Chronological archive
April 2026
The 140 news items published by Hands Off Cain in April 2026, in chronological order.
APRIL 22, 2026ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA: FORMER VILLAGE HEAD SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR 21 CRIMES
Huang Dafa, a former village head and businessman in Hubei province, was sentenced to death on 21 charges,
- APRIL 21, 2026Myanmar (Burma)DEATH PENALTY
MYANMAR PARDONS OVER 4,000 PRISONERS, INCLUDING DEPOSED PRESIDENT
Thousands of prisoners in Myanmar have been granted amnesty or had their sentences reduced.
- APRIL 21, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - The 117th Week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” Campaign
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 20, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Mohammad Masoum Shahi and Hamed Validi Hanged
Political Prisoners belonging to the People’s Mojahedin
- APRIL 20, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Police Commander Announces Arrest of At Least 1,800 People
- APRIL 20, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Why Every PMOI Execution Signifies the Collapse of Regime’s Strategy to Erase the Iranian Resistance
- APRIL 20, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Nasrin Sotoudeh Remains in Intelligence Detention
APRIL 20, 2026SingaporeDEATH PENALTYSINGAPORE: 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, 2026IraqDEATH PENALTYIRAQ: ISIS MEMBER SENTENCED TO DEATH OVER ATTACK ON SECURITY FORCES
Iraq’s Central Criminal Court on April 14, 2026 sentenced an ISIS member to death
APRIL 20, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Sara Shahbazi arrested 45 days ago
Held in legal limbo
APRIL 20, 2026FloridaDEATH PENALTYUSA - Florida. Jury recommends death for Johnny Calhoun
APRIL 20, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - IRGC arrests At least 127 People
APRIL 20, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - At Least 3,646 Arrested Since Start of War
Arrests Continue Following Ceasefire
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, 2026CaliforniaDEATH PENALTYUSA - California. Supreme Court Reverses Jeffery Lee Hronis’ Death Sentence
APRIL 19, 2026IraqDEATH PENALTYIRAQ: 11 ISIS MEMBERS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR PLOTTING ATTACKS ON STATE
Iraq's Central Criminal Court sentenced 11 members of an ISIS cell to death on April 7, 2026 for plotting attacks on state institutions.
APRIL 18, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Critical health conditions of Narges Mohammadi
And other political prisoners
APRIL 17, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - 3 Kurds killed in a drone strike by IRGC
Neda Miri, Samira Allahyari, Shahin Azarbarzin
- APRIL 17, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 22 People Arrested for “Connections with Foreign Media”
- APRIL 17, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 7 Citizens Arrested for “Connections with Foreign Media and Disturbing Public Opinion”
APRIL 17, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Raouf Sheikh Ahmadi and Mohammad Faraji Sentenced to Death
Kurdish Protesters
- APRIL 16, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 3 Protesters Sentenced to Death
Majid Nasiri, Shahab Dadkhah + 1
- APRIL 16, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Forced Televised Confessions in 2025
- APRIL 16, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN A Citizen Arrested in Marvdasht for Selling VPNs
To hide Internet adresses
APRIL 16, 2026AfghanistanDEATH PENALTYAFGHANISTAN: UN EXPERTS URGE TALIBAN TO REVOKE DECREE ON COURT RULES
A group of United Nations human rights experts has called on the Taliban to rescind a sweeping decree governing criminal court procedures, warning that it could further erode fundamental rights and legal protections in Afghanistan.
APRIL 16, 2026IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SUPREME COURT STAYS THREE DEATH SENTENCES, ORDERS FULL MITIGATION INQUIRY
A three-judge bench of the Indian Supreme Court on 13 April 2026, stayed a death sentence awarded to three convicts in a case from Dakshina Kannada.
