Death Penalty News

"It is a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions, and must be stopped, NOW," U.S. President Donald Trump said  U.S. President Donald Trump expressed outrage on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) at the mounting number of executions in Iran of people allegedly involved in mass protests earlier this year before the West Asia war began.  "The failing Islamic Republic of Iran is not paying large segments of their military, while at the same time killing protesters, even when they are not protesting, at levels not seen before," he wrote on Truth Social. 

Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has posted a video of the construction of a gallows complex where Palestinians convicted of terror offenses will be hanged. Ben-Givr said the new execution site would be equipped with viewing booths for families of victims to watch the hangings. He posted the video on social media of a visit he had made to the unidentified location, where he can be seen pointing at foundations being laid and saying it was where “terrorists will be executed." Photographs in the Israeli media showed a bulldozer and heavy construction work in a cordoned-off area, reportedly close to a prison.

The Louisiana Legislature on Monday made it easier for prosecutors to seek the death penalty, as the House signed off on a bill with last-minute amendments that have been cast as a response to the Mall of Louisiana shooting. House Bill 102, by state Rep. Jeff Wiley, R-Maurepas, now expands the definition of first-degree murder to include killings carried out in public places when the defendant puts at least three people at risk of great harm. It also adds killings committed by people with illegal firearms and by people out on bail, probation or parole.

Amendments target killings in public places that create risk of death or great bodily harm to three or more people A Louisiana bill expanded after a deadly mall shooting would broaden first-degree murder charges and potentially increase death penalty eligibility, and lawmakers cited the attack as justification for toughening the state’s homicide laws. House Bill 102 was originally introduced to create a new crime targeting abuse or neglect that seriously harms elderly or vulnerable people. But the proposal evolved significantly as it moved through the state legislature.

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 19 February 2026: At least 26 protesters have been sentenced to death and hundreds more, including juveniles, are facing death penalty charges following the bloody massacre of the recent nationwide protests. At the same time, defendants and their families are being subjected to pressure and threats to prevent them from publicising their cases.  This is while on 16 February, the head of judiciary reiterated orders to “prosecute and punish the main perpetrators of the unrest and terrorist acts” and to “act decisively and without any leniency.” In a press conference held the next day, the judiciary spokesperson announced that 8,843 indictments had been issued in relation to the nationwide protests. 

Military Advocate General Itay Offir will oversee the cases under new legislation advancing in the Knesset, with indictments against more than 300 captured Nukhba terrorists already prepared, officials say  Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said Monday that the Military Advocate General’s Corps will oversee the prosecution of Hamas Nukhba terrorists accused of carrying out the Oct. 7 massacre, instead of the State Attorney’s Office.  The decision comes as legislation regulating the prosecution of the terrorists advances in the Knesset and was approved by the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee for a first reading. 

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 12 February 2026: Isfahan province was the scene of one of the bloodiest crackdowns on anti-government protests in recent years during January 2026. Testimonies from eyewitnesses and medical sources, as well as accounts received by IHRNGO, indicate that government forces used live ammunition extensively against protesters and other civilians on 8 and 9 January 2026. The accounts describe large numbers of those killed and injured in at least 16 cities and one village across the province, raids on hospitals, the rapid transfer of bodies, and pressure placed on families of those killed. 

Some 30,000 people are already thought to have been killed and many more detained. Families say they have little information about their loved ones  Two weeks after Ali Rahbar was arrested in anti-regime protests in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad, his cousin heard from relatives that he had been executed. He was 33. “I was shocked,” his cousin, who lives in Europe, told The Sunday Times. “Everything went dark before my eyes.”  Rahbar’s family had no idea where he had been held or what the charge was, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions against his family in Iran. 

In an exclusive report, the American magazine TIME cited two senior officials from the Iranian Ministry of Health, who stated that the scale of the crackdown against protesters on January 18 and 19 was so widespread that 18-wheeler trailers replaced ambulances. In its report, based on testimony from these two high-ranking officials, TIME revealed statistics that differ vastly from the official narrative of the Islamic Republic.

