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Unveiling Singapore’s Death Penalty Discourse: A Critical Analysis of Public Opinion and Deterrent Claims

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While Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) maintains a firm stance on the effectiveness of the death penalty in managing drug trafficking in Singapore, the article presents evidence suggesting that the methodologies and interpretations of these studies might not be as substantial as portrayed.

Iran continues crackdown on women as executions approach 100 for the year

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Iran handed prison sentences to 11 activists defending women’s rights and has executed 98 people this year. An Iranian court this week sentenced 11 women's rights advocates to prison terms totaling 60 years, as authorities in the Islamic Republic continue their crackdown against any type of dissent. An Islamic Revolutionary Court in Rasht, the capital of northwestern Gilan province, handed down the sentences, which ranged from one year to nine years in prison, local media reported. 

Georgia shields execution sights and sounds from public view when carrying out lethal injection

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Willie James Pye was put to death by lethal injection in the state’s first execution in over four years last week. Pye was pronounced dead at 11:03 p.m. March 20 at the state prison in Jackson after being convicted for a 1993 kidnapping, rape and murder of his former girlfriend. But despite the case’s significance and national attention over Pye, the public’s view of the execution itself was restricted under state protocol blocking media witnesses for state executions from critical parts of the process. 

American Bar Association urges U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider Texas capital case involving deficient DNA evidence

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The American Bar Association filed an amicus brief today with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the court for the 2nd time to take up a Texas death penalty case in which defendant Areli Escobar was convicted on DNA evidence and testimony from a police laboratory that was later deemed unreliable by the state.

Texas criminal appeals court takes man off death row over intellectual disability

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Since Randall Mays was sentenced to death in 2008 for the murder of two sheriff’s deputies, his lawyers have argued his intellectual disability exempts him from execution. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals re-sentenced a 64-year-old man on death row to life in prison without parole on Wednesday after a state expert confirmed in trial court that he is intellectually disabled.

Tennessee | Nashville DA asks judge to vacate baby murder conviction following new medical evidence

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Nashville man who has spent the past 25 years in prison for a crime he maintains he didn’t commit could soon be released after the Davidson County District Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit (CRU) said new medical evidence proves he is innocent. During a hearing Tuesday, the CRU asked the court to vacate Russell Maze’s murder conviction he received in connection to the death of 19-month-old son, Alex, in October 2000.

Singapore | Court of Appeal rejects 36 death row inmates’ PACC Act constitutional challenge

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Singapore Supreme Court dismissed appeal by 36 death row inmates challenging new measures to prevent execution delays. Chief Justice deems the challenge lacking current basis and an abuse of court process. SINGAPORE: The Court of Appeal of Singapore on Wednesday (27 March) dismissed an appeal lodged by 36 death row prisoners challenging two new provisions introduced by a law aimed at preventing death row inmates from exploiting court processes to delay their executions.

Afghanistan | Taliban leader says women will be stoned to death in public

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The Taliban’s Supreme Leader has vowed to start stoning women to death in public as he declared the fight against Western democracy will continue. “You say it’s a violation of women’s rights when we stone them to death,” said Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada in a voice message, aired on state television over the weekend, addressing Western officials.

Pakistan | Christian brothers acquitted of blasphemy; three accusers charged

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Pakistan is No. 7 on list of places most difficult to be a Christian LAHORE, Pakistan — Two Christian brothers have been acquitted of blasphemy, and the three Christians who framed the brothers have been charged. On March 1, Umar Saleem and Umair Saleem were acquitted following a police investigation showing the two had been framed, states the news services Christian Daily International and Morning Star News.

Iran | Couple hanged in the Central Prison of Tabriz

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A couple were hanged in the Central Prison of Tabriz at dawn on March 18, 2024, on the eve of the Persian New Year. The news of the executions was released today by Iranian human rights organizations. However, the official news outlets in Iran have not announced them. Yassin Zolfaqari and his wife, whose identity has not been specified, were executed in the Central Prison of Tabriz for possessing 3 kilograms of Crack.  They came originally from Jolfa, in East Azerbaijan Province, and had been married for only a year.

Iran Executes Three on Drug-related Charges

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The Islamic Republic recently executed three individuals, including a woman, on drug-related charges amidst a surge in capital punishment in the country. On the morning of March 25, a 36-year-old man named Abbas Aghaei, from Tabriz, faced the death penalty at Tabriz Central Prison. His conviction stemmed from drug-related charges, as reported by the Norway-based Iran Human Rights organization.

Malaysia | Man’s death sentence for murdering pregnant wife replaced with 35-year jail term

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T Paramasparan was enraged after his wife confessed that she was pregnant with another man’s child. A three-member Federal Court bench also ordered T Paramasparan to be given 12 strokes of the cane. PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court has commuted the death sentence of a former petty trader to a 35-year jail term for the 2002 murder of his pregnant wife.