APRIL 16, 2026OhioDEATH PENALTYUSA - Ohio. Charles Maxwell’s Death Sentence overturned
Under State’s Serious Mental Illness Law
Show news 31–60 of 139
APRIL 16, 2026United StatesDEATH PENALTYUSA - Death Sentences for 18-20 Year-Olds at 20-Year Low
APRIL 16, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Suspicious Death in Custody of Protester Abbas Yavari
APRIL 16, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Manouchehr Vafaei and Navid Naghdi at Imminent Risk of Execution
- APRIL 16, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 2 people arrested for “contact with foreign media”
APRIL 16, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Woman arrested for contacts with foreign media
Accused of espionage
APRIL 16, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - 19-year-old protester Saghar Gholami held in legal limbo
APRIL 16, 2026United StatesDEATH PENALTYUSA - Texas. 2 Magicians Warn the U.S. Supreme Court About Junk Science
Penn & Teller
- APRIL 15, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Report on the Arrest of Mohammad-Parsa Golchin
Olympiad Gold Medal–Winning Literature Student
- APRIL 15, 2026PakistanDEATH PENALTY
PAKISTAN: SC UPHOLDS DEATH PENALTY FOR MAN WHO KILLED HIS FATHER
The Supreme Court of Pakistan on April 13, 2026 dismissed an appeal against the death sentence of a convict, who had murdered his biological father and severely injured stepmother and three siblings over the transfer of a portion of property to his second
- APRIL 15, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - At Least 45 people arrested for ‘contacts with foreign media’.
- APRIL 15, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Woman Arrested for sending videos to foreign media
- APRIL 15, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 6 people arrested for sending videos top foreign media
Including 2 women
- APRIL 15, 2026IraqDEATH PENALTY
IRAQ: BAGHDAD COURT MANDATES DEATH FOR FIVE DRUG TRAFFICKERS
An Iraqi court has sentenced five drug traffickers to death after convicting them of possessing large quantities of narcotics, the Supreme Judicial Council revealed on April 15, 2026.
APRIL 15, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Ali Zohrabi executed in Kashan on April 15
- APRIL 14, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Ehsan Hosseinipour Faces death sentence
A protester
- APRIL 14, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 8 people arrested by IRGC
‘Contacts with foreign media’
- APRIL 14, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 2 arrested for contact with foreign media
- APRIL 14, 2026United NationsDEATH PENALTY
GLOBAL - The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2025
Report from Harm Reduction International
- APRIL 14, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 7 Foreign Nationals Arrested by IRGC
For having entered Iran illegally during the war
- APRIL 14, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Ghazal Mawlan killed in a drone strike by IRGC
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, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Teachers’ Union Activist Mohammad-Ali Zahmatkesh Arrested
APRIL 14, 2026MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: DEATH PENALTY NOT NEEDED FOR DRINK DRIVING CASES, SAYS TRANSPORT MINISTER
Malaysia’s Transport minister Loke Siew Fook on April 13, 2026 shut the door on the possibility of introducing the death penalty under the Road Transport Act for cases linked to driving under the influence, despite calls from certain quarters to do so.
- APRIL 14, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 50 people arrested in Tehran
For posting images of the war on social media
APRIL 14, 2026KentuckyDEATH PENALTYUSA - Kentucky. Lawmakers override Beshear’s veto of death penalty bill SB 251
- APRIL 13, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 4 protesters sentenced to death
Mohammadreza Majidi-Asl, Bita Hemmati, Behrouz Zamaninejad, and Kourosh Zamaninejad
- APRIL 13, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 60 Security Cases Opened, for Espionage Charges
- APRIL 13, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Zeinab Shafizadeh Arrested
APRIL 13, 2026TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA: COURT OF APPEAL UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE FOR CARPENTER IN LOVER’S MURDER CASE
The Court of Appeal in Arusha, Tanzania, on April 10, 2026, dismissed the appeal of Alex Julius, upholding the death sentence previously handed down by the High Court.
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.
Show news 61–90 of 139
APRIL 13, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Foreword to the 2025 Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran
By Nasrin Sotoudeh
- APRIL 13, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 10 People Arrested for Using Starlink
APRIL 13, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - 2025 Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran
At least 1,639 people executed
APRIL 13, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Thousands of people arrested in Iran for “contacts with foreign media”
The West seems concerned only with its own “freedom of expression”, not that of the Iranian people
APRIL 13, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Ali Siahani and Omran Siahani Killed by IRGC
Two Teenagers
APRIL 12, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Peyvand and Borna Naeimi Under Torture to Confess to False Charges
Baha’i protesters
- APRIL 12, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Eyewitness Accounts: Direct Fire and Mass Arrests in Khuzestan
Arab militias in support of government forces
- APRIL 11, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Hold the Perpetrators of Political Executions Accountable
Allah-Karam Azizi and Ghasem Sahraee
- APRIL 10, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 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 10, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 7 Citizens Arrested on Accusations of Contact with Foreign Media
APRIL 10, 2026FloridaDEATH PENALTYUSA - Florida. Shelby Nealy sentenced to death
Following the jury's recommendation
APRIL 10, 2026NebraskaDEATH PENALTYUSA - Nebraska. Jason Jones sentenced to death
APRIL 10, 2026TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA - Tundu Lissu, 1 year in prison
- APRIL 9, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Azar Yahoo faces espionage-related charges over social media activity
- APRIL 9, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Actress Sima Anbaei Farimani faces national security charges
- APRIL 9, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 3 Baloch men shot dead by Iranian forces
Belal Hout, Abubakr Pirasteh, Sanaollah Pirasteh
- APRIL 9, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 34 people arrested for ‘contacts with foreign media’
- APRIL 9, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 23 people arrested for ‘contacts with foreign media’
- APRIL 9, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Confiscation of Assets Belonging to 25 Citizens, Including 19 Foreign Nationals
- APRIL 9, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 1 man arrested for ‘contacts with foreign media’
- APRIL 9, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Sara Sepehri Arrested
APRIL 9, 2026BangladeshDEATH PENALTYBANGLADESH: TWO EX-COPS TO BE HANGED IN ABU SAYED KILLING CASE
The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on April 9, 2026 sentenced two former policemen to death and others to varying jail terms in a crimes against humanity case filed over the killing of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR) student Abu Sayed.
