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
- MARCH 16, 2006AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
INDONESIA. BALI NINE DUO APPEAL DEATH SENTENCES
Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, two members of the Bali nine who had been sentenced to death for attempting to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia, lodged their appeals with the Denpasar District Court.
- MARCH 15, 2006IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA. THREE PEOPLE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER
the Fast Track Court in Roorkee, India, sentenced to death Amit, Dharmendra and Jitendra for the murder of two people, including a retired policeman, at their Shakti Vihar Colony residence on August 9, 2003.
- MARCH 15, 2006ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA. OFFICIAL GETS DEATH FOR KILLING NAGGING MISTRESS
Guan Canrong a former official in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region was sentenced to death in the contract killing of his nagging mistress who pestered him to divorce his wife and marry her.
- MARCH 14, 2006ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA. SIX MEMBERS OF DRUG RING SENTENCED TO DEATH IN GUIZHOU PROVINCE
four cardinal members of a notorious drug ring that was accused of trafficking 21 kilograms of heroin have been sentenced to death at first trial in southwest China's Guizhou Province.
- MARCH 14, 2006AzerbaijanDEATH PENALTY
AZERBAIJAN. RIGHTS ACTIVIST SAYS "INFORMAL MORATORIUM" ON DEATH PENALTY
it was reported that a death row inmate in Azerbaijan had appealed to the presidential administration to be executed by shooting. He had been sentenced to death before the abolition of capital punishment but his sentence had not been de jure commuted to l
- MARCH 13, 2006PakistanDEATH PENALTY
PAKISTAN. HIGH COURT COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCES OF TWO MEN, MAINTAINS PENALTY FOR A THIRD IN TRIPLE MURDER CASE
the Sindh High Court in Karachi, Pakistan, commuted the sentence of two men facing death for triple murder but maintained the death sentence for a third accomplice.
- MARCH 13, 2006BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
BANGLADESH. MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER
a court in Narsindi, Bangladesh, sentenced Abdul Hamid, 24, to death and Fazlu Mia, 28, to life imprisonment after convicting them of murder.
- MARCH 10, 2006United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE. DEATH PENALTY FOR MAN WHO SHOT FATHER-IN-LAW
the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court, UAE, sentenced to death a man, only identified as S.J., after convicting him of killing his father-in-law, identified as A.H.
- MARCH 9, 2006PakistanDEATH PENALTY
PAKISTAN. COURT REJECTS 'SPY' PLEA
Pakistan's Supreme Court rejected a review appeal by Manjit Singh, an Indian on death row for spying. He had been convicted of spying and carrying out a series of bombings in 1990 which killed 14 people. His family said he was Sarabjit Singh - a farmer wh
- MARCH 8, 2006YemenDEATH PENALTY
YEMEN. EDITOR 'FACES DEATH CALLS'
Yemeni lawyers have called for a newspaper editor to be sentenced to death for showing cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, his paper says.
- MARCH 8, 2006BahamasDEATH PENALTY
THE BAHAMAS. MANDATORY DEATH PENALTY BANNED
the mandatory death penalty in the Bahamas was abolished by five British law lords when they held it to be a breach of international human rights.
- MARCH 8, 2006TexasDEATH PENALTY
Joe Michael Luna, 26, who asked jurors to sentence him to death, has today been sentenced to death.
Joe Michael Luna, 26, who asked jurors to sentence him to death, has today been sentenced to death.
- MARCH 8, 2006BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
BANGLADESH. ONE TO GO TO GALLOWS, 11 SERVE LIFE TERM IN JAIL FOR MURDER
the Additional District and Sessions Court in Sylhet, Bangladesh, sentenced Somjid Ali Kotoi to death and 11 others to life for murdering one Alauddin.
- MARCH 7, 2006FloridaDEATH PENALTY
Brevard Circuit Judge Tonya Rainwater sentenced Anthony Wayne Welch, 27.
Brevard Circuit Judge Tonya Rainwater sentenced Anthony Wayne Welch, 27.
- MARCH 6, 2006YemenDEATH PENALTY
Amnesty International reported that Adil Muhammad Saif al-Ma'amari...
Amnesty International reported that Adil Muhammad Saif al-Ma'amari...
