Death Penalty News

Almost 100 people executed so far this year as dozens more remain on death row for drug-related offences Saudi Arabian authorities have executed nearly 100 people so far this year, including at least 61 for drug-related offences, the latest of which was on 18 June. In response, Dana Ahmed, Middle East Researcher at Amnesty International, said today: “It is halfway through the year and Saudi Arabia has executed nearly 100 people, a grim milestone exposing the authorities’ unconscionable and unlawful use of the death penalty. Of the 96 people put to death already in 2026, an astounding 61 were executed for drug-related offences; 39 of them were foreign nationals and 22 Saudi nationals.

Amnesty International says Indonesia continues to impose large numbers of death sentences despite a decade-long halt in executions, warning proposed execution regulations risk undermining human rights protections. Amnesty International has warned that Indonesia remains a significant contributor of new death sentences globally despite not carrying out executions for nearly a decade. In its latest report, Death Sentences and Executions 2025 , released on Wednesday, Amnesty International said Indonesian courts handed down at least 68 death sentences during 2025, most of them linked to drug-related offences.

Amnesty International Malaysia, however, says that without full abolition, Malaysia remains with the minority of countries still holding on to an unjust and irreversible punishment. PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s judicial reforms have led to a clear decline in the use of the death penalty, with only 15 new death sentences recorded in 2025, although Amnesty International Malaysia says full abolition remains a distant goal. The rights group said Malaysian courts imposed 15 death sentences in 2025, down from 24 in 2024 and 38 in 2023, following the abolition of the mandatory death penalty.

Amnesty said that the execution of Abdullah was just one of a long line of executions It was announced by Amnesty International today that the Saudi regime executed Abdullah al-Derazi , who was a young man, under the age of 18 at the time of his alleged crimes, linked to him attending demonstrations against the regime.  Amnesty had been warning of his imminent execution for some weeks and had called on King Salman not to ratify his death sentence. Amnesty was gravely concerned for his life because on 21 August, the Saudi authorities had executed another young man, Jabal Labbad who had also been arrested as a minor, in his case for attending demonstrations and funerals.

Amnesty International and the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) unreservedly condemn the execution of Pannir Selvam Pranthaman in Singapore on 8 October 2025, the latest in a string of arbitrary deprivations of life in the country.  Amnesty International and ADPAN renew their call on the government of Singapore to urgently establish a moratorium on executions as a first step towards full abolition of this cruel punishment. 

Reacting to the news that Saudi authorities executed Jalal Labbad on August 21, 2025 for crimes allegedly committed when he was under 18 years of age [a child], Bissan Fakih, Amnesty International’s Middle East Campaigner, said: “Saudi Arabia’s execution of Jalal Labbad is deplorable and underscores the devastating toll of the authorities’ ruthless use of the death penalty in complete disregard of one of the most absolute prohibitions to its use. The imposition of the death penalty for crimes allegedly committed by people when they were children is prohibited under international human rights law and customary international law.

A new report published by Amnesty International today draws attention to a startling surge in executions in Saudi Arabia in recent years, particularly for drug-related offences, and highlights the significant impact of these on foreign nationals. Between January 2014 and June 2025, Saudi Arabia executed 1,816 people, according to the official press agency. Nearly one in three were executed for drug-related offences, which are offences that may not be punished by death under international human rights law and standards. Out of the 597 people executed for drug-related offences during the ten-year period, foreign nationals made up nearly three-quarters (75%) of such executions.

Pannir Selvam Pranthaman’s appeal hearing is set for May 7. He received a last-minute stay of execution on February 19, when the Court of Appeal allowed him to file a review of his case. If his appeal is denied, Pannir could once again face imminent execution. This is the 3rd time he has been at risk.  Pannir, a Malaysian national, was convicted in 2017 of importing 51.84 grams of heroin into Singapore. The trial judge ruled that Pannir only transported the drugs. However, because the prosecution did not issue a certificate of substantive assistance, the court sentenced him to the mandatory death penalty.  Meanwhile, executions in Singapore have continued at an alarming pace. Since October 2024, authorities have hanged 12 men.

Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia executed 1,380 people last year—highest in decade Amnesty International’s monitoring of the global use of the death penalty recorded 1,518 executions in 2024, an increase of 32% from 1,153 in 2023. For the second consecutive year, executing countries reached the lowest number on record. The global spike in known executions was due to a considerable rise in the numbers recorded in Iran , Iraq and Saudi Arabia , where executions increased altogether from 1,041 in 2023 to 1,380 in 2024. This constitutes approximately 91% of all known executions globally.

Responding to the news that the Singapore authorities executed a man for a drug-related offence today (4 October), Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Research, Kate Schuetze, said: “Azwan bin Bohari’s execution was clearly unlawful under international law and standards. It is especially concerning that this hanging took place in spite of a pending legal application.

The Islamic Republic alone carried out 74 percent of all documented executions worldwide in 2023, Amnesty International reported.  With 853 executions, a 48 percent increase from the previous year, Iran sits behind China as the world's leading executioner.

Iran is at the forefront of a surge in recorded executions in 2023, as revealed by the latest report from Amnesty International. “In Iran, the authorities intensified their use of the death penalty to instill fear in the population and tighten their grip on power, carrying out executions across the country,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

Recorded executions soared to their highest number in almost a decade in 2023 with a sharp rise across the Middle East and in Somalia, where executions increased by more than six times, Amnesty International said today as it released its annual report on the global use of the death penalty

Today, Amnesty International released its annual report on the state of death penalty around the world. Compiled by a brilliant team of experts, advocates, and human rights defenders, the report makes for sobering reading.

Executions soared to their highest number in almost a decade in 2023 with a sharp rise across the Middle East, Amnesty International said today as it released its annual report on the global use of the death penalty. A total of 1,153 executions took place in 2023, which does not include the thousands believed to have been carried out in China , marking an increase of more than 30% from 2022. It was the highest figure recorded by Amnesty International since 2015, when 1,634 people were known to have been executed. Despite this increase, the number of countries that carried out executions reached the lowest figure on record with Amnesty International.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Amnesty International on Wednesday criticized Iraqi authorities for carrying out the death sentences of 13 men on the same day, saying the prisoners were denied fair trial, and expressed concern that many others had been executed in secret. A total of 13 prisoners were executed in Dhi Qars Nasiriyah central prison on Monday, and scores more have been executed since April 10, said the Amnesty report citing activists and lawyers of the death row prisoners.

Amnesty International and the ACLU of Alabama held a rally at the Alabama statehouse on Thursday in support of HB27, later marching to Gov. Kay Ivey's office to submit petitions calling for clemency for an inmate currently on death row. Robin "Rocky" Meyers was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in 1994. The trial judge then went over the jury and imposed a death sentence through judicial override.

RIYADH (Reuters) – Amnesty International criticised a leaked draft of Saudi Arabia’s first penal code on Tuesday, saying it would codify practices ranging from flogging to gender discrimination and urging changes to align it with international standards. In a report, Amnesty said the draft penal code “shatters the illusion” that de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman “is pursuing a truly reformist agenda” – a reference to social and economic changes he has introduced to modernise Saudi Arabia, attract investment and open up the country to tourism.

Amidst mounting concerns over the fate of detained protester Reza Rasaei, Amnesty International issued a warning to Iranian authorities regarding his imminent execution. Rasaei, who denies any involvement, faces the specter of death following his conviction in connection with the killing of an agent during a protest in Kermanshah province, on November 18, 2022. The Iranian state media identified the agent as a member of the Revolutionary Guard, further complicating Rasaei's case. In addition to the disputed murder charge, Rasaei has been sentenced to one year in prison and 74 lashes for "disrupting public order."

Amnesty International has appealed to Iran's judiciary, urging an immediate halt to the execution plans for Mojahed Kourkour and the revocation of his death sentence. Facing an imminent threat of execution in connection with the 2022 popular uprising, Kourkour received the distressing news on December 24 that the Supreme Court had affirmed his conviction and death sentence. With an increase in nationwide executions, his sentence has been slated for implementation while he remains in solitary confinement, enduring repeated incidents of torture, including severe beatings.