APRIL 9, 2026TexasDEATH PENALTYUSA - Texas. Clarence Curtis Jordan’s death sentence overturned
APRIL 9, 2026TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA - Update on the Tundu Lissu case
Statement by 6 Members of the European Parliament
- APRIL 8, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Protest Benjamin Naqdi faces possible death sentence
- APRIL 8, 2026IndonesiaDEATH PENALTY
INDONESIAN GRANDMOTHER FREED FROM MALAYSIA’S DEATH ROW AFTER 15 YEARS RETURNS HOME
An Indonesian grandmother who spent about 15 years on death row in Malaysia for drug trafficking on April 2, 2026 returned home after receiving clemency
- APRIL 8, 2026BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
SHEIKH HASINA ASKS BANGLADESH TRIBUNAL TO SET ASIDE DEATH SENTENCE, SEEKS FAIR TRIAL
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has demanded in a legal communication to Bangladeshi authorities that the death sentence given to her by a tribunal last year be set aside as “legally void”, and that any further proceedings against her be conducted in
APRIL 8, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Iran deploys proxy forces across multiple cities
APRIL 8, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Political prisoner Maryam Akbari Monfared released after 16 years
Accused of being a member of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI)
- APRIL 8, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - At least nine people arrested for links to international media
Show news 91–120 of 139
APRIL 8, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Hrana Report on 40th day of war
Announcement of a Two-Week Ceasefire
APRIL 8, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Hengaw Report on 40th day of war
At least 7,650 killed, including 1,030 civilians
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
- APRIL 7, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Hrana Report on 39th day of war
Extensive Damage to the Rail Network and Roads
- APRIL 7, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - 115th Week of “No to Execution Tuesdays” Continues Despite Blackout
- APRIL 7, 2026JapanDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Japanese citizen released
Shinnosuke Kawashima
- APRIL 7, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - At Least 102 People Arrested in Connection with the War
- APRIL 7, 2026United StatesDEATH PENALTY
USA - 5.5 million people are under the control of the criminal legal system
2 million in prison, 3 million on probation, 530.000 on parole
- APRIL 7, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Arrest of 17 people for War-Related Reasons
APRIL 7, 2026FranceDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris Leave Iran for France
APRIL 7, 2026South KoreaDEATH PENALTYSOUTH KOREA: DEATH-ROW KILLER LEE U-CHEOL DIES IN PRISON FROM CANCER
Lee U-cheol, a 'long-unexecuted death-row inmate' who killed a member trying to defect and the member's partner, died of illness while serving his sentence.
APRIL 7, 2026IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: DEATH PENALTY FOR NINE POLICE OFFICERS WHO TORTURED TWO CHRISTIAN DALITS TO DEATH
In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, nine police officers were sentenced to death on April 6, 2026 for the in-custody deaths of P. Jeyaraj and his son J. Benniks, two Dalit Christians.
APRIL 7, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Mahboubeh Shabani at risk of execution
Arrested during recent protests
APRIL 7, 2026United StatesDEATH PENALTYUSA - Race of Victim Effect and the Death Penalty
Killing a white person is a more serious offence than killing a black person
- APRIL 6, 2026ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA EXECUTES FRENCH NATIONAL CONVICTED IN 2010 FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
A Frenchman sentenced to death in China in 2010 for drug trafficking has been executed, France's foreign ministry announced on April 4, 2026.
