Death Penalty News

A shocking, devastating loss that none of us saw coming. Rest in Power, M Ravi. How do I process something that doesn’t feel real? As I'm writing this, the amount of information I have is distressingly small. M Ravi is dead. He was pronounced dead at Tan Tock Seng Hospital this morning. The police say they don’t suspect foul play, but investigations are ongoing. None of us saw this coming.

More than two decades after Laci Peterson vanished from her Modesto, California, home, the murder case that captivated the nation continues to draw legal challenges, public debate and renewed attention. As the year comes to a close, Scott Peterson, convicted in 2004 of murdering his pregnant wife and their unborn son Conner, remains behind bars, serving life without the possibility of parole. His wife disappeared on Christmas Eve in 2002, and a few months later, the remains of Laci and Conner were found in the San Francisco Bay.

The Afghan national accused of killing one National Guard soldier and injuring another in a Thanksgiving week attack in Washington, D.C., could now face the death penalty after prosecutors moved the case to federal court. The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it has filed a criminal complaint against 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, charging him with two federal firearms offenses: transporting or shipping a stolen firearm in interstate commerce and transporting or receiving firearms in interstate or foreign commerce with intent to commit a crime. Lakanwal is also charged with first-degree premeditated murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and assault with intent to kill while armed.

M Ravi never gave up despite the odds stacked against him by the Singapore regime, which has always used its grip on the legal process to silence critics. M Ravi, one of Singapore's best-known personalities who was at the forefront of legal cases challenging the PAP regime over human rights violations, has died. He was 56. The news has come as a shock to friends and activists. Singapore's The Straits Times reported that police were investigating the "unnatural death".

Ravi Madasamy, a high-profile lawyer who represented death-row inmates and campaigned against capital punishment, was found dead in the early hours, prompting a police investigation into an unnatural death KUALA LUMPUR — Prolific Singapore lawyer Ravi Madasamy who tried to save Malaysian drug traffickers from the gallows found dead in the early hours with police investigating a case of unnatural death. Lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam, who had previously represented 56-year-old Ravi in court and described him as a friend, said he was deeply saddened by the news.

Iran detained about 2,000 people accused of links to enemy intelligence networks during and after the 12-day war with Israel in June, a senior armed forces official said on Tuesday. Abolfazl Shekarchi, the armed forces’ cultural deputy, said a “wide spy network” had taken shape over several years with significant investment in training and organization. “A large network of spies and enemy agents had been formed, and years of effort and heavy costs were spent to build it,” Shekarchi was quoted as saying by Iranian state media.

Saudi Arabia has surpassed its record for the number of executions carried out annually for a second year in a row. At least 347 people have now been put to death this year, up from a total of 345 in 2024, according to the UK-based campaign group Reprieve , which tracks executions in Saudi Arabia and has clients on death row. It said this was the “bloodiest year of executions in the kingdom since monitoring began”. The latest prisoners to be executed were two Pakistani nationals convicted of drug-related offences. Others put to death this year include a journalist and two young men who were children at the time of their alleged protest-related crimes. Five were women.

Two Pakistani nationals have been executed for the crime of drug smuggling In the Saudi city of Makkah. According to a statement issued by the Saudi Ministry of Interior, the two Pakistani citizens attempted to smuggle heroin and other narcotics into Saudi Arabia by concealing them in different parts of their bodies, after which they were arrested. Authorities said that after the crime was proven, the court handed down the death sentence.  Following the rejection of appeals against the verdict by the Supreme Court, a royal decree was issued to carry out the sentence.

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 20, 2025: State media reported the execution of Aghil Keshavarz, an architecture student at Shahroud University. He had been arrested for “filming the army’s Urmia Infantry Division headquarters” and sentenced to death on the charge of espionage for Israel. Condemning Aghil Keshavarz’s execution, Iran Human Rights calls on the international community to take practical action to halt executions in Iran.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s Supreme Court has upheld a state law allowing non-unanimous juries to sentence people to death, cementing the lowest bar in the country for death sentences at a time when the state is driving a national increase in executions. In a decision released Thursday, the court affirmed a 2023 law that ended a unanimous jury requirement in death penalty sentencing, rejecting arguments by death row inmates Michael Hunt and Michael Jackson that their sentences are unconstitutional.

Dec. 19 (Asia Today) -- Japanese prosecutors have asked the Nara District Court to sentence Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, to life in prison for the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, opting not to seek the death penalty. At a hearing Thursday, prosecutors condemned the killing as an attack on the rule of law, arguing that violence aimed at changing society cannot be excused regardless of motive. In closing arguments, prosecutors cited four factors supporting a severe sentence: the brutality of the method, extensive premeditation, the magnitude of social impact and what they called the irrationality of the motive.

