The death penalty for drug offences
Archive theme
International law restricts the death penalty, where it still exists, to the most serious crimes, and United Nations bodies have made clear more than once that drug offences do not belong to that category. Despite this, some states go on sentencing people to death and executing them for trafficking or possession of narcotics: in certain years these executions are a substantial share of the world total.
This page collects the news on death sentences and executions for drug offences.
Latest news
- SEPTEMBER 14, 2011DEATH PENALTY
SAUDI BEHEADS MURDERER, SYRIAN SMUGGLER
Saudi Arabia beheaded a Saudi national convicted of murder and a Syrian accused of drug trafficking in the conservative kingdom's north, the interior ministry announced.
- SEPTEMBER 14, 2011Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Saudi Arabia beheaded a Syrian national accused of drug trafficking.
Saudi Arabia beheaded a Syrian national accused of drug trafficking.
- SEPTEMBER 14, 2011United KingdomDEATH PENALTY
HARM REDUCTION INTERNATIONAL: ‘THE DEATH PENALTY FOR DRUG OFFENCES’ 2011 REPORT
Harm Reduction International has released a new report: The Death Penalty for Drug
- SEPTEMBER 13, 2011DEATH PENALTY
IRAN: TEN PEOPLE EXECUTED
ten people have been executed in Iran in the last two days.
- SEPTEMBER 13, 2011IranDEATH PENALTY
Iran hanged three people for drug trafficking in the central iranian city of Qom,
Iran hanged three people for drug trafficking in the central iranian city of Qom,
SEPTEMBER 12, 2011DEATH PENALTYIRAN: SIX HANGED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
six people have been hanged recently in Iran for drug trafficking.
- SEPTEMBER 11, 2011IranDEATH PENALTY
One prisoner was hanged in the prison of Meshgin shahr (in the northwest Iranian province of
One prisoner was hanged in the prison of Meshgin shahr (in the northwest Iranian province of
- SEPTEMBER 10, 2011IranDEATH PENALTY
two Iranians were executed for the possession and sale of four kilograms of heroin
two Iranians were executed for the possession and sale of four kilograms of heroin
- SEPTEMBER 10, 2011ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: PAKISTANI FAMILY APPEALS TO CHINA OVER DEATH SENTENCE
the family of Pakistani national Zahid Hussain appealed to the Chinese authorities to commute his death sentence for drug trafficking to life imprisonment on humanitarian grounds.
- SEPTEMBER 8, 2011IranDEATH PENALTY
Three prisoners were hanged in the prison of Oroumieh (northwestern Iran) reported
Three prisoners were hanged in the prison of Oroumieh (northwestern Iran) reported
SEPTEMBER 6, 2011IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN: FOUR PEOPLE HANGED IN KERMAN
Four people were hanged in the prison of Kerman, southeast of Iran, according to the state-run Iranian
SEPTEMBER 4, 2011MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYTHAILAND: MALAYSIAN TRIO TO HANG FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
three Malaysians found in possession of 45kg of drugs were sent to the gallows
- AUGUST 21, 2011IndonesiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: THREE SENT TO GALLOWS FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Justice Datuk Zakiah Kassim of the Malaysian High Court sentenced Indonesian national Effendi, 25, and
- AUGUST 20, 2011MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: MAN TO HANG FOR DRUGS
subcontractor Chong Soon Wah, 38, was re-sentenced to death by presiding Justice Azhar
- AUGUST 3, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: DEATH PENALTY UPHELD FOR DRUG OFFENDER
Ghulam Mallik, 49, from Kashmir, was sentenced to death a second time by the NDPS court in India.
- AUGUST 2, 2011VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM COURT CONDEMNS FOUR TO DEATH
a Vietnamese court in the northern province of Bac Giang sentenced Ta Van Uu, 49, Tran Van Thao, 35, Nguyen Van Hong, 31, and Nguyen The Hai, 31, to death for heroin trafficking, an official said.
- AUGUST 1, 2011Sri LankaDEATH PENALTY
SRI LANKA: DEATH SENTENCE ON PREGNANT WOMAN ON HOLD
Judge Padman Surasena of the Colombo High Court in Sri Lanka suspended a death sentence about to be handed to Pichchi Iresha Kumudini, 35, for possessing 142.04 grams of heroin after she informed Courts that she was pregnant.
JULY 27, 2011MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: SINGAPOREAN GETS DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
a 58-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to death by the High Court in Malaysia for drug
JULY 20, 2011IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN: FOUR PEOPLE HANGED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
A total of four people charged with drug trafficking have been hanged in Rafsanjan and Jiroft prisons (both located in the Kerman province, southeastern Iran), according to a report by the Iranian state-run media news agency ISNA.
- JULY 7, 2011IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN: TWO MEN EXECUTED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Two men were hanged in the prison of Orumiyeh (northwestern Iran) early this
- JULY 1, 2011ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: CHINA SENTENCES FILIPINA TO DEATH FOR DRUG SMUGGLING
an unidentified Filipina teacher was sentenced to death
- JUNE 24, 2011ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: 7 SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
the Intermediate People's Court in Changzhou in east China's Jiangsu Province
JUNE 20, 2011DEATH PENALTYIRAN: THREE MEN EXECUTED
Three men have been hanged in Iran in recent days.
- JUNE 19, 2011IranDEATH PENALTY
Two men were hanged in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, reported the Iranian daily newspaper
Two men were hanged in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, reported the Iranian daily newspaper
JUNE 16, 2011IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: BOMBAY HIGH COURT SAYS SECOND CONVICTION UNDER NDPS NEED NOT BE DEATH
the Bombay High Court, one of the oldest and chartered High Courts in India, struck down
- JUNE 7, 2011MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: FLORIST SENT TO THE GALLOWS FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
florist G. Gobinanth Reddy, 30, from Butterworth...
- JUNE 1, 2011IranDEATH PENALTY
According to the official site of the Iranian judiciary in Kerman (southeastern Iran) four people were hanged
According to the official site of the Iranian judiciary in Kerman (southeastern Iran) four people were hanged
- JUNE 1, 2011DEATH PENALTY
IRAN: SIX MEN HANGED
six men were hanged in Iran.
MAY 26, 2011IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN: SIX PEOPLE EXECUTED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Six people were hanged in Yasouj and Sari, Iran.
- MAY 23, 2011IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN: MAN HANGED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
One man was hanged in Behbehan, southwest of Iran, early in the morning May, reported