- APRIL 6, 2026AfghanistanDEATH PENALTY
TALIBAN FLOGS 32 PEOPLE ACROSS AFGHANISTAN AMID SURGE IN CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
The Taliban publicly flogged 32 people, including women, in multiple provinces over the past three days, authorities said, amid a sharp rise in the group’s use of corporal punishment in recent months.
- APRIL 6, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Mothers Who Gave Their Lives during January 2026 Uprising
- APRIL 6, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - At Least 283 People Arrested in Connection With the War
APRIL 6, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Protester Ali Fahim Hanged on April 6
10 Political Prisoners Executed in 8 Days
APRIL 6, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Mohsen Eslamkhah, 19-year-old protester, sentenced to death
APRIL 6, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Hrana Report on 38th day of war
Highest Rate of Strikes in the Past Ten Days
APRIL 6, 2026OhioDEATH PENALTYUSA - Ohio. Ohio Ohioans to Stop Executions Report: every 5 executions, 1 exoneration
Death penalty ‘profoundly unreliable’
APRIL 6, 2026CaliforniaDEATH PENALTYUSA - California. Omar Deen's death sentence overturned
APRIL 6, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Yaghoub Karimpour faces imminent execution
- APRIL 5, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Mohammadamin Biglari and Shahin Vahedparast Executed
January 2026 Protesters
APRIL 5, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Hrana Report on 37th day of war
From Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad to Ardabil
- APRIL 4, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Hrana Report on 36th day of war
Fire Breaks Out at Petrochemical Facilities
- APRIL 4, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Death of Hossein Ghavi under torture
In an IRGC Intelligence detention facility
- APRIL 4, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN Vahid Baniamerian and Abolhassan Montazer executed on April 4
Show news 121–139 of 139
- APRIL 3, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Hrana Report on 35th day of war
APRIL 3, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - At least 37 Citizens Arrested
For communicating with people abroad
APRIL 3, 2026FloridaDEATH PENALTYUSA - Florida. Update on the Duckett case: decision postponed until 8 April
After the expiry of the current death warrant
APRIL 3, 2026North CarolinaDEATH PENALTYUSA - North Carolina. Branson Raye Lambert Sentenced to Death
APRIL 3, 2026AlabamaDEATH PENALTYUSA - Alabama. Death penalty reinstated for Marcus Williams
- APRIL 2, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN Mandana Sotoudeh and Behzad Basiri Arrested
A Baha’i Couple
- APRIL 2, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Hengaw Report on 34th day of war
At least 7,300 killed in first 34 days of war, including 890 civilians
- APRIL 2, 2026PakistanDEATH PENALTY
PAKISTAN: THREE CONVICTS SENTENCED TO DEATH IN 3 MURDER CASES
Pakistani Sessions courts have handed down death sentences to three accused in separate murder cases, while also awarding additional punishments under various legal provisions, The News Pakistan reported on April 2, 2026.
- APRIL 2, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Narges Mohammadi Denied Adequate Medical Care After Heart Attack
APRIL 2, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Teenage Protester Amirhossein Hatami Hanged on April 2
84 Days After Arrest
APRIL 2, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Hrana Report on 34th day of war
From the Strike on Bridge B-1 to the Pasteur Institute
APRIL 1, 2026ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA: FORMER DATANG EXECUTIVE SENTENCED TO DEATH WITH REPRIEVE
A former senior executive at major Chinese state-owned power company Datang Group on April 1st, 2026 was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve over corruption-related charges, according to state media reports.
APRIL 1, 2026BangladeshDEATH PENALTYBANGLADESH: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING CARETAKER OVER TK5 DEMAND
A Dhaka court on March 31, 2026 sentenced a man to death for killing a caretaker after asking him for Tk5 in the capital's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.
- APRIL 1, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Nasrin Sotoudeh was arrested
- APRIL 1, 2026United StatesDEATH PENALTY
USA - Why Executions are Becoming “Crueler”
APRIL 1, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Hrana Report on 33rd day of war
From the Former U.S. Embassy to the Russian Orthodox Church
APRIL 1, 2026IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Death Sentence of Mansour Jamali Upheld
Political prisoner belonging to the MEK
- APRIL 1, 2026IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - At least 188 Citizens Arrested in Connection with the War
APRIL 1, 2026KentuckyDEATH PENALTYUSA - Kentucky. Bill to resume executions passed the Senate
SB 251 now goes to the Governor for signature