Iran has put to death a man accused of spying for Israel, the latest execution since a 12-day June war between the archenemies, the judiciary's press agency announced Saturday. "The death sentence for Aghil Keshavarz, found guilty of spying for the Zionist regime, communicating and cooperating with the regime, and taking photographs of military and security sites, was carried out after being upheld by the Supreme Court and following legal procedures," the Mizan agency reported. The man, described as an agent of Israel's Mossad foreign intelligence service, had been arrested between April and May in Urmia in northwestern Iran, it added.

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 19, 2025: Jafar Hedayati, a man on death row for murder, was executed in Aligudarz Prison. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Aligudarz Prison on 17 December 2025. His identity has been established as 30-year-old Jafar Hedayati. He was arrested around five years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court. At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Florida executes man convicted of killing airman and girlfriend in 1987 home invasion. Frank Walls, put to death for 1987 double murder, confessed to 3 other killings; state carries out 19th execution of year. Florida executed a man Thursday convicted of fatally shooting a man and a woman during a home invasion robbery and who later confessed to 3 other killings, marking the state’s 19th execution of the year. Frank Athen Walls, 58, received a 3-drug injection at about 6 p.m. at the Florida State Prison near Starke and was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m. He was sentenced to death in 1988 after convictions on 2 counts of murder, 2 counts of kidnapping and burglary and theft. 

Iranian authorities executed 11 prisoners across the country on Wednesday, including a woman, according to a human rights organization that tracks executions in Iran. The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights said 10 men were executed in prisons in Bushehr, Damghan, Chabahar, Kashmar, Sabzevar, Malayer, Shiraz, Mashhad, and Karaj. They had been sentenced to death for murder or drug-related offenses. Separately, authorities executed Razieh Abbasi, a 40-year-old woman convicted of killing her husband, at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj in the early hours of Wednesday, Hengaw reported.

Singapore's High Court dismissed on Tuesday the first legal challenge in years to the city-state's mandatory death penalty for certain drug crimes, a blow for campaigners in a year that has seen executions peak.  Human rights activists and relatives of 3 executed drug convicts had petitioned the court, arguing that the mandatory death penalty violates parts of Singapore's constitution guaranteeing the right to life and equal protection under the law.  They also said legislation restricts judges from using their own discretion in issuing sentences, despite amendments in 2012 that carved out some exceptions. 

On December 15, 2025, Mohammad Javad Vafaei was notified at Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad that his request for a retrial had been rejected by the regime’s Supreme Court. On the same day, Javad’s mother was unexpectedly granted an in-person visit with her son at Vakilabad Prison, a move that could signal his imminent execution. Furthermore, she was informed in a phone call from the prison that his sentence has been forwarded to the department for the implementation of sentences in Mashhad. His life is now in grave danger.

When something goes wrong, prison staff absorb the consequences. Florida’s execution pace is testing the limits of the law — and its workforce. I spent years inside Florida’s execution chamber as warden of Florida State Prison, personally overseeing three executions. I know what it takes to carry out a death sentence, and it permanently changed my view of capital punishment. That experience is why a recent lawsuit filed by death row inmate Frank Walls in advance of his scheduled execution Thursday should concern every Floridian.

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 17, 2025: Yavar Farhadi, a man on death row for murder, was executed in Khorramabad Central Prison. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Khorramabad Central Prison on 7 December 2025. His identity has been established as Yavar Farhadi, a father of one from Aligudarz. He was arrested around five years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court. At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

A man convicted of fatally shooting a man and woman during home invasion robbery and later confessing to three other killings is set to be the 19th person executed in Florida this year STARKE, Fla. -- A man convicted of fatally shooting a man and woman during home invasion robbery and later confessing to three other killings is scheduled to be executed Thursday evening. Frank Athen Walls, 58, is set to receive a lethal injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. Walls was convicted of two counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping, burglary and theft and sentenced to death in 1988. The Florida Supreme Court later reversed the conviction and ordered a new trial, and Walls was again convicted and sentenced to death in 1992.

Naveed Akram, the surviving suspect in Sunday's mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist act, the New South Wales Police say. His father Sajid Akram, 50, was killed in an exchange of fire with police at the scene. Fifteen people were killed and dozens of others were injured in the attack, which targeted Australia's Jewish community at an event celebrating the first night of Hanukkah. It was the country's deadliest shooting since 1996.