The head of Iran’s judiciary warned on Sunday that those behind a recent wave of anti-government protests could expect punishment “without the slightest leniency.” What began earlier this month as demonstrations against the high cost of living boiled over into a broader protest movement that represented the gravest challenge to the Islamic Republic’s clerical leadership in years. The protests have abated following a government crackdown, carried out under an internet blackout that left the country largely cut off from the outside world.

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 25 January 2026: Newly obtained reports show a new wave of repressive measures have been targeted against those who provided medical assistance to injured protesters.  Security forces have raided homes and clinics, violently arresting doctors and volunteers and damaging or destroying their property. According to various reports received by IHRNGO, security forces have been cracking down on health personnel and volunteers who have fulfilled their humanitarian duty by helping treat wounded protesters.

Field accounts from multiple Iranian cities show that after killing protesters, the ruling regime in Iran demanded large fees from families to release the bodies of the victims, extending repression from the streets into private life. What unfolded in Iran in January was not viewed by international human rights mechanisms as isolated incidents or excessive crowd control. The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Mai Sato, has stated that the pattern of repression, marked by its scale, organization, and direct targeting of civilians, contains the elements of crimes against humanity.

Iran’s top prosecutor has called US President Donald Trump’s claims about halting the hangings of 800 detained protesters “completely false.” DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s top prosecutor on Friday called U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that he halted the hangings of 800 detained protesters there “completely false.” Meanwhile, the overall death toll from a bloody crackdown on nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 5,002, activists said. Activists fear many more are dead. They struggle to confirm information as the most comprehensive internet blackout in Iran’s history has crossed the two-week mark.

TEHRAN, Iran — A young Iranian soldier has been sentenced to death after refusing orders to fire on anti-government protesters amid a wave of nationwide demonstrations that began late last year, according to a human rights group. Javid Khales, a member of Iran's security forces, was arrested immediately after declining to shoot at demonstrators, the Iran Human Rights Society reported. He has since been transferred to a prison in Isfahan province.

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 19 January 2026: Twenty-three days since the start of the nationwide protests in Iran and twelve days after the internet blackout, information and eyewitness accounts are revealing the scale of the large-scale killing of protesters by state forces. Given the magnitude of these crimes and the severe restrictions on communications, it is not currently possible to publish precise casualty figures in line with the IHRNGO’s standards, which require multi-layered verification and confirmation by at least two independent sources. For this reason, the organisation will refrain from issuing daily statistics until sufficient documentation has been obtained.

JANUARY 19, 2026 05:59 — Iran’s supreme leader has now openly acknowledged what the Islamic Republic has spent weeks trying to obscure from the world. In remarks carried by Iranian state media on Saturday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei admitted that “several thousand deaths” had occurred during Iran’s latest wave of nationwide protests, while blaming the United States and Israel for the bloodshed. Protesters, he declared, were “criminals,” “mercenaries,” and mohareb (enemies of God) – a charge that carries the death penalty under Iranian law.

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 15 January 2026: Nineteen days into the anti-government nationwide protests in Iran, IHRNGO continues to receive reports of the extent of the bloody crackdown on protests through individuals who have recently left Iran, phone calls and communications through satellite internet devices. These accounts indicate the wide scale of repression and the systematic killing of protesters across Iran. IHRNGO has obtained new evidence of state forces using heavy weaponry including DShK and other mounted machine guns, in attacks on protesters and carried out mass killings between 8 and 11 January.

Officials expect charge against Daricka Moore, 24, to be elevated to capital murder, with death penalty considered Authorities in Clay county, Mississippi, say a man has been taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder following the fatal shootings of six people, including a child, on Friday night. Daricka Moore, 24, is accused of killing multiple relatives as well as a local pastor before his arrest, according to Clay county sheriff Eddie Scott, who addressed the case during a Saturday news conference. Officials said the charge against Moore, who lives in the county, is expected to be elevated to capital murder, and prosecutors could seek the death penalty if he is determined to be mentally competent.

Sheikh Hasina, 78, was sentenced to death for 'crimes against humanity' committed during last year's anti-government agitation that led to the fall of her Awami League government. As Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal announced a death penalty for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the courtroom erupted into loud applause. Many people were seen clapping, smiling, and cheering inside the court, while some made a praying gesture. A few people were also seen crying. The applause lasted for a few seconds before the judges requested those present inside to maintain court decorum.