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
- NOVEMBER 10, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA. MAN EXECUTED FOR MURDER
Saudi Arabia executed Saudi national Saeed al-Qahtani in the southern town of Khamis Mushayt.
- NOVEMBER 10, 2005NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
NIGERIA. ISLAMIC COURT SENTENCES TWO TO HANG FOR MURDER, SEXUAL ABUSE
a Nigerian Islamic Sharia court sentenced two men to death by hanging for killing and sexually abusing a three-year old girl.
- NOVEMBER 10, 2005IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN. EXECUTION SPARKS RAMPAGE OF REVENGE
the execution of a convicted killer in western Iran sparked a revenge shooting spree by his family against relatives of the murder victim.
- NOVEMBER 9, 2005TexasDEATH PENALTY
TEXAS, USA. CHARLES THACKER EXECUTED FOR 1993 MURDER OF TEACHER
Charles Daniel Thacker, a man convicted of strangling a schoolteacher during a sexual assault in 1993, was executed by lethal injection.
- NOVEMBER 8, 2005IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN. YOUNG MAN PUBLICLY HANGED IN NORTH OF COUNTRY
a young man was publicly hanged in the northern Iranian town of Sari, a semi-official daily reported.
- NOVEMBER 8, 2005JordanDEATH PENALTY
JORDAN. MAN EXECUTED FOR MURDER
according to “Jordan Times”, Zuhair Khatib, a man convicted of murdering two people, was executed at dawn at Swaqa correctional and rehabilitation center. Khatib, 27, reportedly asked the execution committee minutes before being hanged to inform his sibli
- NOVEMBER 7, 2005SlovakiaDEATH PENALTY
Slovakia abolished the death penalty for all crimes in 1990.
Slovakia abolished the death penalty for all crimes in 1990.
- NOVEMBER 4, 2005DelawareDEATH PENALTY
DELAWARE, USA. BRIAN STECKEL PUT TO DEATH
the state of Delaware executed Brian Steckel for the 1994 murder and rape of a friend's neighbor.
- NOVEMBER 4, 2005South CarolinaDEATH PENALTY
SOUTH CAROLINA, USA. HASTINGS WISE PUT TO DEATH
Hastings Wise was put to death by lethal injection for killing four workers at an Aiken County plant in September 1997 out of revenge for being fired.
- NOVEMBER 4, 2005NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
NIGERIA. EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLINGS PERSIST IN NIGER DELTA - AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
ten years after the hanging of Ogoni- born environmentalist and writer, Ken Saro-Wiwa by the regime of the late General Sani Abacha, injustices are still being carried out towards a lot of people in the Niger Delta, indicating high levels of neglect and i
- NOVEMBER 3, 2005TexasDEATH PENALTY
TEXAS. CONFESSED KILLER OF 9-YEAR-OLD GIRL EXECUTED
Melvin Wayne White was executed for the slaying of a 9-year-old girl who was abducted and raped in 1997 after attending a neighborhood barbecue.
- NOVEMBER 2, 2005GhanaDEATH PENALTY
Ghana still retains the death penalty for armed robbery, treason and first-degree murder.
Ghana still retains the death penalty for armed robbery, treason and first-degree murder.
- OCTOBER 31, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
AUSTRALIA. VIETNAMESE LEADER PLEADS TO STOP HANGING OF NGUYEN TUONG VAN
the state of Victoria’s most senior Vietnamese leader called on Australian Prime Minister John Howard to state unequivocally that Melbourne's Nguyen Tuong Van should not hang in Singapore.
- OCTOBER 28, 2005SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. EXECUTIONER WANTS OUT BUT CAN'T FIND REPLACEMENT
it was reported that Singapore's chief executioner Darshan Singh, the man due to execute convicted Australian drug trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van, was a 73-year-old grandfather who could not retire because no-one would take his job.
