Executions
Archive theme
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
AUGUST 31, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Mojtaba Salahi Laghani executed in Rasht on September 2
AUGUST 25, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Yousef Bavi executed in Ahvaz on August 25
AUGUST 23, 2026LibyaDEATH PENALTYEastern Libya executes 10 convicted on terrorism charges
AUGUST 21, 2026JapanDEATH PENALTYJapan: man executed over killing 5 people
AUGUST 2, 2026EgyptDEATH PENALTYEGYPT EXECUTES CONVICTED KILLER OF COPTIC ORTHODOX PRIEST
JULY 27, 2026Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: FIVE ETHIOPIAN MIGRANTS EXECUTED
JULY 12, 2026North KoreaDEATH PENALTYNORTH KOREA: MILITARY OFFICER EXECUTED FOR STEALING RESERVE GRAIN
JULY 11, 2026South AfricaDEATH PENALTYSOUTH AFRICA: CALLS TO RESTORE DEATH PENALTY WOULD RETURN SA TO ‘BARBARISM’
- JUNE 28, 2026Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: THREE SOMALI NATIONALS EXECUTED FOR HASHISH SMUGGLING
JUNE 11, 2026North KoreaDEATH PENALTYNorth Korea: two graduates publicly executed over South Korean videos
MAY 6, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Hadi Alipour executed in Shiraz on May 6
APRIL 22, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Mehdi Farid Executed on Espionage Charges
On April 22
APRIL 21, 2026FloridaDEATH PENALTYUSA - Florida. Chadwick Willacy executed on April 21
8th execution in the United States in 2026
APRIL 21, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Protester Amir Ali Mir Jafari Hanged on April 21
8th January Protester Execution
APRIL 21, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - The 117th Week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” Campaign
- APRIL 20, 2026SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE: MAN EXECUTED FOR IMPORTING OVER 1KG OF CANNABIS
Convicted drug importer Omar Yacob Bamadhaj was hanged on April 16, 2026 for bringing 1,009.1g of cannabis into Singapore in July 2018.
APRIL 20, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Family Still Searches for Hamid Hossein-Nejad Heidranlou Burial Site
One Year After Execution
APRIL 20, 2026Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA - 2,000 Executions Under King Salman in 16 years
The country has a population of around 35 million.
APRIL 20, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Mohammad Masoum Shahi and Hamed Validi Hanged
Political Prisoners belonging to the People’s Mojahedin
APRIL 16, 2026United StatesDEATH PENALTYUSA - Death Sentences for 18-20 Year-Olds at 20-Year Low
APRIL 15, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Ali Zohrabi executed in Kashan on April 15
APRIL 14, 2026Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: ALI AL-SUBAITI AND HIS UNCLE MUSTAFA AL-SUBAITI EXECUTED IN NINTH POLITICAL EXECUTION THIS YEAR
Saudi authorities executed Ali bin Hassan Al-Subaiti and his uncle Mustafa bin Saleh Al-Subaiti on April 9, 2026, in the Eastern Province, after convicting them on alleged “terrorism” charges, marking the ninth political execution since the beginning of t
APRIL 14, 2026United NationsDEATH PENALTYGLOBAL - The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2025
Report from Harm Reduction International
APRIL 13, 2026Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: SEVEN PEOPLE EXECUTED IN A DAY
Saudi authorities executed seven people who had been convicted of drug trafficking in a single day, state media said on April 12, 2026.
APRIL 13, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Foreword to the 2025 Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran
By Nasrin Sotoudeh
APRIL 13, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - 2025 Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran
At least 1,639 people executed
APRIL 10, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - The Bodies of Six Executed Political Prisoners Have Still Not Been Returned to Their Families
Akbar Daneshvar Kar, Seyed Mohammad Taghavi Sang-Dehi, Babak Alipour, Pouya Ghobadi Bistouni, Seyed Abolhassan Montazer, and Vahid Bani-Amerian
APRIL 8, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Hrana Report on 40th day of war
Announcement of a Two-Week Ceasefire
APRIL 8, 2026TexasDEATH PENALTYUSA - Texas. James Broadnax's appeal rejected
APRIL 8, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Naser Taheri and Yahya Masoumi executed in Zanjan on April 8