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Communist Vietnam's secret death penalty conveyor belt: How country trails only China and Iran for 'astonishing' number of executions

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Prisoners are dragged from their cells at 4am without warning to be given a lethal injection Vietnam's use of the death penalty has been thrust into the spotlight after a real estate tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to be executed in one of the biggest corruption cases in the country's history. Truong My Lan, a businesswoman who chaired a sprawling company that developed luxury apartments, hotels, offices and shopping malls, was arrested in 2022.

Oklahoma high court stays executions amid questions over drug secrecy

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The Oklahoma supreme court on Monday stayed the executions of two men who challenged the constitutionality of the state's execution drug secrecy.

"We are relieved, and extremely grateful to the Oklahoma supreme court for its reasonable decision to stay the scheduled executions ... With today's stay, the Oklahoma supreme court will be able to fully adjudicate the serious constitutional issues about the extreme secrecy surrounding lethal injection procedures in our state," their attorneys Susanna Gattoni and Seth Day said in a statement following the decision.

Clayton Lockett was scheduled to die at 6pm on Tuesday, and Charles Warner on April 29.

The court in a 5-4 decision said the stay is issued until "final determination of all issues presently pending before this court ... along with all issues that may be brought by [the corrections department] ... and any legal challenges that may arise as a result of this court's resolution of those issues are actively litigated."

The inmates have sued over the constitutionality of Oklahoma’s secrecy about execution drugs, and an Oklahoma county district court judge has ruled that keeping the source of the drugs confidential is a violation of their rights. The state is defending a law that allows it to keep the source of the drugs secret, on the argument that suppliers would be in danger if their identities were made public.


Source: The Guardian, April 21, 2014
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