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
FEBRUARY 7, 2022MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: FOUR SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Three locals and a China national were sentenced to death by the Sibu High Court on 4 February 2022 after they were found guilty of two drug trafficking charges.
JANUARY 19, 2022ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA: 2 TO SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR SMUGGLING DRUGS TO TAIWAN
A Chinese court has sentenced 2 people to death for attempting to smuggle 400 kilograms of methamphetamine by sea from Southeast Asia to Taiwan, state media reported on 12 January 2022.
- JANUARY 12, 2022United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: TWO FILIPINO NATIONALS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR SELLING DRUGS OVER WHATSAPP
The Criminal Court of Abu Dhabi has sentenced two Filipino nationals to death for the crime of possession and dealing in narcotics and psychotropic substances, Khaleej Times reported on 4 January 2022.
- DECEMBER 20, 2021United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: DRUG DEALER SENTENCED TO DEATH BY ABU DHABI COURT
The Criminal Court of Abu Dhabi has sentenced a Pakistani expatriate to death for possessing narcotic and psychotropic substances with the intention of promoting them, Gulf News reported on 20 December 2021.
DECEMBER 15, 2021MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: 4 NIGERIANS CHARGED WITH DRUG TRAFFICKING SPARED THE GALLOWS
Four Nigerians, including two former students, on 13 December 2021 escaped the gallows in two separate appeals before the Court of Appeal for drug trafficking.
DECEMBER 6, 2021SingaporeDEATH PENALTYSINGAPORE: APEX COURT DISMISSES APPEAL BY MALAYSIAN DRUG MULE
Malaysian drug mule Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, 34, who was granted a stay of execution two years ago in Singapore, failed in his appeal on 26 November 2021 to start a court challenge against his death sentence.
NOVEMBER 18, 2021VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: TWO EX-CONVICTS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Two Vietnamese men on 10 November 2021 were sentenced to death for drug trafficking after they had just finished their previous jail terms.
NOVEMBER 17, 2021SingaporeDEATH PENALTYSINGAPORE: SECOND MALAYSIAN-INDIAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
A 39-year-old Indian origin Malaysian who was caught with a bag of drugs in 2018 was sentenced to death on 17 November 2021 by a Singapore court for trafficking.
NOVEMBER 15, 2021MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: FEDERAL COURT ACQUITS NIGERIAN MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING IN 2018
A Nigerian national escaped the gallows after the Federal Court on 11 November 2021 set aside his conviction and death sentence for drug trafficking by the High Court and the Court of Appeal in Kuching, Malaysia.
NOVEMBER 10, 2021Palestinian TerritoriesDEATH PENALTYGAZA: HAMAS SENTENCES THREE TO DEATH FOR COLLABORATING WITH ISRAEL, DRUG TRAFFICKING
The Hamas military court in the Gaza Strip sentenced on 8 November 2021 three residents to death, two of them for collaborating with Israeli intelligence and one for drug trafficking.
- NOVEMBER 9, 2021SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE SUSPENDS DISABLED MALAYSIAN’S EXECUTION AMID PLEAS
Singapore’s High Court on 8 November 2021 suspended the scheduled execution of a Malaysian man believed to be mentally disabled until an appeal is heard, amid pleas from the international community and rights groups.
- OCTOBER 31, 2021ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: HONGKONGER WITH HISTORY OF MENTAL ILLNESS EXECUTED OVER DRUG TRAFFICKING
A Hong Kong man who suffered from hallucinations and other mental health problems has been executed in mainland China where he was sentenced to death in 2017 for drug trafficking.
OCTOBER 27, 2021MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: TWO MEN SENT TO THE GALLOWS FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
A boat operator and a labourer were sentenced to death by the Tawau High Court, Malaysia, on 26 October 2021 for trafficking 327.1gm of methamphetamine which was stored in formula milk boxes two years ago.
