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
MAY 27, 2019IraqDEATH PENALTYIRAQ: THREE FRENCH IS MEMBERS SENTENCED TO DEATH
An Iraqi court on 26 May 2019 sentenced three French citizens to death after they were found guilty of joining the Islamic State group, a court official said.
- MAY 23, 2019North CarolinaDEATH PENALTY
USA - North Carolina. Former Death-Row Prisoner Charles Ray Finch Freed After 43 Years.
USA - North Carolina. Former Death-Row Prisoner Charles Ray Finch Freed After 43 Years.
MAY 23, 2019EgyptDEATH PENALTYEGYPT: 6 DEFENDANTS OF ‘KERDASA RISISTENCE COMMITTEES’ SENTENCED TO DEATH
Cairo Criminal Court on 22 May 2019 sentenced seven defendants in the case of popular resistance committees of Kerdasa to capital punishment.
MAY 23, 2019BangladeshDEATH PENALTYBANGLADESH: 4 GET DEATH PENALTY FOR KAMRANGIRCHAR MURDER
Speedy Trial tribunal-1 on 23 May 2019 awarded death penalty to four people for killing one Monir Hossain and cutting the dead body into seven pieces in 2013.
- MAY 22, 2019MaldivesDEATH PENALTY
MALDIVES: TWO SENTENCED TO DEATH IN MUHEETH'S MURDER TRIAL
Criminal Court on 20 May 2019 passed capital punishment on the two individuals convicted of murdering Abdul Muheeth (Bobby).
MAY 22, 2019NigeriaDEATH PENALTYNIGERIA: CAMEROONIAN COOK SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING EMPLOYER
A Lagos High Court in Igbosere has sentenced a Cameroonian cook, Leudjou Koyemen Joel, to death for the 20 December 2016 murder of Dayo Adeleke, AltAfrica reported on 21 May 2019.
MAY 21, 2019IndonesiaDEATH PENALTYINDONESIA: FRENCHMAN FELIX DORFIN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
A Frenchman arrested in Indonesia with nearly 4kg of drugs in his luggage was sentenced to death for drug trafficking.
MAY 20, 2019KuwaitDEATH PENALTYKUWAIT: THREE BROTHERS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER
Three brothers from the "Bidoon" category were sentenced to death for murdering a man in May 2018.
- MAY 19, 2019IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN: POLITICAL PRISONER SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR SUPPORTING THE PMOI/MEK
Tehran’s Revolutionary Court on 19 May 2019 sentenced Abdullah Ghasempour, affiliated with the People’s Mojahedin (PMOI/MEK) to death.
- MAY 19, 2019IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Abdullah Ghasempour, member of PMOI/MEK, sentenced to death on May 19
IRAN - Abdullah Ghasempour, member of PMOI/MEK, sentenced to death on May 19
- MAY 17, 2019DEATH PENALTY
ALABAMA (USA): MICHAEL BRANDON SAMRA EXECUTED
Michael Brandon Samra, 41, White, was executed in Alabama on 16 May 2019.
- MAY 17, 2019NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
NIGERIA: PASTOR, MISTRESS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING NNPC SENIOR STAFF
A housewife and her lover have been sentenced to death by a Benin High Court for the murder of senior staff of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Benin city, Engineer Victor Gabriel Isonguyo.
- MAY 16, 2019AlabamaDEATH PENALTY
USA - Alabama. Michael Brandon Samra, 41, White, was executed.
USA - Alabama. Michael Brandon Samra, 41, White, was executed.
MAY 16, 2019BahrainDEATH PENALTYBAHRAIN: TWO MEN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR SMUGGLING HASHISH
Two of seven men who were caught smuggling 68 kilograms of Hashish to Bahrain from Iran were sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of Appeals on 13 May 2019.
- MAY 16, 2019KenyaDEATH PENALTY
KENYA: KIRINYAGA HANDS DEATH SENTENCE TO BRAZEN KILLERS
A Kerugoya Court has handed a death sentence to two men who killed two people and maimed one in a robbery incident that ended up being kidnapping.
