Death Penalty News

“They tried to remove his cross tattoo. They tortured him. They had him crucified the whole time that he was there,” the fiancée of Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek, an Egyptian convert to Christianity who faces the possibility of execution, told The Jerusalem Post, describing the abuse he has endured after being charged as punishment for leaving Islam. Abdelrazek was arrested in July 2025 and has been detained by Egyptian authorities since then. His lawyer, Said Fayez, confirmed on Tuesday that Egyptian prosecutors are pursuing the “maximum penalty,” either execution or 25 years' imprisonment. According to the NGO Coptic Solidarity, Abdelrazek faces charges of contempt for Islam, inciting public disorder, disseminating false information, and joining a banned terrorist organization that allegedly does not exist.

Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 others have been sentenced to death by hanging after being convicted of drug trafficking and rape, while nine defendants received life sentences and seven were acquitted. Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa, 39, has been sentenced to death by hanging along with 11 other defendants after being found guilty in a drugs case involving a criminal gang accused of importing ingredients used to manufacture narcotics for sale.

Dubai: Kuwait has executed five men convicted of murder and other serious crimes after their death sentences were upheld by the country's highest courts and ratified by the Emir, the Public Prosecution said. The executions were carried out by hanging at the Central Prison after all legal procedures had been completed, according to a statement carried by local media. The public prosecution said the convicts had been granted all constitutional guarantees, including the right to defense and appeal throughout the investigation and trial process. 

The fiancée of an Egyptian man who is facing trial over converting to Christianity has issued an urgent appeal for journalists to “break the silence” over what she describes as “state-sanctioned religious persecution”. Thirty-year-old Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek is due to stand trial at Egypt’s Terrorism Circuit Court on 15th June and faces a potential life imprisonment or death sentence. He is officially recorded as an international religious prisoner of conscience by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

Egypt’s Court of Cassation issued a final and irrevocable ruling on Sunday upholding the death sentence for Karim Selim, known as the “Tagamoa killer,” for murdering 3 women and disposing their bodies in desert areas.  The court based its decision on the proven material and moral elements of the crimes attributed to the defendant, which include premeditated murder, desecration of the bodies, human trafficking, and possession of narcotics.  During his arguments before the Court of Cassation, the defendant’s lawyers insisted on overturning the earlier verdict and requesting a retrial, citing arguments related to his client’s mental instability.

Relatives share with the Guardian final words of those killed amid ‘horrifying’ surge in capital punishment under Mohammed bin Salman’s rule In the city of Tabuk in the far north of Saudi Arabia, neon lights flicker on in an overcrowded ward of a prison marking the start of a new day. The prisoners are waiting. When the guards enter, they know someone is about to be taken away. An execution squad of about 20 guards will approach an inmate quietly, whisper something in their ear and escort them out. Some break down in tears, others simply ask for forgiveness.

Prisoners released after Hamas frees the last 20 living hostages; among those released are dozens of high-profile terrorists sentenced to life in jail; 154 of the worst offenders deported to Egypt Israel on Monday freed nearly 2,000 Palestinians — including hundreds of terror convicts serving life terms — from its prisons as part of a deal to reach a ceasefire and release the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip . Shortly after 20 living hostages were freed, Israel put 1,968 Palestinian prisoners on buses that departed for the West Bank and Gaza.

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.

A court sentenced nine people to death by hanging on Saturday as part of its verdict on 43 defendants in total accused of affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, which is classified as a terrorist organization in Egypt, and of conducting operations targeting the state, its facilities and personnel. 

Tropical reefs, safaris, the pyramids: LGBT travel companies deliver dream vacations, even to places where being out and proud could land you in prison. A romantic island getaway in the Maldives. A safari in Kenya. A visit to the pyramids in Egypt. Apart from being popular on bucket lists, these places have one thing in common: Their destinations have strict anti-LGBT legislation. In the Maldives, gay sex may be punished with lashes and up to eight years in prison. In Kenya, it can bring a sentence of up to 14 years. And in Egypt, the authorities are known to throw people in jail for simply waving a rainbow flag. Paradoxically, these trips are also all offered by travel companies founded by and catering to members of the LGBTQ community. In interviews, the founders of four of these companies, which take a combined total of 3000 tourists — most of them American — abroad each year, said they were providing a safe way to meet a growing demand for trips to countries that criminalise LGBT p...

Ethiopian Woman to Be Executed for Indian Colleague’s Stabbing The Court of Cassation has issued a verdict to execute an Ethiopian woman who fatally stabbed her Indian colleague on the first day of Ramadan last year in the Abdullah Al-Mubarak area.  The violent incident occurred following a dispute between them over the allocation of kitchen duties. A concerned citizen had alerted the Ministry of Interior about a murder within his residence situated in the Abdullah Al-Mubarak area. 

I’ve long spoken up against the death penalty, a punishment so cruel, inhumane, and riddled with error and malice that it should have no place in our modern world. Its proponents claim it deters crime, yet nothing could be further from the truth – and study after study refutes that claim. Look anywhere in the 55 countries that retain the practice: the death penalty doesn’t make communities safer, has no noticeable impact on crime rates, whilst wasting precious resources that could be better used elsewhere.  