- OCTOBER 27, 2005ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA. MAN EXECUTED FOR LETHAL ROBBERY
a Beijing court executed Qing Hongyu for killing one of the four women that fell into his employment trap and for raping another one.
- OCTOBER 26, 2005MissouriDEATH PENALTY
MISSOURI, USA. MARLIN GRAY PUT TO DEATH
Marlin Gray, a Missouri man convicted of killing two women by pushing them off a bridge spanning the Mississippi River, was put to death in the early morning, a Missouri prison official said.
- OCTOBER 25, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islamic law that prescribes the death sentence
Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islamic law that prescribes the death sentence
- OCTOBER 25, 2005OhioDEATH PENALTY
OHIO, USA. OHIO EXECUTES WILLIAMS, CONVICTED OF KILLING DRUG DEALING RIVALS
Willie "Flip" Williams, Jr., a drug dealer who murdered his rivals and later broke into a juvenile jail to try to kill his accomplices in that crime, was put to death.
- OCTOBER 24, 2005PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
A new Constitution abolished the death penalty in 1987, but gave Congress the option of restoring it for
A new Constitution abolished the death penalty in 1987, but gave Congress the option of restoring it for "heinous" crimes.
- OCTOBER 24, 2005IranDEATH PENALTY
Offences punishable by death include:
Offences punishable by death include:
- OCTOBER 24, 2005ChinaDEATH PENALTY
A revised Criminal Procedure Law came into force in January 1997.
A revised Criminal Procedure Law came into force in January 1997.
- OCTOBER 24, 2005Palestinian TerritoriesDEATH PENALTY
In Palestinian areas three types of legislation are applied.
In Palestinian areas three types of legislation are applied.
- OCTOBER 24, 2005United KingdomDEATH PENALTY
UNITED KINGDOM. BRITISH GOVERNMENT RECONSIDERS 1916 EXECUTION
the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to consider new submissions in a case brought by the family of Private Harry Farr, a First World War British soldier who was shot at dawn for cowardice, a judge ruled.
- OCTOBER 21, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
AUSTRALIA. PM SUPPORTS DEATH PENALTY OF SADDAM HUSSEIN
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he believed former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein should be executed if the Iraqi law authorises death penalty on him. Asked if Saddam should be executed if found guilty of murdering on Australia's Southern Cross
- OCTOBER 20, 2005TexasDEATH PENALTY
TEXAS, USA. LUIS RAMIREZ EXECUTED FOR 1998 MURDER PLOT
Luis Ramirez was put to death by injection for paying for the 1998 murder of his ex-wife's boyfriend.
- OCTOBER 19, 2005ChinaDEATH PENALTY
Wang Binyu, 27, a migrant worker from Gansu, was executed
Wang Binyu, 27, a migrant worker from Gansu, was executed
- OCTOBER 17, 2005TennesseeDEATH PENALTY
TENNESSEE, USA. SUPREME COURT REJECTS CLAIM ON LETHAL SHOT
the Tennessee Supreme Court unanimously rejected claims that the three-drug combination used to execute killers can cause extreme pain in violation on the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
- OCTOBER 10, 2005UgandaDEATH PENALTY
UGANDA. LUZIRA EXECUTIONS DEVASTATE PRISONERS AND HANGMEN, FIDH REPORT
the way executions are carried out in Luzira Upper Prison, Uganda, has a devastating effect on both the prison personnel and the other death row inmates, a report by the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) said.
- OCTOBER 10, 2005IraqDEATH PENALTY
IRAQ. SADDAM MAY BE EXECUTED BEFORE ALL CASES DECIDED
Saddam Hussein could be executed before the Iraqi Special Tribunal finishes charging him with all his alleged crimes, a source close to the tribunal said.
- OCTOBER 9, 2005IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN. THREE SENTENCED TO DEATH
the state-run daily Iran wrote "The Judiciary in Shahriar sentenced to death a 17-year-old, named Hamid."