Death Penalty

Kazakhstan abolishes death penalty

Even though a moratorium on capital punishement had been in place since 2003, courts in the Central Asian country had continued to sentence convicts to death in exceptional circumstances.

Bangladesh approves death penalty for rapists

Bangladesh rights activists blame the increasing number of sexual assaults on a culture of impunity and poor prosecutorial outcomes, saying tougher penalties are not enough.

2019 geared to be the worst year for executions in Saudi Arabia this decade

Rights groups put the number of those killed by Riyadh this year at 107 with Amnesty International calling the surge a 'bloody execution spree'.

Australia opposes death penalty as Assange supporters march

British police whisked away WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian Embassy where he was holed up for nearly seven years.

The world’s top 5 executioners:

Amnesty International says 2018 saw a dramatic decrease in the number executions across the globe, but named the five countries that killed the most last year.

Death penalty for Canadian escalates China-Canada tensions

A Chinese court sentenced Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg to death in a retrial of a drug smuggling case for which he was handed a 15-year prison sentence.

Saudi Arabia seeks death penalty for woman activist - rights groups

“Any execution is appalling, but seeking the death penalty for activists like Israa al Ghomgham, who are not even accused of violent behavior, is monstrous,” HRW said. Ghomgham is accused of incitement to protest and morally supporting rioters.

Kim Jong-nam murder suspects to go on trial in October

The two women, who allegedly murdered the North Korean leader's half-brother, deny carrying out the killing.

Duterte says martial law to continue in Mindanao

During his annual State of the Nation Address, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte pushed his law-and-order policies that have made him hugely popular with many Filipinos but have been condemned by human rights groups and critics.

Germany says won't allow Turkish voting on death penalty

There are around 1.4 million eligible Turkish voters in Germany, and a referendum on Turkey's constitutional change backed by the governing AK Party won 63 percent of the votes cast in the European nation.

Arkansas executions a milestone for American capital punishment

The execution of four death row inmates, and the staying of another four others, has brought attention to the practice and its declining popularity

Arkansas vows to push for executions despite Supreme Court setback

The US Supreme Court denies state's request to vacate the Arkansas Supreme Court stay on Monday's executions. Arkansas planned to execute eight inmates before the end of April, timing it before one of its lethal injection drugs expires.