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 8, 2019EgyptDEATH PENALTY
EGYPT: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER OF UKRAINIAN WOMAN IN HURGHADA
A criminal court in Egypt's Red Sea governorate sentenced to death on 7 March 2019 a man convicted of killing a Ukrainian woman in the Red Sea resort of town Hurghada in March 2018.
MARCH 8, 2019TunisiaDEATH PENALTYTUNISIA: 31 SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR TERRORIST ATTACK
Tunisia’s Criminal Court on terrorism cases in the capital’s Court of Appeal has sentenced 31 people to death over the 2014 terrorist attack on the house of former Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou, Aawsat reported on 7 March 2019.
- MARCH 8, 2019FloridaDEATH PENALTY
USA - Florida. Jury recommends death penalty for Christian Cruz
USA - Florida. Jury recommends death penalty for Christian Cruz
MARCH 7, 2019TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA: TEACHER SENTENCED TO DEATH AFTER PUPIL DIED OF BEATING
A Tanzanian court sentenced a teacher to death on 6 March 2019 after a 13-year-old pupil died from a beating meted out by him in a case that sparked a national debate on corporal punishment in schools.
MARCH 7, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SC CONFIRMS DEATH SENTENCE TO PUNJAB MAN FOR KILLING SIX
The Supreme Court on 5 March 2019 confirmed capital punishment for a man from Punjab, who killed six people by drowning them in a canal.
MARCH 7, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SC ACQUITS TWO DEATH ROW CONVICTS
The Supreme Court on 5 March 2019 acquitted two death-row convicts who were sentenced to the gallows by the Chhattisgarh High Court for allegedly committing robbery and killing five women members of a family in 2012.
MARCH 6, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SURENDRA KOLI SENTENCED TO DEATH IN 10TH CASE OF NITHARI KILLINGS
Surendra Koli, who has been convicted and sentenced to death in nine cases of rape and murder of women in Noida’s Nithari village, was on 2 March 2019 handed down capital punishment in the 10th case of rape and murder against him.
MARCH 5, 2019IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN: KURDISH PRISONER HANGED AT CHOOBIDAR PRISON IN QAZVIN
Ali Shakouri, a resident of the Tarzilloo village in Orumiyeh, was executed at Choobidar prison in Qazvin on 11 February 2019.
MARCH 5, 2019EgyptDEATH PENALTYEGYPT: COURT SENTENCES DEFENDANT IN 'OCTOBER TERRORIST CELL' TO DEATH
The Cairo Criminal Court on 3 March 2019 sentenced one man to death and four others to life imprisonment in the case known as “the October Terrorist cell” case.
- MARCH 4, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SC COMMUTES DEATH PENALTY TO LIFE TERM CITING MAN'S REFORMATIVE POEMS
The Supreme Court has commuted the death penalty awarded to a man for murdering a child into life imprisonment after his poems indicated that he realised his mistake and wanted to reform himself, PTI reported on 3 March 2019.
- MARCH 3, 2019EgyptDEATH PENALTY
EGYPT: COURT SENTENCES MAN TO DEATH FOR KILLING WIFE AND 3 SONS
Kafr al-Sheikh Criminal Court on 2 March 2019 sentenced a man who murdered his wife and three sons to the death penalty.
- FEBRUARY 27, 2019AlabamaDEATH PENALTY
USA - Iowa. Senate Subcommittee votes to expand the death penalty
USA - Iowa. Senate Subcommittee votes to expand the death penalty
FEBRUARY 26, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: DEATH PENALTY TO MAN WHO RAPED 3-YEAR-OLD GIRL
A court on 20 February 2019 awarded death sentence to a person who was found guilty of raping and killing a three-year-old girl in Jharkhand's Gumla district.
- FEBRUARY 25, 2019DEATH PENALTY
CALIFORNIA (USA): FREDDIE TAYLOR, 58, BLACK, FREED FROM DEATH ROW NEARLY 33 YEARS AFTER CONVICTION
A man who spent nearly 33 years awaiting execution on California’s death row took his first steps as a free man on 20 February 2019, following an appeals court decision that overturned the death sentence and raised questions about his mental state during
- FEBRUARY 25, 2019SomaliaDEATH PENALTY
SOMALIA: MILITARY COURT SENTENCES SOLDIER TO DEATH FOR KILLING CIVILIAN
A military tribunal in Mogadishu has sentenced a government soldier to death for killing a civilian in Mahad district in Middle Shabelle region, south of Somalia, radioshabelle.com reported on 25 February 2019.