OCTOBER 3, 2021IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Father and son executed in Yazd Prison on October 3
Hossein and Ramin Dadzadeh
- SEPTEMBER 30, 2021BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
BANGLADESH: BUS SUPERVISOR GETS DEATH PENALTY IN DRUG CASE IN GAIBANDHA
A Gaibandha court on 17 August 2021 morning sentenced a man to death in a case over his involvement in smuggling heroin.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2021IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Abbasgholi Salehi, Hamid Shahsanayi and Mohammad Barahouyi executed in Isfahan on September 29
81 executions for drug related crimes
- SEPTEMBER 26, 2021PortugalDEATH PENALTY
PORTUGAL: SUSPECT LINKED TO INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM FEARS DEATH PENALTY IF EXTRADITED
Indian citizen Iqbal Singh is in preventive custody in Lisbon following SEF’s execution of an international arrest warrant for connections to and the financing of terrorism, Portugal Resident reported on 9 September 2021.
- SEPTEMBER 23, 2021VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM: THREE LAOTIAN DRUG MULES SENTENCED TO DEATH
A court in central Vietnam on 16 August 2021 handed out death penalties to three Laotian men for transporting heroin and other narcotics.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2021IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Arshad Javdat Rabat (Javdatian) executed in Zanjan Prison on September 21
For drugs
- SEPTEMBER 8, 2021EgyptDEATH PENALTY
EGYPT: 10 DEFENDANTS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR SMUGGLING HEROIN
A court in Egypt on 5 September 2021 sentenced seven Pakistanis, two Egyptians and an Iranian citizen to death on charges of smuggling in over two tonnes of heroin by sea, a judicial source said.
AUGUST 10, 2021CanadaDEATH PENALTYCHINA - Death sentence upheld for Robert Lloyd Schellenberg
Pressure for Canada not to extradite "Lady Huawei" to the US.
MAY 30, 2021IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Yousef and Shamsi Pirostovan (Pir-Ostovan) executed in Qazvin Prison on May 30
118th woman executed during Rouhani’s tenure
- MAY 28, 2021ZimbabweDEATH PENALTY
ZIMBABWE UNVEILS SCULPTURE OF WOMAN HANGED FOR OPPOSING COLONIAL RULE
Zimbabwe’s president on 25 May 2021 unveiled a towering bronze statue in the centre of Harare, the capital, honouring a 19th-century black anti-colonialist heroine who was hanged for leading a rebellion against white occupation.
- MAY 27, 2021VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM: NIGERIAN RECEIVES DEATH FOR SMUGGLING METH
A Nigerian man was sentenced to death on 25 May 2021 for smuggling nearly six kilos of methamphetamine from Cambodia to Vietnam.
- MAY 22, 2021VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM: HO CHI MINH CITY COURT SENTENCES THREE TO DEATH FOR DRUG OFFENSES
The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court on 19 May 2021 imposed the death penalty upon three men for a series of drug-related crimes.
MAY 20, 2021VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: HANOI DRUG MULE SENTENCED TO DEATH ON $650 JOB
A Hanoi man received a death sentence for transporting over 2.5 kilos of ecstasy into the city last year.
APRIL 29, 2021MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: WIDOWER SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
A widower was sent to the gallows by the High Court of Kuala Lumpur on 22 April 2021 after he was found guilty of trafficking 149.5 grams of methamphetamine three years ago.
APRIL 26, 2021VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: HANOI DRUG TRAFFICKER SENTENCED TO DEATH
A Da Nang court sentenced one man to death and a woman to life imprisonment on 24 April 2021 for storing and transporting five kilos of drugs.
- APRIL 24, 2021VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM: 2 SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR TRANSPORTING 31 KG OF METHAMPHETAMINE
A Ha Tinh court on 20 April 2021 sentenced two people to death and another to life imprisonment for transporting 31 kg of methamphetamine.
- APRIL 19, 2021DEATH PENALTY
GLOBAL DEATH PENALTY REPORT: EXECUTIONS FOR DRUG OFFENSES DOWN 75% WORLDWIDE
Executions for drug offenses plummeted worldwide during 2020, according to a new report by the global drug-policy monitor Harm Reduction International (HRI).