NGOs call on Morocco to save 6 men sentenced to death in Somalia

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Non-governmental organisations in Morocco have called on their government to intervene and prevent the execution of six Moroccans in Somalia. In a joint statement, the six bodies explained that they learned about the verdict issued by a military court in northern Somalia on 2 March, which sentenced six Moroccans to death by firing squad on charges of belonging to Daesh.

Tennessee bill authorizing death penalty for child rape goes to committee

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NASHVILLE, Tenn.--A bill to be discussed in the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee would authorize the death penalty as a punishment for rape of a child. SB1834/HB1663 is sponsored by Senator Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-D27) and Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland-D44) in their respective chambers. Under the bill, if an individual is convicted of aggravated child rape, the person could be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole or death. 

Tunisia sentences four to death for ISIS murder of politician

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A court in Tunisia has sentenced four people to death and two people to life in prison on charges of participating in the murder of the prominent political leader Chokri Belaid in 2013. He was found shot dead in his car in the capital, Tunis, prompting outrage. The leftist politician had been a fierce critic of the then-ruling Islamist Ennahda party. He claimed it turned a blind eye to violence perpetrated by extremists against secularists.

Pakistan | Hope for Christian 22 Years on Death Row for ‘Blasphemy’

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Supreme Court seeks Islamic body’s opinion on evidence. In a significant move, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has directed the country’s top Islamic body to advise on whether content that has left a Catholic on death row for 22 years was in fact blasphemous, sources said.

Malaysia | 2 Filipinas escape death sentence after apex court grants 30 years’ jail for drug trafficking

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2 Filipinas, who had been on death row since 2013, were granted a reprieve when the Federal Court on Tuesday granted them a revision of their sentence, bringing it down to 30 years’ jail. A 3-member bench, led by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, substituted the death penalty punishments initially given to Aisa Bello Mensong, aged 44, and Eleonor Cantor Sadullo, aged 66, with 30 years’ jail instead.

UK court says Assange can’t be extradited on espionage charges until US rules out death penalty

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A British court ruled Tuesday that Julian Assange can’t be extradited to the United States on espionage charges unless U.S. authorities guarantee he won’t get the death penalty, giving the WikiLeaks founder a partial victory in his long legal battle over the site’s publication of classified American documents.

California | As San Quentin’s death row empties, condemned inmates get a glimpse of hope

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There’s an utterly new feeling at San Quentin’s death row these days, and it’s not just for the people running the place. You can feel it like electricity all up and down the grim, time-worn cell blocks housing the worst criminals in the state. It’s hope.

Oklahoma | Death row inmate Michael DeWayne Smith denied stay of execution

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Death row inmate Michael DeWayne Smith on Monday lost his request for a stay of his execution. Smith, 41, asked for the stay because of a proposed moratorium on the death penalty that is before the state Legislature. He is set to be executed by lethal injection April 4 at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals voted 5-0 to deny his request.

Indonesia | Bali Prosecutors Seeking Death on Appeal

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The Indonesian criminal justice system allows appeals by defendants and prosecutors when the convicted party considers the sentence handed down in a trial too harsh or when prosecutors feel the punishment handed down by the Court is too lenient. After the appeal process, sentences initially meted out by the Court can be affirmed, abolished, enhanced, or reduced.

Ohio dad could still face death penalty in massacre of 3 sons after judge tosses confession

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Chad Doerman was charged with murdering his sons, ages 3, 4 and 7 Even after a judge tossed the alleged confession of an Ohio dad accused of executing his three sons and shooting their mother's hand, he could still face the death penalty, experts say. Ohio law makes capital punishment a possibility in certain murder cases – including when there is a child victim. "The confession isn’t a mitigating or aggravating factor, so it doesn’t affect the death penalty one way or another," said Neama Rahmani, a Los Angeles-based attorney and former federal prosecutor.

Taiwan | Lawmakers claim Constitutional Court could abolish death penalty

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KMT legislators call on government, Judicial Yuan to respect public opinion and keep death penalty TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers held a press conference on Friday (March 22) at the Legislative Yuan urging the outgoing Tsai administration and the Constitutional Court not to abolish the death penalty in Taiwan.

China | Former gaming executive sentenced to death in poisoning of billionaire Netflix producer

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A former executive at Yoozoo Games was sentenced to death on Friday in the 2020 poisoning of the founder of the high-profile Chinese gaming company, which has links to Game of Thrones and the new Netflix series, "The Three-Body Problem." Xu Yao poisoned the food of company founder Lin Qi in December 2020 because of a dispute over the running of the business, the Shanghai First Intermediate People's Court said.  The Hollywood Reporter, citing local media, reported at the time Lin was allegedly sickened by a cup of poisoned pu-erh tea.

Missouri Supreme Court declines to halt execution of man who killed couple in 2006

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The Missouri Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to halt the execution of Brian Dorsey, who is scheduled to die by lethal injection next month for killing his cousin and her husband 18 years ago. Judge W. Brent Powell wrote in the unanimous decision that Dorsey "has not demonstrated he is actually innocent" of the first-degree murder convictions that brought him to death row, despite previously pleading guilty to those charges and failing to deny that he committed the crimes.