- MARCH 5, 2006KuwaitDEATH PENALTY
KUWAIT. PHILIPPINE VICE PRESIDENT IN KUWAIT TO APPEAL FOR LIFE OF FILIPINO TEACHER
Philippine Vice-President Noli de Castro went to Kuwait to negotiate for the life of Marilou Ranario, an overseas Filipino worker who was sentenced to death for murdering her employer.
- MARCH 4, 2006ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA. SEAFOOD TRIAD LEADER EXECUTED IN SHENZHEN
Chen Kegeng, the leader of a notorious triad which had controlled three leading seafood markets in Shenzhen for three years was executed.
- MARCH 3, 2006ThailandDEATH PENALTY
THAILAND. EX-POLICE GENERAL GETS DEATH SENTENCE IN SAUDI JEWEL HEIST CASE
former Lt. Gen. Chalor Kerdthed was sentenced to death by a Thai appeals court for masterminding the killing of two family members of a gem trader linked to a 1989 jewel theft in Saudi Arabia.
- MARCH 2, 2006IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN. FIVE MEN SENTENCED TO DEATH IN TEHRAN
five men were sentenced to death in Iran’s capital Tehran.
- MARCH 2, 2006TexasDEATH PENALTY
a jury agreed this morning that Max Alexander Soffar, 50, should return to death row for killing Arden Alane Felsher, 17, during an attack that also left 2 other young people dead and another teenager severely wounded....
a jury agreed this morning that Max Alexander Soffar, 50, should return to death row for killing Arden Alane Felsher, 17, during an attack that also left 2 other young people dead and another teenager severely wounded.
- MARCH 1, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. FORMER CONGRESSMAN AND SIX FARMERS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER
a former congressman and six farmers were sentenced to death in the Philippines for the 1997 killing of two brothers in Mindoro province.
- MARCH 1, 2006PakistanDEATH PENALTY
PAKISTAN. THREE PEOPLE SENTENCED TO DEATH ON SAME DAY
the Sialkot Additional District and Session Court, Pakistan, sentenced to death on counts, with a fine of 300,000 rupees each, Ali Raza alias Muna and Moazzam Shehzad after convicting them of double murder.
- MARCH 1, 2006JapanDEATH PENALTY
JAPAN. KEY MAN IN JAPANESE DOOMSDAY CULT APPEALS DEATH SENTENCE
Tomomasa Nakagawa, key member of the doomsday cult who allegedly prepared the nerve gas for the deadly attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995, began an appeal against his death sentence.
- FEBRUARY 28, 2006BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
BANGLADESH. 22 MILITANTS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR BOMBINGS
a court in Bangladesh sentenced 21 people to death in connection with a wave of coordinated bombings on August 17, 2005.
- FEBRUARY 28, 2006YemenDEATH PENALTY
in at least one case said Amnesty International...
in at least one case said Amnesty International...
- FEBRUARY 27, 2006TexasDEATH PENALTY
Stephen Barbee, 38, was sentenced to death
Stephen Barbee, 38, was sentenced to death this afternoon for the Feb. 19, 2005 killing of Lisa Underwood and her 7-year-old son, Jayden.
- FEBRUARY 27, 2006LaosDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM. LAOS MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
the Quang Ninh provincial first instance court, Vietnam, sentenced to death Xom Phon, a 30-year-old Laotian, for trafficking over 70 cakes of heroin and 4,000 tablets of Methamphetamine from Lao to northern Quang Ninh province late in 2005.
- FEBRUARY 27, 2006IllinoisDEATH PENALTY
in Chicago, a jury has recommended the death penalty for accused serial killer Paul Runge.
in Chicago, a jury has recommended the death penalty for accused serial killer Paul Runge.
- FEBRUARY 27, 2006MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA. PRISON OFFICER SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER OF INMATE
Azhar Che Wil, an officer of Penor Prison, was sentenced to death by the High Court in Kauntan, Malaysia, for the murder of a 19-year-old detainee.
- FEBRUARY 27, 2006BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
BANGLADESH. FIVE PEOPLE SENTENCED TO DEATH IN DOUBLE MURDER CASE
five people were sentenced to death, in Bagladesh, in a double murder case involving the deaths of a grandmother and her grandchild at Kamrangir Char, near Dhaka