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Iran | Khamenei’s Funeral and Systematic Repression

While the Iranian regime organizes pharaonic funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Khamenei, the reality on the ground tells a very different story: a nation brought to its knees, crushed by a collapsing economy and relentless repression. A Mourning Imposed as Propaganda The celebrations taking place across Iran for days—from Tehran to Qom and as far as Najaf and Karbala—represent a cruel paradox. In one of the darkest chapters of Iranian history, marked by galloping inflation, widespread poverty, and the still-open wounds of the recent conflict—which left behind damaged cities, an unstable power grid, paralyzed trade routes, broken supply chains, and a productive system strangled by the effects of war—the regime has chosen to allocate colossal budgets for the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28th. As Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi has pointed out, the question haunting the people is not where the former Supreme Leader will be laid to rest but the exorb...
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At least 109 prisoners executed in Iran during June 2026

Hengaw, Saturday, July 4, 2026—During the past calendar month, the death sentences of at least 109 prisoners, including 5 political prisoners, were carried out in various prisons across Iran. This figure represents an increase of at least 10 cases (equivalent to 10%) compared to the same period last year. In June 2025, at least 99 prisoners had been executed in Iranian prisons. The full identities of all 109 executed prisoners have been verified by Statistics and Documentation Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.
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As Idaho Reinstates Firing Squad, Volunteers Sought for Executions

The state becomes the first in the U.S. to make the firing squad the standard method of capital punishment Idaho is opening a new phase in the administration of capital punishment in the United States, returning to the firing squad as the default method of execution. The decision reintroduces a system that has been abolished or abandoned in most of the country and is now being reorganized through a formal and highly structured framework. The new death penalty protocol State authorities have begun recruiting volunteer law enforcement officers to take part in executions. The operational model includes three primary shooters assigned to carry out the execution, two alternates, and one operations coordinator. All participants will remain anonymous, known only to the prison warden and deputy warden.
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Iran sentences political prisoner and fiancée to death on Israel-linked charges

A Tehran Revolutionary Court judge has sentenced political prisoner Mehdi Nazer and his fiancée, Mahnaz Chardouli, to death and also 10 years in prison, according to information received by Iran International. Judge Abolghasem Salavati, head of Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, also sentenced Nazer’s sister, Atefeh Nazer, to 10 years in prison. The three political prisoners were arrested in Tehran on January 11, 2026.
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Five more protesters sentenced to death in central Iran

Five protesters arrested in central Iran in connection with the January uprising have been sentenced to death on charges of “enmity against God,” sources familiar with their cases told Iran International. The prisoners arrested in the city of Mahallat have been identified as Erfan Khalili, Ali-Akbar Mahlooji, Hesam Issaei, Hossein Shokouhi and Abolghasem Kazem-Aslani. They are being held in Arak prison and have only 10 days to appeal the verdicts. Their verdict was announced on the same day that fellow political prisoner Arghavan Fallahi was sentenced to death on a charge of “baghi,” or armed rebellion, the US-based HRANA news agency reported.
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U.S. | Lethal injections are more likely to be botched, experts say

Tony Carruthers, a Memphis man on death row, is one of hundreds of people in the U.S. whose executions did not go as planned When the Tennessee Department of Corrections botched Tony Carruthers’ execution, it wasn’t surprising to Austin Sarat. He’s been researching and writing about “state killings” for decades. “Of all of the methods of execution used in the United States over the last 140 years, lethal injection has the highest rate of being botched,” said Sarat, a professor of law and politics at Amherst College. He said an execution is botched when it deviates from standard operating procedure or official legal protocol.
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Pakistan | Two get death sentence for ‘blasphemous’ Facebook post

SAHIWAL: Two men were awarded a death sentence on Thursday for making a blasphemous post on Facebook in 2024. Along with the death penalty, AntiTerrorism Court Special Judge Ziaullah Khan also awarded the convicts seven-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs1.5 million each. According to the police, both men were booked in the FIR under the PPC Section 295-C, sections 7 and 9 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (1996), and sections 10 and 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (2016). 
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Iran | Man Hanged for Accidental Homicide After 20 Years on Death Row

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 1 July 2026: Shouresh Sattarzadeh, a Kurdish man who spent 20 years on death row for an accidental death when he was 18 years of age, was executed in Sanandaj Central Prison. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Sanandaj Central Prison on 1st July 2026. His identity has been established as Shouresh Sattarzadeh, a 38-year-old Kurdish man from Saqqez. He was arrested 20 years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.
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Alabama | New coalition “We The Jury” urges Ivey to grant clemency in judicial override cases

The group said 25 Alabama death row prisoners remained under sentences imposed through a practice the state abolished in 2017. We The Jury —a new coalition of jurors, judges, attorneys, elected officials, community advocates and activists—is urging Governor Kay Ivey to grant clemency to death row inmates who were sentenced by judicial override, a now-illegal sentencing scheme that allowed judges to override a jury’s life sentence recommendation in favor of the death penalty.
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Iraq | Appeals Court Upholds Death Sentence for Anfal Convict Ajaj al-Tikriti

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Nearly four decades after the Anfal campaign left tens of thousands of Kurdish families searching for answers, Iraq's judicial process has reached another decisive moment. On Thursday, the Federal Court of Appeals upheld the death sentence imposed on Ajaj Ahmed Hardan al-Tikriti, a former Baath-era prison official convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity, sexual violence, and the murder of Kurdish detainees held at the notorious Nugra Salman prison in 1988.
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Iran | Executions in Karaj, Sanandaj, Shiraz

