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
- APRIL 11, 2015IranDEATH PENALTY
According to unofficial reports two prisoners were hanged in the prison of Zahedan (Baluchistan Province, Southeastern Iran) Saturday morning, April 11.
According to unofficial reports two prisoners were hanged in the prison of Zahedan (Baluchistan Province, Southeastern Iran) Saturday morning, April 11.
APRIL 11, 2015BangladeshDEATH PENALTYBANGLADESH: SENIOR LEADER OF ISLAMIC PARTY HANGED
Bangladeshi authorities executed a top Islamic party official for crimes against humanity committed during the nation’s war of independence more than four decades ago, a senior police official said.
- APRIL 9, 2015DEATH PENALTY
TEXAS (USA): KENT SPROUSE EXECUTED
Kent Sprouse, 42, White, was executed.
- APRIL 9, 2015TexasDEATH PENALTY
USA - Texas. Kent Sprouse, 42, White, was executed.
USA - Texas. Kent Sprouse, 42, White, was executed.
- APRIL 9, 2015PakistanDEATH PENALTY
PAKISTAN: ANOTHER DEATH ROW PRISONER HANGED IN RAWALPINDI
a murderer was executed at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, bringing the number of executions to 69 since their resumption in December 2014.
- APRIL 8, 2015Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Harbi Saleh Yusef al-Shaqladi was executed for drug-related crimes. (
Harbi Saleh Yusef al-Shaqladi was executed for drug-related crimes. (
APRIL 8, 2015PakistanDEATH PENALTYPAKISTAN: TWO MORE PRISONERS HANGED IN MACHH AND BAHAWALPUR
Another two convicted murderers were hanged to death between April 7 and 8 in Balochistan's Machh jail and Punjab's Bahawalpur Central Jail, bringing the number of executions to 68 since their resumption in December 2014.
- APRIL 8, 2015VirginiaDEATH PENALTY
USA - Virginia. After 36 Executions, Former Virginia Attorney General Now Opposes Death Penalty.
USA - Virginia. After 36 Executions, Former Virginia Attorney General Now Opposes Death Penalty.
APRIL 7, 2015PakistanDEATH PENALTYPAKISTAN: TWO PRISONERS HANGED IN LAHORE AND SAHIWAL
two convicted murderers were hanged to death in Lahore and Sahiwal jails, bringing the number of executions to 66 since their resumption in December 2014.
APRIL 6, 2015Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: SAUDI CITIZEN BEHEADED IN NAJRAN
Saudi Arabia beheaded one of its own citizens after sentencing him to death on charges related to drug trafficking.
APRIL 6, 2015BangladeshDEATH PENALTYBANGLADESH: MAN HANGED FOR DOUBLE MURDER
a murder convict was executed at the Kashimpur High Security Central Jail in Gazipur district.
APRIL 4, 2015IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN: INMATE HANGED IN ZABOL FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
The Iranian regime’s henchman in the city of Zabol (southeastern Iran) secretly hanged a man in the city’s main prison.
APRIL 4, 2015IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: THREE SENTENCED TO DEATH IN MUMBAI RAPE CASE
An Indian court has sentenced three men to death for the rape of a photojournalist inside an abandoned textile mill in the financial hub of Mumbai last year.
- APRIL 2, 2015DEATH PENALTY
DELAWARE (USA): SENATE PASSES BILL TO ABOLISH DEATH PENALTY
The Delaware Senate has passed bill SB 40 to abolish the state's death penalty. The
- MARCH 31, 2015PakistanDEATH PENALTY
PAKISTAN: ANOTHER FOUR DEATH ROW PRISONERS EXECUTED IN VARIOUS JAILS OF THE COUNTRY
four convicts for murder and kidnapping in separate cases were hanged in jails of Attock, Mianwali, Sargodha and Rawalpindi, taking to 64 the number of executions since the country reversed the self-imposed moratorium on the death penalty in December.
