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
- APRIL 11, 2002UzbekistanDEATH PENALTY
A man was sentenced to death for murdering his aunt...
A man was sentenced to death for murdering his aunt and a cousin during a robbery in the northwest of Uzbekistan, the newspaper Na Postu reported
- APRIL 10, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
The Supreme Court in Japan rejected the sixth appeal...
The Supreme Court in Japan rejected the sixth appeal for the retrial of a death-row inmate who was found guilty of murdering five people with poisoned wine in Nabari, Mie Prefecture, in 1961
- APRIL 9, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
A thief who denied allegations of murdering a jewellery...
A thief who denied allegations of murdering a jewellery shop manager and five female employees to cover up his gem heist was sentenced to death
- APRIL 9, 2002IndiaDEATH PENALTY
An Indian court condemned two brothers, Dharambir and...
An Indian court condemned two brothers, Dharambir and Joginder, to death and a third brother, Karambir, to life imprisonment for a triple murder
- APRIL 7, 2002Palestinian TerritoriesDEATH PENALTY
A Palestinian military court sentenced six people to...
A Palestinian military court sentenced six people to death for collaborating with Israel in a secret session held in the pre-dawn hours in Gaza City, Palestinian security officials said
- APRIL 7, 2002IsraelDEATH PENALTY
A Palestinian military court sentenced six people to...
A Palestinian military court sentenced six people to death for collaborating with Israel in a secret session held in the pre-dawn hours in Gaza City, Palestinian security officials said
- APRIL 6, 2002United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
In an unprecedented ruling, the Dubai Cassation Court...
In an unprecedented ruling, the Dubai Cassation Court ruled that if a prisoner sentenced to death is sick, his condition will not delay or stop the execution
- APRIL 5, 2002PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said there are actually...
Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said there are actually 17 convicts slated for the lethal injection chamber this year
- APRIL 4, 2002KenyaDEATH PENALTY
A man was sentenced to death for violently stealing...
A man was sentenced to death for violently stealing a mobile telephone and Sh300
- APRIL 4, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
Amina Lawal, a 30-year-old Nigerian woman condemned...
Amina Lawal, a 30-year-old Nigerian woman condemned to die by stoning for adultery, has filed an appeal against her sentence
- APRIL 3, 2002YemenDEATH PENALTY
A Yemeni court sentenced to death a Yemeni tribesman...
A Yemeni court sentenced to death a Yemeni tribesman for kidnapping a German man and holding him hostage for two weeks
- APRIL 3, 2002VietnamDEATH PENALTY
A Vietnamese court sentenced three people, one a women,...
A Vietnamese court sentenced three people, one a women, to death by firing squad and two to life in prison after they were found guilty of trafficking 346 kg of opium, official media reported
- APRIL 3, 2002PakistanDEATH PENALTY
A condemned prisoner involved in the killing of two...
A condemned prisoner involved in the killing of two brothers was executed in the central jail of Gujranwala
- MARCH 31, 2002RwandaDEATH PENALTY
Four people were sentenced to death by the Nyamata...
Four people were sentenced to death by the Nyamata court of first instance in the joint trial of 74 people charged with involvement in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and other crimes against humanity
- MARCH 31, 2002PakistanDEATH PENALTY
A court in Pakistan sentenced to death Falak Sher and...
A court in Pakistan sentenced to death Falak Sher and Allah Ditta for the double murder of Shahbaz and Bashir following a minor dispute
- MARCH 30, 2002BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
A court in Bangladesh sentenced a young man to death...
A court in Bangladesh sentenced a young man to death by hanging in absentia for violating a girl
- MARCH 30, 2002BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
Five young men were sentenced to death for raping and...
Five young men were sentenced to death for raping and stabbing to death a young woman in Bangladesh
- MARCH 30, 2002ChinaDEATH PENALTY
A woman who amassed a fortune after bribing and corrupting...
A woman who amassed a fortune after bribing and corrupting officials with sexual favours lost her appeal against the death sentence
- MARCH 29, 2002PakistanDEATH PENALTY
Muhammad Ejaz was condemned to death by a Lahore court...
Muhammad Ejaz was condemned to death by a Lahore court for the murder of Maqbool Ahmad on August 10, 1999
- MARCH 27, 2002LebanonDEATH PENALTY
The Military Tribunal sentenced in absentia the leader...
The Military Tribunal sentenced in absentia the leader of the former South Lebanon Army militia commander to death on charges of collaborating with Israel - a move which was seen as a way stop him receiving payments from the Lebanese government
- MARCH 21, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
The Nigerian federal government ruled that strict Islamic...
The Nigerian federal government ruled that strict Islamic law, or Sharia, which has been adopted as the law of the land in 12 Muslim-majority northern states, is unconstitutional
- MARCH 18, 2002CanadaDEATH PENALTY
Author Salman Rushdie, under a death threat for years...
Author Salman Rushdie, under a death threat for years for allegedly blaspheming Islam in a novel, has not been allowed to fly on Air Canada since September and an airline spokeswoman said she could not say when the ban would be lifted
- MARCH 18, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
A court in Japan sentenced Kazuyuki Oikawa, 24, to...
A court in Japan sentenced Kazuyuki Oikawa, 24, to death for killing two children and injuring another in a burglary
- MARCH 18, 2002IranDEATH PENALTY
Author Salman Rushdie, under a death threat for years...
Author Salman Rushdie, under a death threat for years for allegedly blaspheming Islam in a novel, has not been allowed to fly on Air Canada since September 2001 and an airline spokeswoman said she could not say when the ban would be lifted
- MARCH 18, 2002TexasDEATH PENALTY
Jurors deliberated for just more than 30 minutes in...
Jurors deliberated for just more than 30 minutes in deciding to sentence Reginald W
- MARCH 17, 2002ThailandDEATH PENALTY
Two middle-aged women were sentenced to death by the...
Two middle-aged women were sentenced to death by the Southern Bangkok Criminal Court for possession of methamphetamine pills with intent to sell
- MARCH 17, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
Safiya Hussaini, 35, condemned by an Islamic court...
Safiya Hussaini, 35, condemned by an Islamic court in Sokoto, Nigeria, to be stoned to death while buried up to her waist in sand, claims she was singled out because she is "a woman and poor", an argument that human rights groups have backed
- MARCH 14, 2002UzbekistanDEATH PENALTY
Yevgeniy Turetskiy ,one member of a gang was sentenced...
Yevgeniy Turetskiy ,one member of a gang was sentenced to death and three others to long terms of imprisonment for killing a woman during a robbery in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, in 1999
- MARCH 13, 2002IndonesiaDEATH PENALTY
An Indonesian court sentenced a 21-year-old Thai woman...
An Indonesian court sentenced a 21-year-old Thai woman to death for attempting to smuggle 600 grams of heroin into the country in September 2001, news reports said
- MARCH 12, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
The Tokyo District Court sentenced a 49-year-old fisherman...
The Tokyo District Court sentenced a 49-year-old fisherman to death on a charge of murdering two other fishermen and severely injuring a third aboard a fishing boat in Tokyo Bay in 2000