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The state of Ohio has announced new lethal injection procedures and plans to execute Kenneth Biros on December 8. Five other male prisoners in Ohio are scheduled for execution in the coming months.
A court in Bahrain upheld the death penalty against Jassim Abdulmanan, a Bangladeshi national. The execution is now awaiting ratification by the king. Abdulmanan could be executed within weeks.
Habibollah Latifi and Sherko Moarefi, allegedly both members of Kurdish organizations, have been convicted of "enmity against God" and are at imminent risk of execution. Ehsan Fattahian, a member of a Kurdish opposition group, was executed on 11 November without being given an opportunity to appeal against his death sentence.
Igor Koktysh is a 29 year old social activist that could be forcibly returned at anytime from Ukraine, where he is at risk of the death penalty for fabricated charges.
Twenty- nine year old, Ali Agirdas is at imminent risk of beheading in Saudi Arabia. Agirdas was arrested on 24 February 2007 for smuggling drugs.
Kobra Babaei, an Iranian woman, is at risk of being stoned to death after her husband was hanged on 5 October for "sodomy." In 2002, the Head of the Judiciary in Iran instructed judges to impose a moratorium on stonings; however, this has not been implemented.
British national, Akmal Shaikh, who is believed to be mentally ill, has been sentenced to death in China for drug smuggling. His appeal was rejected, despite the fact that he is mentally ill, he is sentenced to death on 29 October 2009.
The UN Human Rights Committee registered Vasily Yuzepchuk's case on 12 October, and called on the Belarusian government not to execute him until the Committee has consdiered his case. The Supreme Court sent a repsonse saying that Yuzepchuk's appeal had been rejected. He now has ten days to apply for clemency.
Akram Mahdavi, a 35-year old Iranian woman, was to be put to death on 11 October but has received a stay of execution. However, she still faces the death penalty and has not been given the right to seek pardon or commutation of her sentence.
The State of Ohio has announced new lethal injection procedures and is looking to resume executions. It is seeking to execute Kenneth Biros on December 8. Six executions are scheduled for the first 6 months of 2010. But the death penalty can never be humane, regardless of the method of execution. Call on Governor Strickland to esstablish a moratorium on ALL executions in Ohio.
Troy Davis has been scheduled for execution three times without ever having a hearing on evidence that he may be innocent. On August 17, the US Supreme Court finally granted him that hearing. While this is welcome news, we must continue to let Georgia authorities know that we support full justice for Troy Davis. Sign the petition today!
Belarus is the last country in Europe and in the former Soviet Union that still carries out executions. Amnesty International estimates that as many as 400 people may have been executed since Belarus gained its independence in 1991. At least four people were executed and one more sentenced to death in 2008. Sign the appeal to ask President Lukashenka to declare an immediate moratorium on executions. Download the action Stop Executions in Belarus in PDF format
On Wednesday, March 18, 2009, Governor Bill Richardson signed into law a bill to repeal the death penalty in New Mexico. With this bill, sponsored by Representative Gail Chasey, New Mexico has now become only the 2nd state in over 30 years to legislatively abolish the death penalty, and brings to 15 the number of states in the U.S. that are now death penalty free! Write to Gov. Richardson and Rep. Chasey today and thank them for their unprecedented leadership.
Iran is one of the only countries in the world that still executes children and child offenders. At least 15 child offenders have been executed in Iran in the last two years. On October 16, 2008, The Government of Iran announced an end to this shameful practice, but on October 18 Iran clarified that this directive would not apply to child offenders sentenced to qesas or retribution. The vast majority of the more than 130 juveniles sentenced to death in Iran still face execution. Download the action Stop Child Offender Executions in Iran in PDF format | Download the action Stop Child Offender Executions in Iran in MS Word format
Domestic worker Rizana Nafeek was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabis for a murder committed while she was just 17 years old. Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which expressly prohibits the execution of offenders for crimes committed when they were under 18 years old. Rizana Nafeek is believed to have appealed against her sentence, but if her appeal is unsuccessful she could be executed within days.
Troy Davis was sentenced to death for the murder of Police Officer Mark Allen McPhail; a murder he maintains he did not commit. There was no physical evidence against him and the weapon used in the crime was never found. Since the trial most of the witnesses have recanted their testimony, many alleging they were pressured or coerced by police.