Lor prisoner Abbas Abdolmaleki, a resident of Varamin who had been sentenced to death on a charge of “premeditated murder,” was executed at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj in early February 2026. The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights is reporting the execution for the first time nearly five months after it was carried out. According to information received by Hengaw, the 40-year-old was executed on Sunday, February 1, 2026, at Ghezel Hesar Prison.
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Tennessee Reduced Training in IV Placement in New Lethal Injection Protocol

The protocol that took effect in 2025 sheds new light on Tony Carruthers’ botched execution, when Dr. Mark Fowler spent nearly an hour trying, and failing, to place a secondary IV line Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol adopted a year and a half ago appears to include reduced training in IV placement. That’s the part of the process prison staff failed to complete last month before aborting the execution of Tony Carruthers. Filings from ongoing litigation over the protocol show concerns about the executioners’ training and qualifications aren’t new. 
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New Mississippi laws take effect July 1, including juvenile court changes, death penalty for sexual battery

PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) - “Effective July 1”: It’s a phrase we’ve heard over and over. Now, that date is here. Laws passed in the 2026 legislative session will take effect starting Wednesday. Sen. Joey Filligane says a few of the laws enforce stricter penalties. The goal isn’t to put more people behind bars, but actually the exact opposite.
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Firing squad set to become primary method of execution in Idaho

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — The firing squad will become the primary method of execution in the State of Idaho starting July 1, 2026. Those in support of the change argue it's a more humane and efficient method, while some are more skeptical. Idaho is now one of five states to authorize the firing squad as a means of execution. Other states include Mississippi, Oklahoma, Utah and South Carolina. Where Idaho differs, it's the only state to make it the primary method.
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Tennessee GOP senators seek review of botched execution

Group of eight wants hold on death penalty until problems solved A group of Tennessee Republican senators is urging the governor to commission an independent review of a failed execution and correct any problems before the state attempts another execution. In a demand for “full transparency and accountability” from the Department of Correction, eight GOP senators sent a letter Monday to Gov. Bill Lee requesting that he initiate a review of the botched execution of Tony Von Carruthers on May 21. The letter obtained by the Lookout is signed by Senator Majority Leader Jack Johnson of Franklin, Sen. Ferrell Haile of Gallatin, Sen. Joey Hensley of Hohenwald, Sen. Becky Massey of Knoxville, Sen. Richard Briggs of Knoxville, Sen. Tom Hatcher of Maryville, Sen. Dawn White of Murfreesboro and Sen. Ken Yager of Kingston.
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Why new Kansas law may affect clemency decisions for death row inmates

Amid public outcry about death row inmates applying for clemency, the government board that handles the process is being overhauled by a new state law with provisions taking effect July 1. Under the Kansas Constitution and state law, the governor has executive clemency power, which allows Gov. Laura Kelly to commute a sentence. Clemency applications are first submitted to the Prisoner Review Board, which reviews the case in accordance with state laws before ultimately submitting a recommendation to the governor, who makes the final decision.
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Iran | Executions in Yasuj, Semnan, Kermanshah, Ahvaz, Qom

Iranian authorities have executed two Lor prisoners, Mohammadali Hajihasani and Mahmoud Qaem, in separate cases at Yasuj Central Prison. They had previously been sentenced to death on charges of "premeditated murder" and "armed robbery," respectively. According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the executions were carried out in the early hours of June 22, 2026. Hajihasani, 25, and Qaem, 28, were both from Yasuj. Informed sources told Hengaw that Hajihasani had been arrested two years earlier on the charge of "premeditated murder," while Qaem had been arrested four years earlier on the charge of "armed robbery." Both were later sentenced to death.
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Louisiana Supreme Court Frees Death Row Prisoner, Calling Evidence Against Him “Scientifically Indefensible”

The decision affirms a lower court’s ruling nullifying Jimmie “Chris” Duncan’s 1998 first-degree murder conviction. Duncan was convicted based in part on forensic evidence that is now widely regarded as junk science. Former Louisiana death row inmate Jimmie “Chris” Duncan is officially a free man following a unanimous ruling Monday by the Louisiana Supreme Court. In the opinion, justices upheld a lower court’s decision to toss out Duncan’s 1998 conviction for killing his former girlfriend’s toddler, Haley Oliveaux, citing flawed forensics practices used to convict him. 
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Two Former Death-Sentenced Californians Seek Compensation Over Official Misconduct

Two for­mer California death-sen­tenced pris­on­ers, Ernest Dykes and Curtis Ervin , have filed law­suits against Alameda County, accus­ing the District Attorney’s office of ​“set[ting] out to rig the juries” in their cap­i­tal cas­es. Both men were released from prison after their death sen­tences were reduced because of the dis­cov­ery of uncon­sti­tu­tion­al pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct dur­ing each of their jury selec­tions in the 1990s. The law­suits allege that the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office (ACDAO) had a long-stand­ing prac­tice of engag­ing in racial dis­crim­i­na­tion dur­ing jury selec­tion in cap­i­tal cas­es. ​“The evi­dence shows that the errors were com­mit­ted know­ing­ly and not in iso­la­tion, but rather, borne from the prod­uct of a pat­tern and prac­tice rein­forced by those with super­vi­so­ry author­i­ty with­in the ACDAO,” the suits state. Both law­suits accuse the ACDAO of vio­lat­ing the men’s right to a fair tri­al by uncon­sti­tu­tion­al­ly...
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Bangladesh | 3 Bangladeshi police officers sentenced to death for killing protesters in 2024 uprising

Special tribunal in capital Dhaka hands down death penalty in absentia for crimes against humanity DHAKA, Bangladesh—A special tribunal in Bangladesh on Sunday gave the death sentence in absentia to three police officers, including the former police chief of the capital Dhaka, in connection with the killing of protesters during a 2024 uprising that led to the collapse of the government. A three-member International Crimes Tribunal led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder delivered the verdict.
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