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
- NOVEMBER 7, 2006BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
BANGLADESH. MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING WIFE
a court in Jhenaidah, Bangladesh, sentenced to death Bachu Mollah of Baraipara village for killing his wife Dali Khatun, 25, on February 18, 2005, due to an unmet dowry demand. (
- NOVEMBER 6, 2006IndonesiaDEATH PENALTY
INDONESIA. TWO PEOPLE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR HUGE DRUG OPERATION
two Indonesians were sentenced to death for masterminding one of the world’s biggest drug operations, while a Dutchman and Frenchman who helped make the ecstasy and methamphetamine were jailed for life.
- NOVEMBER 4, 2006KuwaitDEATH PENALTY
KUWAIT. TWO MEN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING EGYPTIAN IN ROBBERY BID
the Criminal Court in Kuwait city sentenced two Kuwaiti men...
- NOVEMBER 2, 2006PakistanDEATH PENALTY
PAKISTAN. MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER
a court in Pasrur, Pakistan, sentenced to death Muhammad Akram for murder.
- NOVEMBER 2, 2006UgandaDEATH PENALTY
UGANDA. SIX SOLDIERS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER OF MILITARY OFFICER
six Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers were sentenced to death by hanging for the murder of Lt. Christopher Abaasa.
- NOVEMBER 1, 2006BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
BANGLADESH. YOUNG MAN TO DIE FOR RAPE AND MURDER
a special tribunal in Rangpur, Bangladesh, sentenced to death Sohel Rana for the rape and murder of a nine year old girl.
- OCTOBER 31, 2006BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
BANGLADESH. THREE MEN AWARDED DEATH PENALTY FOR SHOOTING DOWN THREE SIBLINGS
three men were sentenced to death in Meherpur, Bangladesh, for the murder of three siblings during a burglary on October 4, 1995.
- OCTOBER 31, 2006MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA. MAN TO HANG FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Rasahiman Rasul, 30, was sentenced to death by the Shah Alam High Court, Malaysia, for trafficking in 1,039gm of cannabis on June 16, 2003.
- OCTOBER 31, 2006PakistanDEATH PENALTY
PAKISTAN. COURT SENTENCES TWO MILITANTS TO DEATH
two Islamist militants were sentenced to death for killing six Shi'ite Muslims in an attack in Pakistan.
- OCTOBER 30, 2006IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIAN COURT GIVES POLICEMAN'S SON DEATH SENTENCE FOR MURDER
an Indian court sentenced the son of a former top policeman to death after convicting him for the 1996 rape and murder of a law student. Santosh Kumar Singh was sentenced seven years after he was initially acquitted of raping and murdering Priyadarshni Ma
- OCTOBER 30, 2006MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA. MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR TRAFFICKING CANNABIS
Osman Md Yatim, 63, was sentenced to death in Malaysia for trafficking 3,979g of cannabis.
- OCTOBER 28, 2006ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA. MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER
Chen Bijun was sentenced to death for murder by the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court.
- OCTOBER 25, 2006UzbekistanDEATH PENALTY
RUSSIA. UZBEK DEPORTED DESPITE APPEALS
Russia has deported an Uzbek man to his Central Asian homeland, defying pressure from activists who said he could face execution at home, his supporters said.
- OCTOBER 23, 2006VirginiaDEATH PENALTY
Circuit Judge Beverly Snukals followed the jury's recommendation...
Circuit Judge Beverly Snukals followed the jury's recommendation in imposing the ultimate punishment on Ricky Javon Gray for the random New Year's Day slayings of Bryan Harvey, 49, his wife and their 2 young daughters.
- OCTOBER 22, 2006BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
BANGLADESH. SIX MEN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER OF JCD LEADER
six men were sentenced to death and eleven other to life imprisonment for the murder of JCD leader Shafiqul Islam Shafiq.
- OCTOBER 20, 2006ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA. MAN EXECUTED FOR MURDER OF STEPDAUGHTER
a man was executed in Longyan, in China’s Fujian Province, for killing his four-year-old stepdaughter.
