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
- DECEMBER 15, 2004VietnamDEATH PENALTY
a gang of 29 drug traffickers accused of smuggling up to 500 kilograms...
a gang of 29 drug traffickers accused of smuggling up to 500 kilograms...
- DECEMBER 13, 2004ChinaDEATH PENALTY
a Chinese court upheld a death sentence against Jiao Ming
a Chinese court upheld a death sentence against Jiao Ming
- DECEMBER 7, 2004IranDEATH PENALTY
seven drug traffickers, Abdolmajid Ghafran, Zia-ol Haq Gotraji, Alireza Lavarzehi...
seven drug traffickers, Abdolmajid Ghafran, Zia-ol Haq Gotraji, Alireza Lavarzehi...
- DECEMBER 7, 2004PakistanDEATH PENALTY
children as young as seven can be hanged
children as young as seven can be hanged
- NOVEMBER 7, 2004AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
The Australian government said it would seek clemency...
The Australian government said it would seek clemency for Tran Van Thanh, an Australian man of Vietnamese origin who was facing the firing squad in Vietnam on drug charges
- NOVEMBER 7, 2004VietnamDEATH PENALTY
The Australian government said it would seek clemency...
The Australian government said it would seek clemency for Tran Van Thanh, an Australian man of Vietnamese origin who was facing the firing squad in Vietnam on drug charges
- NOVEMBER 2, 2004ThailandDEATH PENALTY
British national Anthony Flannaghan was sentenced to...
British national Anthony Flannaghan was sentenced to death in Thailand
- NOVEMBER 2, 2004United KingdomDEATH PENALTY
British national Anthony Flannaghan was sentenced to...
British national Anthony Flannaghan was sentenced to death in Thailand
- NOVEMBER 2, 2004United KingdomDEATH PENALTY
It was reported that British embassy officials would...
It was reported that British embassy officials would consult with the lawyer of Anthony Flannaghan, a Briton sentenced to death on drug charges, to determine the best time to approach Thai officials in a bid to spare his life
- OCTOBER 20, 2004SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
A Singapore court upheld the death sentence for a 24-year-old...
A Singapore court upheld the death sentence for a 24-year-old Australian man of Vietnamese origin found guilty of smuggling 400 grams (14 ounces) of heroin while in transit at the island's main airport
- OCTOBER 20, 2004AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
A Singapore court upheld the death sentence for a 24-year-old...
A Singapore court upheld the death sentence for a 24-year-old Australian man of Vietnamese origin found guilty of smuggling 400 grams (14 ounces) of heroin while in transit at the island's main airport
- OCTOBER 19, 2004ChinaDEATH PENALTY
A woman convicted in the largest case of drug trafficking...
A woman convicted in the largest case of drug trafficking in China's capital in more than 50 years was executed, Chinanews
- OCTOBER 15, 2004ChinaDEATH PENALTY
The Shanghai No
The Shanghai No
- OCTOBER 14, 2004VietnamDEATH PENALTY
Two convicted drug traffickers were executed by firing...
Two convicted drug traffickers were executed by firing squad in Vietnam
- OCTOBER 14, 2004ChinaDEATH PENALTY
Two Nepalese drug traffickers were sentenced to death...
Two Nepalese drug traffickers were sentenced to death by a criminal tribunal in the Tibetan capital Lhasa
- OCTOBER 14, 2004NepalDEATH PENALTY
Two Nepalese drug traffickers were sentenced to death...
Two Nepalese drug traffickers were sentenced to death by a criminal tribunal in the Tibetan capital Lhasa
- OCTOBER 13, 2004VietnamDEATH PENALTY
Eight people convicted of drug trafficking were executed...
Eight people convicted of drug trafficking were executed by firing squad this week in Vietnam, court officials and state-controlled media said
- OCTOBER 12, 2004ChinaDEATH PENALTY
Two Chinese drug dealers were executed by lethal injection...
Two Chinese drug dealers were executed by lethal injection in Nanjing, the capital of east China's Jiangsu province
- SEPTEMBER 29, 2004IndonesiaDEATH PENALTY
Indonesian authorities executed two women convicted...
Indonesian authorities executed two women convicted drug traffickers from Thailand
- SEPTEMBER 29, 2004ThailandDEATH PENALTY
Indonesian authorities executed two convicted drug...
Indonesian authorities executed two convicted drug traffickers from Thailand
- SEPTEMBER 21, 2004ChinaDEATH PENALTY
Four drug traffickers have been executed Tuesday in...
Four drug traffickers have been executed Tuesday in Nanchang, capital city of east China's Jiangxi province, for trafficking and selling 27
- SEPTEMBER 21, 2004VietnamDEATH PENALTY
Nguyen Anh Minh, a 36 year old Vietnamese woman, was...
Nguyen Anh Minh, a 36 year old Vietnamese woman, was sentenced to death for attempting to traffic heroin to Taiwan
- SEPTEMBER 17, 2004SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
Chew Seow Leng, a drug addict who refused to give evidence...
Chew Seow Leng, a drug addict who refused to give evidence in his defence, was sentenced to hang in Singapore for heroin trafficking
- SEPTEMBER 9, 2004NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
A Court of Appeal in Malaysia upheld the death sentence...
A Court of Appeal in Malaysia upheld the death sentence of Msimanga Lesaly, a 37-year-old Nigerian businesswoman, for drug trafficking
- SEPTEMBER 9, 2004MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
A Court of Appeal in Malaysia upheld the death sentence...
A Court of Appeal in Malaysia upheld the death sentence of Msimanga Lesaly, a 37-year-old Nigerian businesswoman, for drug trafficking
- SEPTEMBER 8, 2004ThailandDEATH PENALTY
A Thai woman who had been sentenced to death in Indonesia...
A Thai woman who had been sentenced to death in Indonesia for possessing 12
- SEPTEMBER 8, 2004IndonesiaDEATH PENALTY
A Thai woman who had been sentenced to death in Indonesia...
A Thai woman who had been sentenced to death in Indonesia for possessing 12
- SEPTEMBER 7, 2004ChinaDEATH PENALTY
A Chinese court sentenced two drug dealers to death...
A Chinese court sentenced two drug dealers to death after they dismembered the body of a gang member who died when transporting heroin in his stomach
- SEPTEMBER 5, 2004IndonesiaDEATH PENALTY
Despite protests from both international and national...
Despite protests from both international and national human rights groups, Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri reasserted her support for the death penalty for drug dealers
- AUGUST 12, 2004IndonesiaDEATH PENALTY
the Thai embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, asked the Legal Counsel...
the Thai embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, asked the Legal Counsel...