The execution of a Georgia man scheduled for Wednesday has been suspended as the State Board of Pardons and Paroles considers a clemency application.  Stacey Humphreys, 52, would have been the state's first execution in 2025. As of December 16, 2025, Georgia has carried out zero executions in 2025. The state last executed an inmate in January 2020, followed by a pause due to COVID-19. Executions resumed in 2024, but none have occurred this year until now. Humphreys had been sentenced to death for the 2003 killings of 33-year-old Cyndi Williams and 21-year-old Lori Brown, who were fatally shot at the real estate office where they worked.

Texas also saw counties set the fewest new execution dates in at least three decades, according to an annual report by the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Harris County was an outlier in that trend. Texas continued a long-term downward trend in capital punishment in 2025, coming in a distant second-place tie behind Florida in terms of the number of executions carried out in U.S. states. There have been five executions apiece this year in Texas, Alabama and South Carolina. Florida leads the nation with 18.

Executions in the U.S. nearly doubled in 2025 over the previous year as Florida executed more prisoners in a 12-month span than ever before, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. The organization, which tracks capital punishment, released its year-end report on Monday. It showed a complicated picture: although public support for the death penalty remained at a low point, executions ticked upward. "These trends show there is a real disconnect between what the American public wants and what elected officials are doing with the death penalty," said Robin Maher, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center (DPI). The group does not take a position on the death penalty itself but is critical of how it has been applied.

An Iranian cultural activist has been formally charged with “armed rebellion,” an offense that can carry the death penalty, according to a human rights organization. Ehsan Rostami appeared on December 10 at Branch Five of the Tehran Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office, where he was charged on suspicion of membership in groups opposed to the government, the Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. Rostami was immediately transferred to solitary confinement at Evin Prison following the charging session.

The kingdom has killed 340 people so far this year, according to AFP's count, and has in recent years trailed only China and Iran among countries carrying out the death penalty. DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Saudi Arabia has broken its own record for executions carried out in a single year, according to an AFP tally, after authorities said three people were put to death Monday. The kingdom has killed 340 people so far this year, according to AFP's count, and has in recent years trailed only China and Iran among countries carrying out the death penalty.

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 15, 2025: Mohammad Rahimi, a man on death row for drug-related offences, was executed in Gorgan Central Prison. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Gorgan Central Prison on 14 December 2025. His identity has been established as 50-year-old Mohammad Rahimi. He was arrested two years ago and sentenced to death on drug-related charges in separate cases by the Revolutionary Court. At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A proposed law could mean the death penalty for more child rapists in Tennessee. The legislation adds circumstances under which a rapist could be executed, like filming the attack. “It’s another tool,” the bill’s sponsor, State Rep. Greg Martin, said. A new bill at the Tennessee State Capitol is aimed at making it easier for prosecutors to seek the death penalty against child rapists. Lawmakers said it builds on a law passed just last year, one that first opened the door for juries to consider the death penalty in some child rape cases.

New drugs and med­ical treat­ments under­go rig­or­ous test­ing to ensure they are safe and effec­tive for pub­lic use. Under fed­er­al and state reg­u­la­tions, this test­ing typ­i­cal­ly involves clin­i­cal tri­als with human sub­jects, who face sig­nif­i­cant health and safe­ty risks as the first peo­ple exposed to exper­i­men­tal treat­ments. That is why the law requires them to be ful­ly informed of the poten­tial effects and give their vol­un­tary con­sent to par­tic­i­pate in trials. Yet these reg­u­la­tions have not been fol­lowed when states seek to use nov­el and untest­ed exe­cu­tion meth­ods — sub­ject­ing pris­on­ers to poten­tial­ly tor­tur­ous and uncon­sti­tu­tion­al­ly painful deaths. Some experts and advo­cates argue that states must be bound by the eth­i­cal and human rights prin­ci­ples of bio­med­ical research before using these meth­ods on prisoners.

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 10, 2025: At least six men, including four Baluch minorities, were secretly executed in a group hanging in Birjand Central Prison. Ramezan Deldadeh, Behzad Mazarzehi, Ali Barahouyi, Mirzakhan Basati and two unidentified Baluch men were on death row for drug-related offences. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, at least six men were hanged in Birjand Central Prison on 9 December 2025. They were all sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court. Two of the men who were Baluch minorities have not been identified at the time of writing.

Iran on Saturday executed a woman in the country's northwest after convicting her of killing her four-year-old stepdaughter, the judiciary said. The child, identified as Ava, died in December 2023 after sustaining brain injuries caused by wounds inflicted by her stepmother, the judiciary's Mizan Online news outlet reported at the time. Following legal proceedings, the woman was sentenced in March 2024 to qisas , a punishment which allows the family of a victim to demand the death penalty.