- FEBRUARY 25, 2019EgyptDEATH PENALTY
EGYPT: FORMER VICE-PRESIDENT CALLS FOR ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY
Former Egyptian Vice-President Mohamed ElBaradei on 21 February 2019 decried Egypt’s frequent resort to capital punishment and called for the abolition of the practice.
FEBRUARY 22, 2019IndonesiaDEATH PENALTYINDONESIA: SOUTH SUMATRA COURT DELIVERS DEATH PENALTY TO NINE DRUG DEALERS
The Palembang District Court in South Sumatra sentenced nine people to death on 7 February 2019 after finding them guilty of transporting 80 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine.
FEBRUARY 22, 2019PakistanDEATH PENALTYPAKISTAN: MAN AWARDED TWO TIMES DEATH SENTENCE
The Anti-Terrorist Court (ATC) No-III, Rawalpindi Judge Abdul Raheem on 10 February 2019 awarded two times death sentence and imprisonment of 31 years to Zafar Iqbal for killing a police officer on August 10, 1999.
FEBRUARY 21, 2019Palestinian TerritoriesDEATH PENALTYGAZA: DEATH SENTENCE IMPOSED FOR MURDER
Khan Younis Court of First Instance on 29 January 2019 imposed a death sentence against a citizen (Y/A’).
FEBRUARY 21, 2019TaiwanDEATH PENALTYTAIWAN: COURT UPHOLDS DEATH PENALTY FOR ARSONIST
The Taiwan High Court on 20 February 2019 upheld convicted arsonist Weng Jen-hsien’s death sentence.
FEBRUARY 20, 2019BahrainDEATH PENALTYBAHRAIN: MOSQUE IMAM MURDERER DEATH SENTENCE UPHELD
The Court of Cassation upheld on 11 February 2019 the death sentence handed down to the killer of the Imam of Bin Shaddah Mosque.
- FEBRUARY 20, 2019CaliforniaDEATH PENALTY
USA - California. Freddie Taylor freed from Death Row nearly 33 years
USA - California. Freddie Taylor freed from Death Row nearly 33 years
- FEBRUARY 19, 2019FloridaDEATH PENALTY
USA - Florida. A Jury recommended death for Michael Anthony Gordon.
USA - Florida. A Jury recommended death for Michael Anthony Gordon.
- FEBRUARY 18, 2019BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
BANGLADESH: FOUR SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDERING NURSERY SCHOOL STUDENT EMON IN SYLHET
Four people have been sentenced to death for abducting and murdering a nursery school student in Sunamganj’s Chhatak Upazila.
FEBRUARY 18, 2019Myanmar (Burma)DEATH PENALTYMYANMAR: TWO SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING SUU KYI AIDE
A court in Myanmar on 15 February 2019 sentenced two men to death for the killing of a prominent Muslim lawyer who was a close adviser to the country’s top leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
- FEBRUARY 18, 2019IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: COURT AWARDS DEATH PENALTY TO MAN FOR GIRLFRIEND MURDER
In a landmark judgment, sessions judge, Senapati district, A. Noutuneshwari, on 5 February 2019 awarded death penalty to a 29-year old man Yumkhaibam Rohit alias Rajesh, son of late Y. Riyajuddin of Khergao Makha Leikai, for murdering his girlfriend Pukhr
- FEBRUARY 15, 2019KenyaDEATH PENALTY
KENYA: COURT SENTENCES POLICE OFFICER TO DEATH FOR KILLING DETAINEE
A Kenyan court on 14 February 2019 sentenced a former senior police officer to death for killing a detainee in his custody.
FEBRUARY 14, 2019PakistanDEATH PENALTYPAKISTAN: ATC AWARDS DEATH SENTENCE TO TWO CRIMINALS FOR MURDER
An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on 31 January 2019 awarded the death sentence to two criminals for their involvement in a murder.
- FEBRUARY 14, 2019KenyaDEATH PENALTY
KENYA: WOMAN, 5 RELATIVES TO HANG FOR KILLING HER HUSBAND
The Court of Appeal on 12 February 2019 turned down an appeal by a woman and her five relatives who were sentenced to death for killing her husband in Kiambu in 2004.
FEBRUARY 13, 2019Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: MOTHER SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING GIRL
A mother was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for murder, Spa reported on 11 February 2019.