The death penalty for drug offences
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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
- JUNE 25, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA EXECUTES THREE FOR DRUG DEALING
three men, including a foreigner, were executed in China's southeast Fujian Province for drug dealing.
- JUNE 25, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: 7 SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
China's top court announced that it had approved the death penalty for seven people for drug trafficking.
- JUNE 21, 2007IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN HANGS MAN FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Iran hanged a man convicted of drug trafficking in a prison in the town of Karaj...
- JUNE 20, 2007IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN PUBLICLY HANGS MAN FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Iran has hanged a convicted drug trafficker in public in the southern city of Shiraz in Fars province, a newspaper reported.
JUNE 16, 2007IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN. FOUR HANGED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Iran hanged four men convicted of drug trafficking in the southern
- JUNE 14, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
DEATH SENTENCES UPHELD ON SEVEN FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING, PRODUCING
the People's Supreme Court in Son La, Vietnam, upheld death sentences for seven defendants on the charges of producing, trading and transporting large volumes of drugs.
- JUNE 13, 2007IranDEATH PENALTY
Iran has hanged two men convicted of drug trafficking in the city of Karaj west of Tehran...
Iran has hanged two men convicted of drug trafficking in the city of Karaj west of Tehran...
- JUNE 13, 2007IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN HANGS TWO FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Iran has hanged two for drug trafficking in Tehran's Evin prison, Tehran Emrooz newspaper reported.
JUNE 4, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM. 2 SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR HEROIN TRAFFICKING
A court in northern Vietnam sentenced two people to death and seven others to life in prison for heroin trafficking.
- MAY 24, 2007IranDEATH PENALTY
a man convicted of drug trafficking was hanged in the southeastern...
a man convicted of drug trafficking was hanged in the southeastern...
- MAY 24, 2007Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Saudi Arabian authorities beheaded a Pakistani man convicted of smuggling drugs into the country...
Saudi Arabian authorities beheaded a Pakistani man convicted of smuggling drugs into the country...
MAY 21, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM. HO CHI MINH CITY COURT UPHOLDS DEATH FOR FIVE DRUG TRAFFICKERS
a court in Ho Chi Minh City Monday rejected appeals against death sentences
MAY 20, 2007KuwaitDEATH PENALTYKUWAIT. PAKISTANI HANGED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
A Pakistani national convicted of drug trafficking has been hanged in Kuwait, officials said.
- MAY 15, 2007IndiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA BEHEADS INDIAN FOR DRUG SMUGGLING
Saudi Arabia beheaded an Indian man convicted of drug smuggling, the Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.
- MAY 13, 2007PakistanDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI BEHEADS TWO PAKISTANIS FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
two Pakistanis found guilty of drug trafficking were beheaded by the sword in Saudi Arabia, the interior ministry said.
- MAY 11, 2007Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA. FOUR EXECUTED FOR SMUGGLING DRUGS
Saudi Arabia beheaded three Pakistani men and a Nigerian by the sword after convicting them of drug trafficking.
MAY 10, 2007Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA. MAN BEHEADED
Saudi Arabian authorities beheaded a Pakistani man convicted of drug smuggling, the interior ministry said in
MAY 9, 2007IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN PUBLICLY HANGS FIVE FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Iran publicly hanged five men convicted of drug trafficking in the southern town of Ravar in Kerman province, the governmental Iran newspaper reported.
MAY 5, 2007AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYIRAN HANGS TWO FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Iran hanged two men convicted of drug trafficking in the southern town of Roodan in Hormozgan province, according to the student ISNA news agency.
- MAY 3, 2007IranDEATH PENALTY
three men, M. Salari, Z. Hashimi and Amin A., were hanged in Iran for drug-related crimes
three men, M. Salari, Z. Hashimi and Amin A., were hanged in Iran for drug-related crimes
- MAY 1, 2007Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Bakht Iqbal Mussafer Khan was beheaded in public for drug-related crimes
Bakht Iqbal Mussafer Khan was beheaded in public for drug-related crimes
- APRIL 25, 2007IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN. TWO HANGED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
in Iran, two men convicted of drug trafficking were hanged in Tehran's main prison.
APRIL 22, 2007IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN. FOUR DRUG TRAFFICKERS PUBLICLY HANGED
Iran recently hanged four men convicted of drug trafficking according to local media.
- APRIL 10, 2007MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA CONFLICTING EVIDENCE SAVES TWO ON DEATH ROW
conflicting evidence in two Malaysian drug trafficking trials saw the accused's charges reduced from death to jail for possession.
- APRIL 6, 2007VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE FOR BRITISH CITIZEN
a Vietnam appeals court upheld the death sentence imposed on a British citizen of Vietnamese origin who was convicted of heroin trafficking, state-controlled media reported.
- MARCH 29, 2007ThailandDEATH PENALTY
DEATH SENTENCE FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
the Thai Criminal Court sentenced a 29 year old man to death on drug trafficking charges.
- MARCH 27, 2007BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
BANGLADESH TWO TO WALK GALLOWS FOR HEROIN DEAL
heroin dealers Shyam Dulal Dev Nath (35) and Saiful Islam (30) were sentenced to death by the Mirpur District Court, in Bangladesh.
- MARCH 15, 2007IndonesiaDEATH PENALTY
INDONESIA PROPOSALS TO ABOLISH CAPITAL PUNISHMENT FOR DRUG OFFENSES REJECTED
“The Indonesian government firmly rejects proposals to abolish capital punishment for drug offences,” Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh said.
MARCH 13, 2007ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA PROMISES NOT TO EXECUTE CITIZEN IF REPATRIATED FROM CANADA
China promised not to sentence accused smuggler Lai Changxing to death because this was essential to have him repatriated from Canada, a Supreme Court spokesman said.
- MARCH 11, 2007IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN. TWO HANGED FOR DRUG SMUGGLING
two men convicted of armed drug smuggling were publicly hanged in the town...