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
- JUNE 5, 2008MexicoDEATH PENALTY
Mexico has returned to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in seeking a stay of execution for Mexican-born inmates in the U.S.
Mexico has returned to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in seeking a stay of execution for Mexican-born inmates in the U.S.
- JUNE 5, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
a 45 year old man, Sonahar Ali, a resident of Karimganj district, was
a 45 year old man, Sonahar Ali, a resident of Karimganj district, was
- JUNE 4, 2008BahrainDEATH PENALTY
BAHRAIN. BANGLADESHI EXECUTED FOR MURDER
a Bangladeshi murderer was executed by firing squad in Bahrain early in the morning, the Public Prosecution
- JUNE 3, 2008PakistanDEATH PENALTY
PAKISTAN: 3 CONVICTS TO BE EXECUTED
three condemned prisoners will be hanged in the Faisalabad District Prison in Pakistan on June 4.
- JUNE 3, 2008PakistanDEATH PENALTY
PAKISTAN: MAN AWARDED DEATH SENTENCE FOR MURDER
Additional District and Sessions Judge Rao Abdul Jabbar Khan awarded the death sentence to Usmani Meo, a hit-man who was already awarded death in two previous murder cases.
- 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
- JUNE 2, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: TWO INDIANS FACE DEATH IN CHINA FOR SMUGGLING DRUGS
two Indian Tamils, one a native of Thanjavur and the other from Ramanathapuram, were sentenced to death by a Chinese court for narcotics smuggling.
- JUNE 1, 2008AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
AFGHANISTAN. COURT SENDS DEATH SENTENCE JOURNALIST TO HOSPITAL
Afghanistan's appeal court referred a reporter sentenced to death on blasphemy charges
- MAY 30, 2008LouisianaDEATH PENALTY
A Baton Rouge jury recommended the death penalty for Sanchez Brumfield
A Baton Rouge jury recommended the death penalty for Sanchez Brumfield
- MAY 30, 2008VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM SENTENCES OFFICIAL TO DEATH FOR STEALING DRUGS
a court in north-western Vietnam sentenced a law enforcement official and his cousin to death for stealing 10.7 kgs of drugs from a police...
- MAY 28, 2008Sri LankaDEATH PENALTY
QATAR: MAN SENTENCED TO HANG FOR BEATING DEATH
a Sri Lankan was sentenced to death in Qatar for killing a man as he slept because of an old dispute
- MAY 28, 2008MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: SENTENCED TO DEATH TWICE FOR TRAFFICKING
in what is believed to be one of the oldest cases in the court system, Siew Yoke Keong, a 40 year old welder, was sentenced to death for drug trafficking after being held in remand for 11 years in Malaysia.
- MAY 27, 2008VirginiaDEATH PENALTY
Kevin Green was executed tonight at Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt
Kevin Green was executed tonight at Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt
- MAY 27, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN CONFIRMS DEATH SENTENCE FOR KURDISH TEACHER
Iran confirmed the death sentence of a Kurdish teacher for membership in a "terrorist" group and possession of explosives, the judiciary spokesman confirmed.
- MAY 26, 2008EthiopiaDEATH PENALTY
ETHIOPIA. SUPREME COURT HANDS DEATH SENTENCE TO MENGISTU
Ethiopia's Supreme Court sentenced former dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam to death in his ab
- MAY 26, 2008JapanDEATH PENALTY
JAPAN. GANGSTER SENTENCED TO HANG FOR MAYOR'S ASSASSINATION
A gangster has been sentenced to death by a Japanese court for killin
- MAY 24, 2008AlgeriaDEATH PENALTY
ALGERIA. 24 EXTREMISTS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR TERRORISM
Twenty-four extremists have been sentenced to death in Algeria on c
- MAY 22, 2008EthiopiaDEATH PENALTY
ETHIOPIA. FOUR AIR FORCE PILOTS SENTENCED TO DEATH IN ABSENTIA
a military tribunal recently sentenced four Ethiopian Air Force pilots to death.
- MAY 22, 2008BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
BANGLADESH FOUR SENTENCED TO DEATH IN PROFESSOR TAHER MURDER CASE
four people in Bangladesh were sentenced to death for the murder of Professor Sheikh Taher Ahmed.
- MAY 22, 2008Congo - KinshasaDEATH PENALTY
DRC. THREE SEPARATISTS SENTENCED TO DEATH
three members of a separatist group were sentenced to death in Congo in a mass
- MAY 22, 2008FloridaDEATH PENALTY
jurors recommended the death penalty for a Vietnamese immigrant, Tai Pham.
jurors recommended the death penalty for a Vietnamese immigrant, Tai Pham.
- MAY 22, 2008CaliforniaDEATH PENALTY
A Riverside County Superior Court jury recommended that Michael Cook should get the death penalty
A Riverside County Superior Court jury recommended that Michael Cook should get the death penalty
- MAY 21, 2008JordanDEATH PENALTY
JORDAN COMMUTES EIGHT AL-QAEDA DEATH VERDICTS TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT
Jordan's State Security Court (SSC) commuted the death penalty passed on eight al-Qaeda-linked suspects to life imprisonment, judicial sources said.
- MAY 20, 2008Congo - KinshasaDEATH PENALTY
DR CONGO MURDER APPEAL MARRED BY RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the appeal trial of four men sentenced to death for a Congolese journalist's murder lacked "protection of the defendants' most basic rights," local and international rights groups charged.
- 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 20, 2008EthiopiaDEATH PENALTY
ETHIOPIA. HIGH COURT CONDEMNS EIGHT TO DEATH OVER 2007 BOMB BLAST
the Somali Regional State High Court in Jijiga, Ethiopia, sentenced eight culprits to death for killing and
- MAY 20, 2008Congo - KinshasaDEATH PENALTY
THREE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR CONGOLESE JOURNALIST'S MURDER
a military appeals court in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo town of Bukavu sentenced three men to death for the murder of a Congolese journalist and acquitted two others in a case that sparked accusations of rights abuses.
- MAY 18, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: DEATH SENTENCE IN HIGHWAY MURDER CASE
the first accused in the sensational Kanichukulangara highway triple murder case that rocked Kerala in 2005 was sentenced to death
- MAY 18, 2008IraqDEATH PENALTY
IRAQ. DEATH PENALTY FOR ARCHBISHOP'S KILLING
a leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq was sentenced to death for the killing of
- MAY 14, 2008AlabamaDEATH PENALTY
Jury recommends death penalty for Garrett Dotch
Jury recommends death penalty for Garrett Dotch