Thirty-seven years after confessing to a series of rapes and the murder of Karen Pulley, Nichols expressed remorse in final words Strapped to a gurney in the execution chamber at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution Thursday morning, Harold Wayne Nichols made a final statement.  “To the people I’ve harmed, I’m sorry,” he said, according to prison officials and media witnesses. “To my family, know that I love you. I know where I’m going to. I’m ready to go home.”

For the first time, the NGO states that the scale and brutality of the atrocities exceed previously documented war crimes and clearly constitute crimes against humanity Amnesty International released a sharply critical report on Thursday, asserting that Hamas committed crimes against humanity during its October 7, 2023 attack in Israel.  The organization documents acts of murder, torture, and both physical and sexual violence against hostages abducted during the assault. The report, titled “Targeting Civilians: Murder, Hostage-Taking and Other Violations by Palestinian Armed Groups in Israel and Gaza,” concludes that most civilians killed that day died as a result of deliberate actions by Palestinian armed groups.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday said he will not intervene to stop the execution of Harold Wayne Nichols. Nichols, 64, is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Thursday for the 1988 rape and murder of Karen Pulley, a 20-year-old student at Chattanooga State University. Nichols confessed to killing Pulley as well as raping several other women in the Chattanooga area. Although he expressed remorse at trial, he admitted that he would have continued his violent behavior had he not been arrested. He was sentenced to death in 1990.

By day, Harold Wayne Nichols appeared to be a loving husband who was adored by his wife. By night, he was a serial predator who attacked women at their most vulnerable and raped them. Tennessee is set to execute a serial rapist, dubbed the "red-headed stranger," for the brutal murder of one of his victims, a promising young college student attacked in her bed. RELATED  |  Tennessee governor won't intervene to stop latest execution by lethal injection Harold Wayne Nichols, 64, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Thursday, Dec. 11, for the 1988 rape and murder of 20-year-old Karen Pulley, who was bludgeoned, raped, and left for dead.

Mark Allen Geralds was convicted of killing a mother of two in Panama City Beach The state of Florida executed 58-year-old Mark Allen Geralds at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday at Florida State Prison, according to the Florida Department of Corrections. He was convicted of the 1989 murder of a Bay County mother.  Gov. Ron DeSantis on Nov. 7 signed a death warrant for Geralds. Geralds' last words were “I’m sorry that I missed you [unintelligible]. I love you everyday,” according to witness and journalist John Koch.  Geralds was convicted of first-degree murder, armed robbery, burglary and grand theft auto in 1990. Shortly after his death warrant was signed, he waived his right to make any further appeals in court.

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 8, 2025: Farshid Jafarzadeh, Sirouz Zabihi and Ali Saoudi were executed Rasht Central Prison. Another man named Mehdi Rajab Alizadeh was returned to his cell after obtaining a last minute extension in his case. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, three men were hanged in Rasht (Lakan) Central Prison on 7 December 2025. Two of the men were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder. Their identities have been established as Farshid Jafarzadeh from the village of Gafsheh in Rasht and Sirous Zabihi from Karaj, both 32. Farshid was arrested around five years ago and Sirous was arrested for allegedly killing another individual during a street fight around three years ago.

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 9, 2025: Goli Kouhkan, a 25-year-old undocumented Baluch child bride who was scheduled to be executed within weeks, has been saved from the gallows after the diya (blood money) was raised in time. According to the judiciary’s Mizan News Agency , the plaintiffs in the case of Goli Kouhkan, have agreed to forgo their right to execution as retribution. In a video, the victim’s parents are seen signing the relevant documents. Goli’s lawyer, Parand Gharahdaghi, confirmed in a social media post that the original 10 billion (approx. 100,000 euros) toman diya was reduced to 8 billion tomans (approx. 80,000 euros) and had been raised through donations and charities.

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of stabbing a woman to death during a home invasion robbery more than 30 years ago is scheduled to be executed Tuesday evening in Florida. Mark Allen Geralds, 58, is set to receive a lethal injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. Geralds was convicted of murder, armed robbery, burglary and stealing a car and was sentenced to death in 1990. The Florida Supreme Court later vacated the sentence but affirmed the conviction, and Geralds was resentenced to death in 1992.

