Maryland governor signs bill repealing death penalty
May 2, 2013
Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley on Thursday signed into law a bill to repeal the death penalty. The legislation, which makes Maryland the eighteenth US state to repeal the death penalty, was approved by the state legislature in March. Prior to the bill, Maryland's capital punishment laws were amon....... [more] 
Iraq executes 21 convicted of terrorism
April 18, 2013
The Iraqi Justice Ministry executed 21 individuals on Tuesday who were convicted of terrorism. The men were convicted under Article 4,of Iraq's anti-terrorism law, which includes the use of improvised explosive devices, assassinations of doctors and kidnapping women, and sentenced to death. Iraq has....... [more]
India Supreme Court upholds death penalty for convicted terrorist
April 14, 2013
The Supreme Court of India on Sunday upheld a death penalty sentence against Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, a convicted terrorist. This ruling allows the Indian government to continue a trend toward use of execution that began in November after a de facto moratorium on its use since 2004. The governmen....... [more]
Death penalty use declines worldwide: AI
April 10, 2013
Amnesty International (AI) announced Wednesday that the use of the death penalty declined worldwide in 2012 despite some setbacks. In its annual review of death sentences and executions, AI concluded that at least 682 individuals were executed in 2012. Twenty-one countries carried out the death pen....... [more]
UN calls for worldwide death penalty moratorium
April 5, 2013
The UN General Assembly on Friday approved a draft resolution urging all nations to establish a moratorium on the death penalty with a view towards abolishing its application worldwide. Spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Rupert Colville, briefed media....... [more]
UN rights expert urges Indonesia to restrict use of death penalty
March 28, 2013
The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions Christof Heyns on Monday urged the Indonesian government to restrict the use of capital punishment to comply with their international human rights obligations. On March 14, Malawian national Adami Wilson was executed by firing squad after being c....... [more]
India upper house passes anti-rape legislation
March 22, 2013
India's upper house of parliament, the Rajya Sabha, approved a bill on Thursday that imposes tough penalties on perpetrators of sex crimes. The bill, which was approved by the lower house earlier this week, increases the punishment for crimes such as rape, stalking and voyeurism. It imposes a jail....... [more]
India high court upholds death sentence for 1993 Mumbai bombings
March 21, 2013
The Indian Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the death sentence for one of the plotters of the 1993 Mumbai serial bombings that killed 257 people. Yakub Abdul Razak Memon, brother of mastermind "Tiger" Memon, was convicted in 2006 for his role in orchestrating the attacks that spread havoc throughout....... [more]
India lower house approves anti-rape legislation
March 20, 2013
India's lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, passed an anti-rape law on Wednesday in an attempt to redefine rape and increase the criminal penalties associated with it. The law is expected to be passed by the upper house in the current session. The lower house's changes would allow as much as a....... [more]
Maryland legislature approves bill banning death penalty
March 16, 2013
The Maryland House of Delegates on Friday voted 82-56 to ban the death penalty in Maryland. Senate Bill 276 seeks to repeal "the death penalty and all provisions relating to it," and will prescribe sentences of life imprisonment for individuals convicted of first degree murder. Prior to Senate Bill....... [more]
UN rights chief condemns executions in Saudi Arabia
March 15, 2013
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Thursday condemned the executions of seven people in Saudi Arabia as a violation of international safeguards on the use of the death penalty. The men were executed by firing squad after convictions for theft, looting and armed robbery. The seven w....... [more]
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