Executions
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An execution is the act by which a state puts a condemned person to death. Hands Off Cain records the cases documented by public sources: press agencies, local newspapers, human rights organisations, official statements. The figure that results is a confirmed minimum, not an estimate of the real total: several states publish no data on executions, and in some countries they are not announced even to the families.
This page collects the news on the executions recorded by the association. The totals by country and by year are in the database.
Latest news
APRIL 4, 2023Palestinian TerritoriesDEATH PENALTYGAZA: HAMAS SENTENCES TWO GAZANS TO DEATH FOR ISRAEL 'COLLABORATION'
A military court in the Gaza Strip convicted on 3 April 2023 six people of "collaboration" with Israel, sentencing two of them to death.
APRIL 4, 2023Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: MAN EXECUTED DURING MUSLIM HOLY MONTH OF RAMADAN
Saudi Arabia has executed a man during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which a rights group said on 3 April 2023 had not occurred in years.
APRIL 4, 2023IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - IHR Report on 200 Days of Protest Repression
List of at Risk Protesters
APRIL 4, 2023IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Haroddin Shokri executed in Qom on April 4
APRIL 3, 2023NigeriaDEATH PENALTYNIGERIA: COURT SENTENCES TWO MEN TO DEATH FOR KILLING TRICYCLE RIDER
A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Kubwa on March 31, 2023 sentenced two men, Yahuza Isah and Auwalu Mohammed, to death by hanging for killing a tricycle rider.
- APRIL 2, 2023North KoreaDEATH PENALTY
NORTH KOREAN EXECUTIONS AND TORTURE ALLEGED IN NEW REPORT
North Korea executes people for sharing South Korean media, religious activities and drugs as the country stifles its citizens’ human rights and freedom, according to a report published on 30 March 2023 by South Korea.
APRIL 2, 2023IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - 48 Kurdish citizens executed during the first three months of 2023
APRIL 1, 2023ArizonaDEATH PENALTYUSA - Arizona. Gov. Katie Hobbs has been ordered to appear in court Thursday in her efforts to halt executions
The Aaron Gunches' case
MARCH 30, 2023NigeriaDEATH PENALTYNIGERIA: DOMESTIC STAFF SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING GRANDMA, DAUGHTER
A domestic staff, Joseph Ogbu, was sentenced to death by hanging on 27 March 2023 for killing his employer, an 89-year-old grandmother, Ajoke, and her daughter, Oreoluwa, in their home in Lagos.
MARCH 28, 2023IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - 1 woman and 1 man executed on March 28 in Isfahan
Maryam Najjar and Hassan Bahmani
MARCH 26, 2023NigeriaDEATH PENALTYNIGERIA: FOUR MEN SENTENCED TO DEATH BY HANGING IN LAGOS
A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja on 23 March 2023 sentenced four men to death by hanging for armed robbery and kidnapping of Mrs Gloria Emole.
MARCH 24, 2023IdahoDEATH PENALTYUSA - Idaho. Governor Brad Little signed HB 186 to execute inmates by firing squad
When lethal injection is unavailable
MARCH 21, 2023ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA: MAN WHO KILLED WIFE EXECUTED IN HANGZHOU
Xu Guoli, who killed his wife in 2020, was executed on 21 March 2023 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, after the Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court approved his death sentence, which was handed down in July 2021.
MARCH 18, 2023SomaliaDEATH PENALTYSOMALIA: THREE AL-SHABAB MILITANTS EXECUTED
A military court in Somalia on 15 March 2023 executed three al-Shabab militants it said pretended to be a doctor and soldiers to carry out bombings and shootings.
MARCH 17, 2023IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Mohiyedin Ebrahimi executed in Urmia on March 17
Kurdish political prisoner
MARCH 17, 2023IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - 5 men and 1 woman executed in Urmia on March 17
Forohar (or Ashir) Abbasnejad, Mohammad Ayoubian, Jahanbakhsh Radloui, Hassan Omari, Nasim Niazi, and Yasin Rashidi
MARCH 17, 2023IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Not identified man executed in Khorramabad on March 17
MARCH 16, 2023NigeriaDEATH PENALTYNIGERIA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING BIOLOGICAL FATHER IN AKWA IBOM
Akwa Ibom State High court sitting in Etinan Local Government Area has sentenced one Moses Abdon Edo, aged 37, to death by hanging for killing his biological father, Abdon Peter Edo over a plot of land, Tribune Online reported on 14 March 2023.
- MARCH 14, 2023Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: JORDANIAN MAN EXECUTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY GIVING FORCED CONFESSION
Saudi Arabia has executed a Jordanian man whose family say he was tortured into confessing to drugs charges, BBC reported on 13 March 2023.
MARCH 12, 2023IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - 2 men executed in Shiraz on March 12
Tohid Ramezani, Nabi Langrani
MARCH 12, 2023IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Ali Mekhan Seyfi executed in Kermanshah on March 12
158 executions since the beginning of the year
MARCH 12, 2023IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Salman Momeni executed in Arak on March 12
MARCH 11, 2023IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - 4 men executed in Khorramabad on March 11
Zafar Hadipour, Nader Ebrahimpour, Younes Koulemrazi + Unk.
MARCH 10, 2023IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - 4 men executed in Urmia on March 10
Sardar Jalalifar, Saleh Ghassemi, Mansour Abdizadeh + Unk
MARCH 10, 2023IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Hossein Pourfayaz executed in Urmia on March 10
- MARCH 10, 2023IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Ahmad Bajizehi executed in Shiraz on March 10
MARCH 9, 2023TexasDEATH PENALTYUSA - Texas. Arthur Brown Jr., 52, Black, was executed
9th inmate put to death this year in the U.S., 5th in Texas
MARCH 9, 2023SomaliaDEATH PENALTYSOMALIA: MILITARY COURT IN PUNTLAND EXECUTES 19 MEN BY FIRING SQUAD
Nineteen men were executed on 8 March 2023 by Puntland's military court.
MARCH 9, 2023IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Jalal Sardari Far executed in Urmia on March 9
- MARCH 8, 2023Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: SAUDI MAN EXECUTED IN EASTERN PROVINCE OVER TERRORISM OFFENSES
A Saudi national in the Eastern Province was executed for terrorism offenses, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on 7 March 2023.