Bai is the second senior figure from Huarong to be put to death for corruption following the execution of Lai Xiaomin in 2021 China has executed a former senior banker who was found guilty of taking more than 1.1 billion yuan (US$155 million) in bribes. Bai Tianhui, the former general manager of the asset management firm China Huarong International Holdings, was executed on Tuesday after the Supreme People’s Court approved the sentence, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 5, 2025: Azad Changeh, a Kurdish man on death row for drug-related offences, was executed in Naghdeh Prison. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Naghdeh Prison on 4 December 2025. His identity has been established as Azad Changeh (Gholeh Rash), a 43-year-old Kurdish father of two from Sardasht. He was arrested around three years ago and sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 4, 2025: At least 152 people were executed in November 2025, including five women, four Afghan nationals, an Iraqi national, seven Kurds, five Baluch and an Arab minority. IHRNGO has recorded 1,426 executions in the first eleven months of 2025, a 70% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

The Amendment will come into force 3 months after its ratification and publication in the Government Gazette.  President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has ratified the Third Amendment to the Drugs Act, following its approval by the 20th Parliament during the 28th sitting of its 3rd session on 3 December 2025.  The Amendment introduces sweeping reforms aimed at strengthening the country’s legal, enforcement, and treatment frameworks in response to evolving drug related challenges.  Under the new changes, a regulatory system will be established to monitor and control newly emerging psychoactive substances, expanding beyond the drugs already listed under existing schedules. 

Singapore’s death penalty has been in the news again.  Enshrined in law in 1975, a decade after the island split from Malaysia and became an independent state, the penalty can see people sentenced to hang for drug trafficking, murder or firearms offenses, among other crimes. Executions have often involved trafficking under the Misuse of Drugs Act, with offenses measured in grams.  Those executed have included people from low-income backgrounds and foreign nationals who are sometimes not fluent in English, according to human rights advocates such as Amnesty International and the International Drug Policy Consortium. 

Burkina Faso's military rulers will bring back the death penalty, which was abolished in 2018, the country's Council of Ministers announced on Thursday. "This draft penal code reinstates the death penalty for a number of offences, including high treason, acts of terrorism, acts of espionage, among others," stated the information service of the Burkinabe government. Burkina Faso last carried out an execution in 1988.

Catholics and pro-life conservatives joined a broad coalition of more than 50 organizations seeking to end the death penalty in the United States amid the 2025 surge in executions. Leaders of the coalition, the U.S. Campaign to End the Death Penalty (USCEPD), said they hope the coordinated team can abolish the death penalty in states where it is still practiced. Capital punishment is still on the books in 27 states, but just 16 have executed prisoners over the past decade. The group’s goals include working with Democrats and Republicans to pass state-level laws that end the use of capital punishment, reducing the imposition of the death penalty in jurisdictions where it remains legal, and increasing awareness about the risk of executing innocent people, the lack of fairness in the system, and the harms inflicted on everyone affected by the death penalty.

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 3, 2025: Mahmoud Nouri, Hossein Shafizadeh and Gholamreza Bahrami, three men on death row for murder charges, were executed in Semnan Central Prison. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, three men were hanged in Semnan Central Prison on 2 December 2025. Their identities have been established as  Mahmoud Nouri, a 40-year-old man from Semnan, 40-year-old Hossein Shafizadeh and Gholamreza Bahrami.

Months after a judge tossed out his 1998 murder conviction, Jimmie Duncan is free on bail. But prosecutors have asked the Louisiana Supreme Court to reinstate the death penalty for Duncan, even as the victim’s mother has come to support his release. Jimmie “Chris” Duncan walked out of the Ouachita Parish Correctional Center and into the arms of his parents last week after spending the last 27 years on death row.

On November 26, 2025, Jimmie Duncan was released on bail from Louisiana’s Angola prison after spend­ing 27 years on death row for a crime that a court now says nev­er occurred. Ouachita Parish District Attorney Robert Tew opposed Mr. Duncan’s release on bail and main­tains that he is guilty of rape and mur­der. Mr. Duncan’s attor­neys dis­pute this and say Judge Alvin Sharp’s bail rul­ing ​“acknowl­edged the clear and con­vinc­ing evi­dence show­ing Mr. Duncan is factually innocent.”

Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist once explained that exec­u­tive clemen­cy is intend­ed to oper­ate as the ​“fail safe” of the cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment sys­tem. It is the final oppor­tu­ni­ty, after all legal avenues have been exhaust­ed, for an exec­u­tive to decide whether to spare a pris­on­er from exe­cu­tion.  Most grants of indi­vid­ual clemen­cy come after con­sid­er­a­tion of one or more fac­tors, includ­ing evi­dence of offi­cial mis­con­duct or oth­er unfair legal process­es, inef­fec­tive assis­tance of coun­sel, inno­cence, or excessive sentencing.