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
JANUARY 25, 2026ArizonaDEATH PENALTYUSA - Arizona.Series of Botched Lethal Injections Highlights Debate Over Execution Methods
JANUARY 25, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - 21 men executed in various prisons
Between January 8 and 25
JANUARY 24, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Amanch Karavanchi and Arsalan Sheikhi executed in Ghezel-Hesar on January 24
Kurdish prisoners of conscience
- JANUARY 21, 2026LebanonDEATH PENALTY
LEBANON REVIEWS DEATH PENALTY FOR 84 PRISONERS
Lebanon is facing a critical debate over the death penalty, as 84 prisoners remain under sentences frozen for decades.
- JANUARY 21, 2026United NationsDEATH PENALTY
UNITED NATIONS - UN advocates universal abolition of death penalty
- JANUARY 21, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 4 men executed on January 20
Mikaeil Bahari, Kamran Ghiasvand, Foroud Sagvand, Mardan Saeedi
- JANUARY 20, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 13 men executed on January 19 and 20
JANUARY 20, 2026ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA: WOMAN EXECUTED FOR ABUSING AND KILLING STEPDAUGHTER
A woman who abused and killed her stepdaughter was executed on January 20, 2026 in Fujian province after the top court approved her death sentence, local authorities said.
JANUARY 19, 2026South KoreaDEATH PENALTYSOUTH KOREA: COURT ACQUITS MAN EXECUTED 50 YEARS AGO IN NAT'L SECURITY LAW CASE
A Seoul court on January 19, 2026 posthumously acquitted a man executed 50 years ago for allegedly attempting to rebuild an underground pro-North Korea organization in a retrial of the case.
- JANUARY 18, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 13 men executed on January 18, and 4 on January 17
167 executions since the beginning of the year
JANUARY 18, 2026JapanDEATH PENALTYJAPAN: COURT REJECTS INMATES' CALLS TO HALT HANGING ON INHUMANE GROUNDS
A Japanese court rejected on January 16, 2026 three death-row inmates' demands against the state to halt their executions by hanging as an inhumane practice in violation of an international convention prohibiting cruel punishment.
JANUARY 18, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Kian Manouchehri executed in Yazd on January 18
JANUARY 17, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Kheirullah Goljani and Kamran Manafi executed in Qazvin on January 17
JANUARY 16, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - 52 executions between January 5 to 14
On murder and drug charges
JANUARY 16, 2026ArizonaDEATH PENALTYUSA - Arizona. Execution protocol under scrutiny after Richard Djerf’s autopsy
- JANUARY 15, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 21 men and 1 woman executed between January 12 to 15
147 executions for ordinary offences in the first 15 days of the year
JANUARY 13, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Mohammad Atari and Moharram Sarchemi executed in Tabriz on January 13
- JANUARY 13, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Mostafa Hemati and Abbas Sharifi executed in Sari on January 13
- JANUARY 13, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 4 men executed on January 13IRAN 4 men executed on January 13
Mostafa Hemmati, Abbas Sharifi, Seyed Mohammad Attari, Moharram Sarchami
JANUARY 12, 2026SingaporeDEATH PENALTYSINGAPORE: TWO CONVICTED DRUG TRAFFICKERS EXECUTED
A 62-year-old and a 54-year-old, both Singaporeans, who were convicted of having in their possession controlled drugs for the purpose of trafficking, had their capital sentences carried out on 9 January 2026.
JANUARY 12, 2026FloridaDEATH PENALTYUSA - Florida. Marking a Decade Since Hurst v. Florida
Non-unanimous death sentences
- JANUARY 9, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN Iran-HRS Year End Report: 2228 executions
The Bloodiest Year in the Past Four Decades
JANUARY 8, 2026DEATH PENALTYIRAN - 4 men executed on January 8
- JANUARY 8, 2026DEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 8 men executed on January 8
- JANUARY 8, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Jamilollah Shahi and Mohammad Ashraf executed in Taybad on January 8
JANUARY 7, 2026DEATH PENALTYIRAN - 3 men executed in Ghezel-Hesar on January 7
Yazdan Allahyari, Hamed Niazi, Omid Nobakht
JANUARY 7, 2026DEATH PENALTYIRAN - Ali Ardastani executed on January 7
On charges of spying for Israel
- JANUARY 7, 2026DEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Karim Bozorgkar and Mohammad Jolaei executed in Dezful on January 7
- JANUARY 7, 2026DEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Sharif Hadavi executed in Mahshahr on January 7
- JANUARY 7, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 4 men executed in Qazvin on January 7
Hessam Moloudnejad, Alireza Yadegar + 2