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Eight Uighurs and one Han Chinese have been sentenced to death for their involvement in initially peaceful demonstrations in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in July. They have exhausted all their appeals and could be executed within days.
John Allen Muhammad is due to be executed in Virginia on November 10. He was convicted in 2003 of capital murder in relation to a series of shootings in and around the Washington DC area in 2002. His lawyers are seeking clemency on the grounds that he suffers from severe mental illness.
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.
Three men, members of Iran's Kurdish minority, are at risk of immenent execution.
The Governor of Ohio has reprieved two male prisoners who were facing execution in the next month, to give prison authorities more time to establish a "back-up" lethal injection protocol after a failed execution.
Three men on death row in the State of Ohio are due to be executed by lethal injection by early December. The state continues to defend its execution process, and the death penalty more generally, despite a recent "botched" lethal injection.
The Governor of Ohio has reprieved three prisoners who were facing execution this year, to give prison authorities more time to establish a “back-up” lethal injection protocol following a recent failed execution. Six executions are scheduled for the first 6 months of 2010. The governor has said he will issue further reprieves if he deems it necessary. 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.
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.
