in Death
- OCTOBER 6, 2008JapanDEATH PENALTY
JAPAN. 42 DEATH-ROW INMATES ARE SEEKING RETRIALS
a survey by a Japanese citizens' group opposed to capital punishment found that at least 42 of some 100
- OCTOBER 6, 2008United StatesDEATH PENALTY
USA - Pennsylvania. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected more than 2,000 pending appeals today, including that of Mumia Abu-Jamal
USA - Pennsylvania. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected more than 2,000 pending appeals today, including that of Mumia Abu-Jamal
- OCTOBER 4, 2008PennsylvaniaDEATH PENALTY
USA - Pennsylvania. A Bucks County jury sentenced Alfonzo Sanchez, 26, to death
USA - Pennsylvania. A Bucks County jury sentenced Alfonzo Sanchez, 26, to death
- OCTOBER 3, 2008AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
AUSTRALIA. DEATH PENALTY STAND LIMITED TO OUR OWN
Australia will not help people facing the death penalty other than its own citizens, Attorney-General Robert McClelland said.
- OCTOBER 3, 2008UgandaDEATH PENALTY
UGANDA: K’JONG SENTENCES SONS TO DEATH FOR RAPE OF SISTER
a man in Karamoja, Uganda, sentenced his two sons to death for raping their sister, one of whom was then executed
- OCTOBER 1, 2008TaiwanDEATH PENALTY
FILIPINO WOMAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING TAIWANESE WOMAN FOR CASH
a Taiwanese court sentenced a Filipino woman to death for killing a Taiwan woman for money. The Kaohsiung District Court in southern Taiwan passed the sentence on Armia Menecia Panaglima, 39, in the killing of Chiu Mei-yun, 48, in Kaohsiung on September 1
- OCTOBER 1, 2008VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM. CHINESE WOMAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR COUNTERFEITING
a court in southern Vietnam sentenced a Chinese woman to death for circulating large amounts of counterfeit Vietnamese currency, the presiding judge said.
- OCTOBER 1, 2008LouisianaDEATH PENALTY
USA. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS DEATH PENALTY BAN IN THE RAPE OF A CHILD
A divided Supreme Court refused to reconsider its ruling barring the death penalty for the
- OCTOBER 1, 2008ThailandDEATH PENALTY
THAILAND: MAN GETS DEATH FOR KILLING POLICE OFFICER
the man who assaulted a junior traffic policeman and battered him to death during a street brawl was condemned to death in Thailand, while his five companions were each given a six-year sentence.
- OCTOBER 1, 2008IraqDEATH PENALTY
a man has been executed after he was found guilty...
a man has been executed after he was found guilty of committing murders, the Diwaniya’s anti-terror office director said, adding death sentences were handed down against 42 on the same charges.
- SEPTEMBER 30, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN. APPEAL FOR SUSPENSION OF EXECUTIONS IN REFORMIST NEWSPAPER
the reformist Iranian newspaper Kargozaran published a public appeal asking the chief magistrate to suspend the execution of six Kurdish activists.
- SEPTEMBER 30, 2008St. Kitts & NevisDEATH PENALTY
ST KITTS: EXECUTION SET BACK
the execution of four condemned men, in St. Kitts and Nevis, was further delayed when a judge in St Lucia decided not to make a ruling on the case.
- SEPTEMBER 29, 2008CanadaDEATH PENALTY
CANADA REFUSES CLEMENCY FOR MAN ON DEATH ROW IN MONTANA
a decision by the Conservative government to stop seeking clemency for a Canadian man on death row in the United States was arbitrary and unfair, his defense lawyer said.
- SEPTEMBER 27, 2008United StatesDEATH PENALTY
USA - Usa / Canada. For $20, a Toronto artist delivers a taste of death row.
USA - Usa / Canada. For $20, a Toronto artist delivers a taste of death row.
SEPTEMBER 26, 2008MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: ACEHNESE WORKER SENTENCED TO DEATH
a court in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia, passed the death sentence on an Acehnese migrant worker from Indonesia named Junaidi Nurdin, 32, for distributing 979 grams of hemp in the country.
- SEPTEMBER 26, 2008LouisianaDEATH PENALTY
USA - Louisiana. Terrance Carter, 29, has been sentenced to death.
USA - Louisiana. Terrance Carter, 29, has been sentenced to death.
- SEPTEMBER 25, 2008AlabamaDEATH PENALTY
USA - Alabama. Mario Woodward has been sentenced to death
USA - Alabama. Mario Woodward has been sentenced to death
- SEPTEMBER 24, 2008BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
BANGLADESH: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING WIFE, TWO CHILDREN IN NILPHAMARI
a court in Nilphamari, Bangladesh, sentenced a man to death for killing his wife and two children in 2005.