- MAY 16, 2019NevadaDEATH PENALTY
USA - Nevada. A jury sentenced Tracy Petrocelli to death for the second time
USA - Nevada. A jury sentenced Tracy Petrocelli to death for the second time
- MAY 16, 2019OhioDEATH PENALTY
USA - Ohio. A jury has recommended the death penalty for Joseph McAlpin
USA - Ohio. A jury has recommended the death penalty for Joseph McAlpin
- MAY 16, 2019South CarolinaDEATH PENALTY
USA - South Carolina. A jury sentenced Jerome Jenkins to death.
USA - South Carolina. A jury sentenced Jerome Jenkins to death.
MAY 15, 2019BelarusDEATH PENALTYBELARUS: SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE IN DOUBLE-MURDER CASE
The Belarusian Supreme Court has upheld a death sentence for a man convicted of murdering two women, despite calls from the European Union for Minsk bring an end to capital punishment.
MAY 15, 2019MexicoDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: THREE MEXICANS SENTENCED TO DEATH RETURNED TO MEXICO
Three Mexican nationals who were sentenced to death in Malaysia have been pardoned and returned to the country, Riviera Maya News reported on 14 May 2019.
MAY 14, 2019NigeriaDEATH PENALTYNIGERIA: MAN BAGS DEATH SENTENCE FOR KILLING BROTHER IN LAGOS
An Ikeja High Court on 13 May 2019 sentenced to death a 33-year-old man, Abiodun Allen, for killing his immediate younger brother, Wale, with a broken bottle.
MAY 14, 2019IraqDEATH PENALTYIRAQ: THREE SENTENCED TO DEATH BY SULAIMANI COURT FOR 2013 KIRKUK TAXI MURDERS
Sulaimani Criminal Court on 12 May 2019 handed down fifteen death sentences to three people who had been convicted earlier of killing eighteen taxi drivers in 2013.
- MAY 13, 2019SomaliaDEATH PENALTY
SOMALIA: PUNTLAND COURT SENTENCES THREE MEN TO DEATH FOR RAPING AND MURDER
A regional court in Puntland on 12 May 2019 sentenced 3 men to death for the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl, Aisha Ilyas Adan in Galkayo city early this year.
MAY 13, 2019EgyptDEATH PENALTYEGYPT: TWO SENTENCED TO DEATH OVER CHURCH ATTACK
An Egyptian court on 12 May 2019 sentenced two men to death and eight others to between three years and life in prison over an attack on a church and Christian-owned shop in Cairo that killed 10 people.
MAY 13, 2019MalawiDEATH PENALTYMALAWI: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING BOY WITH ALBINIM
There has been a landmark court ruling in Malawi which has seen the first person sentenced to death for killing a teenager with albinism.
- MAY 11, 2019IraqDEATH PENALTY
IRAQ: TERRORIST SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING SOLDIERS AND RAPING WOMEN
Nineveh Criminal Court sentenced a terrorist of Daesh groups to death for killing Iraqi soldiers and raping Yazidi women, INA reported on 9 May 2019.
MAY 10, 2019IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN: PRISONER EXECUTED AT ARDABIL PRISON FOR MURDER
A prisoner was executed at Ardabil prison on 4 May 2019, HRANA reported.
MAY 9, 2019NigeriaDEATH PENALTYNIGERIA: 5 PRISONERS TO BE STONED TO DEATH IN BAUCHI
Five condemned persons who have been convicted to be stoned to death while another 10 whose legs and hands are to be amputated are said to be languishing in Bauchi prison presently.
- MAY 6, 2019IraqDEATH PENALTY
IRAQ: FOUR SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR JOINING ISLAMIC STATE
An Iraqi court has sentenced four people to death by hanging for belonging to the Islamic State militant group and committing terrorist crimes in Iraq and Syria, a judiciary statement said on 21 April 2019.
- MAY 3, 2019BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
BANGLADESH: SIX SENTENCED TO DEATH IN KHADEM MURDER CASE
A Dhaka court on 25 April 2019 sentenced six to death and another to life term imprisonment for killing administrative officer of Dhaka deputy commissioner's office Aminul Haque Khadem alias Anis Khadem in 2009, reports UNB.