- OCTOBER 19, 2006TunisiaDEATH PENALTY
IRAQ. FIVE PEOPLE SENTENCED TO DEATH
the Central Criminal Court of Iraq convicted twenty seven individuals between October 5-12 for crimes including kidnapping, possession of illegal weapons, using or taking advantage of someone else’s legal documents, heading, leading, joining armed groups,
- OCTOBER 19, 2006ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA. DEATH SENTENCE FOR MAN CONVICTED OF TEMPLE KILLINGS
a Chinese farmer was sentenced to death for the murder of 10 people in a Taoist temple in north-west China. Qiu Xinghua, 47, was found guilty of the murders at the Tiewadian temple in Ankang, in the country's Shaanxi province.
- OCTOBER 18, 2006IraqDEATH PENALTY
IRAQ. PM HOPES FOR SADDAM DEATH SENTENCE SOON
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said he hoped legal proceedings against former president Saddam Hussein would be short and that he would be found guilty and sentenced to death soon.
- OCTOBER 17, 2006MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA. DEATH SENTENCE UPHELD FOR TRAFFICKING 1KG OF CANNABIS
the Federal Court in Putrajaya, Malaysia, dismissed Mohd Azhar Saad’s appeal against his death sentence for trafficking in almost 1kg of cannabis.
- OCTOBER 15, 2006IraqDEATH PENALTY
IRAQ. CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT CONVICTS 65 INSURGENTS
Iraq's Central Criminal Court has sentenced an al-Qaida member to death and convicted 64 others on charges of belonging to armed groups and other crimes, the US military command said.
- OCTOBER 12, 2006VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM. DEATH ROW PRISONER FOUND PREGNANT, TO FACE LIFE SENTENCE INSTEAD
a woman sentenced to death in Vietnam for smuggling heroin and detained in isolation became pregnant and would thus have her sentence commuted to life imprisonment, her lawyer said.
- OCTOBER 12, 2006JapanDEATH PENALTY
JAPAN. DEATH PENALTY UPHELD FOR MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING WIFE, FRIEND
the Supreme Court turned down an appeal from Katsuhisa Cho, a man who was given the death penalty for killing his wife and a friend in the late 1980s.
- OCTOBER 12, 2006NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
NIGERIA. THREE PEOPLE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER
three people were sentenced to death after being found guilty of murder by a court in the Nigerian town of Katsina. Shafi'u Atiku, Saidu Najume and Ali Adamu of Maidabino village were found guilty of murdering Dayyabu Abdu of the same village.
- OCTOBER 11, 2006IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA. SUPREME COURT CLIPS PRESIDENT’S POWERS OF PARDON
India’s Supreme Court clipped the president’s power to pardon convicts on death row.
- OCTOBER 11, 2006MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. MALAYSIAN TO HANG FOR MURDER
a Singapore court sentenced Malaysian national Lee Chez Kee to hang for the 13-year-old murder of a university professor. Kee, 37, was found guilty of murdering Lee Kok Cheong while attempting to rob the Singapore professor at his home with two other acco
- OCTOBER 10, 2006JapanDEATH PENALTY
JAPAN. KOBAYASHI WITHDRAWS APPEAL OVER DEATH SENTENCE
Kaoru Kobayashi withdrew his appeal against his death sentence for kidnapping and killing a 7-year-old girl in Japan’s Nara Prefecture in 2004, his defence counsel said.
- OCTOBER 2, 2006ChinaDEATH PENALTY
JAPAN COURT SENTENCES CHINESE MAN TO DEATH
a Japanese court sentenced to death a Chinese man for killing and robbing a Japanese couple who had rented him an apartment.
- OCTOBER 2, 2006IranDEATH PENALTY
three men have been sentenced to death, in Iran...
three men have been sentenced to death, in Iran...
- OCTOBER 1, 2006BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
BANGLADESH. COURT STAYS EXECUTION OF MILITANTS
Bangladesh's Supreme Court ordered a stay of execution for seven Islamist militants sentenced to death for bomb attacks that killed at least 30 people in 2005, said Fazlul Karim, secretary of the Supreme Court.