Death Penalty News

Iran on Sunday summoned the envoys of Germany, current holder of the European Union's rotating presidency, and of France over criticism of the execution of an Iranian journalist, Iranian media reported. The Foreign Ministry voiced Iran's protest to the 2 ambassadors over French and EU criticism of the execution on Saturday of dissident journalist Ruhollah Zam, who had been based in Paris before he was captured in Iraq and taken to Iran. Zam was convicted of fomenting violence during anti-government protests in 2017.  His Amadnews feed had more than 1 million followers. RELATED |  Tehran summons German ambassador over EU condemnation of journalist's execution, French ambassador to be summoned soon The EU said in a statement after his execution: "The European Union condemns this act in the strongest terms and recalls once again its irrevocable opposition to the use of capital punishment under any circumstances." The French Foreign Ministry called the execution a ...

Prosecutors have requested a death sentence for Mahmoud Abou Zeid, an Egyptian photojournalist known as Shawkan who has been held for 4 1/2 years.  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the complete disproportionality of the proposed sentence and reiterates its call for his immediate and unconditional release The photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid, alias Shawkan is one of the more than 700 defendants in a political mass trial in Cairo for whom the "maximum penalty" - death by hanging - was requested by the prosecution on 3 March. Arrested in connection with an anti-government protest in Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawiya Square in August 2013, they are all accused indiscriminately of charges that include murder, attempted murder and membership of a banned organization (the Muslim Brotherhood). "Seeking the death penalty for a photographer who simply covered an opposition demonstration is a political punishment, not an act of justice," RSF said. "...