Death Penalty News

Malta’s gallows – responsible for the death of 14 men over half a century – will be open to the public for the first time in years. Featuring a clad noose and lever system, the interior gallows, located near Corradino Correctional Facility in Paola, will be open for visits between the 10th and 13th February.  A look back at the history of the gallows in Malta reveals an evolution in Malta’s approach to punishment and justice over the last two centuries. The first execution of this type was held back in 1893, to Ġużeppi Vella, while the last execution on the island was held in 1943, to the brothers Karmnu and Ġuzeppi Zammit. One of the most famous executions in Malta’s history is that of Carmelo Borg Pisani, who was accused of being an Italian spy working against the British authorities at the time, in 1942. In 1971, the death penalty was removed from Malta law.  Now, 51 years later, the gallows room has been restored in a project co-run by prison officials as well as inmates –...

A man who renounced his Islamic faith and fled a death sentence in Iran using a false passport, has been handed a suspended sentence this afternoon. 30-year-old Mostafa Nasirpour was arraigned before magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo by police inspector Lara Butters on charges of possession and use of falsified documents. He had been arrested upon arrival at the airport after his travel documents were found to be forged. His lawyer, Noel Bartolo, informed the court that there would be an admission of guilt, but made an impassioned plea for the man’s release. The accused, an Iranian national, had fled Iran after changing his religion, said the lawyer. Under Iran’s Islamic law, the penalty for apostasy* is death. He was part of a group of five who tried to escape the country, and was one of only two who made it out. The Iranian authorities were only two hours behind him, he said. “The others are probably dead,” said the lawyer. “This man literally fled his home count...