- MARCH 26, 2015PakistanDEATH PENALTY
PAKISTAN: ANOTHER MURDER CONVICT HANGED IN FAISALABAD
another murder convict was hanged in Faisalabad's Central Jail after being on death row for around two decades.
MARCH 26, 2015IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN: 12 PRISONERS SECRETLY EXECUTED IN A DAY
Iran secretly hanged at least 12 inmates in prisons in cities of Shiraz and Mashhad.
MARCH 26, 2015IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN: SEVEN PRISONERS HANGED IN SHIRAZ
At least seven prisoners were hanged in a prison in the southern city of Shiraz.
- MARCH 25, 2015PakistanDEATH PENALTY
PAKISTAN: SIX MORE HANGED IN VARIOUS JAILS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
six more death row prisoners were executed in various jails across Punjab and Sindh provinces, bringing the number of executions to 59 since an unofficial moratorium on capital punishment was lifted in December.
MARCH 25, 2015Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: PAKISTANI NATIONAL AND SAUDI MAN BEHEADED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING AND MURDER
Saudi Arabia beheaded a Pakistani national and a Saudi man after sentencing them to death for drug trafficking and murder.
- MARCH 24, 2015VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM PLANS TO REMOVE ROBBERY, DRUG CRIMES FROM DEATH PENALTY LIST
The Ministry of Justice has proposed abolishing the death penalty for a number of crimes including robbery and heroin smuggling, reducing it to life sentence at most.
MARCH 24, 2015PakistanDEATH PENALTYPAKISTAN: ANOTHER MURDER CONVICT HANGED IN MULTAN
a murder convict was hanged at the Multan Central Jail, bringing to 53 the number of convicts put to death since Pakistan resumed executions in December 2014 after Taliban militants gunned down 154 people, most of them children, at a military-run school i
MARCH 24, 2015ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA: THREE PEOPLE EXECUTED FOR KUNMING RAILWAY STATION ATTACK
three people were executed for a mass stabbing that killed 31 people at a train station in Kunming in March 2014, China’s Supreme People’s Court announced in a microblog post, with authorities blaming the attack on separatists from mainly Muslim Xinjiang.
MARCH 24, 2015SomaliaDEATH PENALTYSOMALIA: TWO FEDERAL GOVT SOLDIERS EXECUTED FOR CIVILIANS MURDER
Federal Government of Somalia’s military court executed two Somali National Army (SNA) soldiers for the murder of civilians, Garowe Online reported.
MARCH 24, 2015IraqDEATH PENALTYIRAQ: ISIS MILITANTS STONE COUPLE ACCUSED OF ADULTERY
Islamic State militants in Iraq publicly stoned a man and woman to death on charges of adultery, parading the victims in a public square in the northern city of Mosul, according to witnesses and an Iraqi military official.
- MARCH 23, 2015DEATH PENALTY
UTAH (USA): GOVERNOR HERBERT APPROVES EXECUTIONS BY FIRING SQUAD
Gov. Gary Herbert signed one of the 2015 Utah Legislature’s most controversial bills on Monday to
- MARCH 23, 2015UtahDEATH PENALTY
USA - Utah. Gov. Gary Herbert signed a controversial bills to designate the firing squad as the state’s backup execution method.
USA - Utah. Gov. Gary Herbert signed a controversial bills to designate the firing squad as the state’s backup execution method.
- MARCH 20, 2015SomaliaDEATH PENALTY
SOMALIA: AL-SHABAAB MILITANTS EXECUTE 'ETHIOPIA SPY'
The Al-Qaeda linked extremist group in Somalia executed a man for allegedly being a spy for the
MARCH 19, 2015PakistanDEATH PENALTYPAKISTAN: FOUR MORE PRISONERS SENT TO THE GALLOWS
four more death row prisoners were executed in Rawalpindi and Mianwali. All convicts had been awarded the death sentence in non-terror related cases.
MARCH 19, 2015IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN: TWO MORE HANGED IN PUBLIC IN JIROFT
two men were hanged in public in the city of Jiroft, reported the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).