Death Penalty

Malaysia Parliament votes to scrap mandatory death sentences

Malaysia's Parliament on Monday approved a bill that would scrap mandatory death penalties and limit capital punishment to serious crimes as part of wide-ranging reforms, bringing possible reprieves to more than 1,300 prisoners on death row. While the death sentence remains, courts will now be given the option of imposing jail sentences of up to 40 years, Deputy Law Minister Ramkarpal Singh said. Previously, courts had no choice but to mandate hanging as punishment for a range of crimes including murder, drug trafficking, treason, kidnapping and acts of terror. The reforms include abolishing the death penalty for some offenses that don't cause death that fall under kidnapping, terrorism and certain firearm crimes, officials said. Singh called the reforms a significant step forward for Malaysia's criminal justice system. He said 1,318 people are on death row in the country, including 842 who have exhausted all avenues of appeals. Most cases are linked to drug trafficking. Once the

Death penalty to 7 IS operatives in Kanpur terror conspiracy case

The case against the eight accused was initially registered at Police Station ATS, Lucknow and later, the probe was taken over by the NIA

Story in numbers: Not a long rope for death penalty adjudication

At the end of 2022, 539 convicts were on death row - the highest number of prisoners facing the gallows since 2016

165 death sentences by trial courts in 2022, highest since 2000: Report

Trial courts across the country imposed 165 death sentences in 2022, which is the highest in a single year in the last two decades, a report has said. Also, 539 prisoners were on death row by the end of 2022, which was the highest since 2016 and the number of prisoners living under death sentence saw an increase of 40% since 2015, the report added. The report titled Death Penalty in India, Annual Statistics Report, 2022' was released by Project 39A of the National Law University (NLU) here. The large death row population signals the continued imposition of a high number of death sentences by trial courts with a low rate of disposal by appellate courts, the report said. It said that more than 50 per cent (51.28 per cent) cases, where the death penalty was imposed, pertained to sexual offences. The highest imposition of death sentences in 2022 was influenced by the sentencing of 38 persons to death in Ahmedabad in a bomb blast case, the report said, adding this represented the large

Panel blames police for firing on 'unarmed' anti-Sterlite protestors

Faults them for shooting without warning, recommends a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to kin of the deceased, including Rs 20 lakh already paid

High Courts confirmed death penalty in 10% cases in 2021, shows data

Since 2017, four people have been executed in India

Gujarat trial courts sentence 50 people to death in 8 months this year

Gujarat has seen a sharp rise in trial courts giving captial punishment with 50 people being sentenced to death this year till August compared to 46 between 2006 and 2021, as per data available with courts in the state. In February 2022, a special court had sentenced to death 38 convicts in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blast case, sharply pushing up the number of people getting capital punishment by trial courts in the state this year. Fifty six people were killed and more than 200 injured in a series of blasts that ripped Ahmedabad in 2008. Besides this case, the trial courts in different cities also sentenced convicts to death in cases of rape and murder of minors, registered under the Protection of Children for Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Only in one of these cases, at a court in Kheda town, the accused was sentenced to death where a minor a raped and not killed. Besides, in two cases of 'honour killing' also the accused were given capital punishment. Apart from 13 convicts gett

SC refers to 5-judge bench on 'mitigating circumstances' in Death Penalty

The Supreme Court on Monday referred to a five-judge Constitution bench a suo motu plea on framing of guidelines on how and when potential mitigating circumstances be considered by courts during trial in cases which entail the death penalty as the maximum punishment. A bench headed by Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit said it was of the opinion that this matter required a hearing by a larger bench to have clarity and uniform approach as to when an accused, facing death penalty as maximum sentence, is required to be heard with regard to mitigating circumstances. Let matter be placed before the CJI for orders in this regard, Justice S Ravindra Bhat said while pronouncing the verdict. A death sentence is irreversible and every opportunity should be given to the accused for consideration of mitigating circumstances so that the court concludes that capital punishment is not warranted, the bench had observed while reserving its verdict on August 17. The top court had taken note of the issue

Death penalty cases soar in Myanmar under military rule: Amnesty

Raising an alarm over the rights situation in Myanmar, Amnesty International has said the death penalty increased at an alarming rate under military rule

SC initiates suo moto case on forming guidelines in death penalty matters

The bench indicated that it would lay down guidelines to be followed by courts across the country in connection with cases involving death sentences

Japan executes three death row inmates, first under PM Kishida: Report

Japan on Tuesday executed three people who were on death row, marking the first time the death penalty was carried out under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government, Kyodo news agency reported.The three were identified as Yasutaka Fujishiro, 65, who killed seven of his relatives in Hyogo Prefecture in 2004, and Tomoaki Takanezawa, 54, and Mitsunori Onogawa, 44, who were convicted of killing two pachinko parlour employees in Gunma Prefecture in 2003, as per the media outlet.The last execution in Japan was on December 26, 2019, Kyodo reported.

Myanmar ruling military imposes death penalty for treason, dissent

Amid growing violence in Myanmar following the February 1 coup, the ruling military imposed a death penalty as a possible punishment for treason, dissent, and other offenses against the government

Vision 2030: Saudi Arabia abolishes death penalty for juveniles, flogging

Alawwad said that recent decisions reflect how Saudi Arabia is working towards "realising its critical human rights reforms"

Satwant Singh to Nirbhaya case: History of executions in Independent India

Sixteen convicts have been executed in the country in the past three decades, including Yakub Memon, Afzal Guru and Ajmal Kasab.

Nirbhaya case: Convicts to hang at 5:30 am as SC rejects last-minute plea

The plea claimed that there is further new evidence which shows that the state has concealed certain facts in the case from the court

Supreme Court questions issuance of death warrants by trial courts

SC questions issuance of death warrants by trial courts before expiry of time period for appeal

Death penalty up by 53% in 2018, but most rape cases stuck at trial: Data

India has carried out four executions since 2004, the last having been in 2015

Nirbhaya case: Delhi HC slams authorities for delay in seeking death orders

Justice Suresh Kumar Kait said that after the apex court dismissed in 2017 the appeals of the four convicts

SC agrees to hear Centre's plea for 'victim-centric' death penalty norms

The guidelines were laid down in Shatrughan Chauhan versus Union of India case in 2014

Nirbhaya: SC verdict on death row convict Mukesh's plea on Wednesday

President Ram Nath Kovind had rejected the mercy petition of Mukesh on January 17