Saudi Arabia on Monday executed five men, four Saudis and an Egyptian, accused of attacking a place of worship, authorities said. This brings to 68 the number of executions since the beginning of the year in the kingdom, one of the countries which apply the most death penalty in the world, according to an AFP count. The five people were sentenced for carrying out an attack that left five dead and several injured in the east of the kingdom, the Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement, without specifying the date or the precise location.  They were also found guilty of belonging to a "terrorist group" .

(Bloomberg) -- Swedish police have given a permit to a man planning to burn a Koran near the main mosque in central Stockholm on Wednesday afternoon, in what could be the first such display since a similar event led to a breakdown in negotiations with Turkey about the Nordic country’s NATO membership. The permit was granted to a man who has won court appeals after his previous applications for permission to burn the Koran outside of Iraq’s embassy in the Swedish capital were denied by police, broadcaster TV4 reported. If the event takes place as scheduled outside the main mosque on the Sodermalm island in the city center, it would be the first public act of its kind in Sweden since a Danish-Swedish far-right extremist caused an uproar in Turkey and other Muslim countries by burning a translated copy of the Koran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm in January. 

An Egyptian groom has been found guilty of brutally murdering his bride just hours after their wedding and will be sentenced to death, just months after the incident occurred. The shocking incident took place in Tanta, Egypt, and the court recently reached a decision regarding the perpetrator's fate. At the time of the event, security forces arrived at the scene, arresting the husband who confessed to the crime. According to his confession, the motive behind the murder stemmed from the victim's refusal to engage in sexual relations with him. The court sentenced the husband to death by hanging.

Stabbing of 21-year-old woman outside Mansoura University shook the nation and sparked a debate about gender-based violence in Egypt An Egyptian man who stabbed a young woman to death outside their university in Mansoura last year was executed by hanging on Wednesday morning, Mohamed Adel attacked Nayera Ashraf, 21, in broad daylight outside the Mansoura University campus in June last year. The case gained international attention and highlighted the problem of gender-based violence in Egypt.

The number of executions recorded globally in 2022 was the highest in five years, as several Middle Eastern states ramped up their use of the death penalty, Amnesty International says. A total of 883 people are known to have been put to death across 20 countries, marking a rise of 53% compared to 2021, according to the group's annual review. China, Iran And Saudi Arabia Responsible For Most Executions Last Year Iran , Saudi Arabia and Egypt alone carried out 90% of those executions. The figures exclude China , which is thought to execute thousands each year. Data on the death penalty is classified in China , which Amnesty said impaired its ability to make an accurate assessment about the numbers put to death in the country. The group was also able to confirm that executions were carried out in North Korea , Vietnam , Syria and Afghanistan , but there was insufficient information to provide credible minimum figures.

The sentence has been sent to Egypt's grand mufti for review and the final ruling will be announced on November 3 A court in the Egyptian province of Shariqa has sentenced the killer of a 22-year-old university student to death. The Zagazig Criminal Court said on Monday that the death sentence for Islam Mohamed, who stabbed Salma Bahgat in August, has been referred to the grand mufti, a ceremonial step when an execution is ordered. The mufti’s opinion is non-binding, although he has the right to review death sentences. A court session on November 3 is to announce a final verdict, including the grand mufti's deliberations. Court officials said the killer was given a psychiatric evaluation by medical professionals who determined he was sane when committing his crimes, meaning he is fully responsible for the premeditated murder, which the killer announced on social media hours before he committed it. A forensics report showed that Bahgat, who was killed in the entrance to a buildi...

Nagaa Hammadi Criminal Court, Upper Egypt on Saturday sentenced a housewife and her lover to death by hanging – after receiving the permission of the Grand Mufti – on charges of killing her 3 children and attempted murder of her husband. The crime dates back to July 2021, when the Qena Security Directorate received a report that Raafat Galal, 35, had been poisoned, and his children, Amira, 8, Amir, 7, and Adam, 9, had died of food poisoning.  Investigations revealed that there was a suspected criminal act behind the death of the 3 children and the poisoning of their father after they drank canned juice. Upon examination, it was found that the mother of the children, 26, was behind the incident in participation with her lover, a driver, 28. Investigations found that there had been a relationship between the mother and the driver for 3 years, and they decided to get rid of the husband and the children so that they would be free. On the day of the incident, the lover took advantage of...

A Cairo criminal court handed a death sentence on Sunday to a judge for murdering his wife, TV presenter Shaimaa Gamal, and his co-defendant after the approval of Grand Mufti Shawki Allam. Both the husband Ayman Haggag and the second defendant Hussein El-Gharably were referred in July to the criminal court after the Egyptian Public Prosecution charged them with premeditated murder, which is punishable by the death penalty in Egypt. Sunday's ruling can be appealed within 60 days before the Court of Cassation. In mid-August, the court referred of the case to the grand mufti to inquire about the religious ruling. Referral to the grand mufti is a necessary procedure before issuing a death sentence, according to Egyptian law, though the religious opinion of the mufti is non-binding. Sheikh Shawky Allam is head of the Dar El-Ifta, which is Egypt’s official body responsible for issuing religious edicts for Sunni Muslims. RELATED |  Judge sentenced to death for slaying second wife The crim...