International Death Penalty News 2021, Issue 50: Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, United States of America
December 10, 2021
IDPN 2021 Issue 50
Bangladesh
On Thursday, December 2, 2021, Akimul Islam received a sentence of death for murdering his pregnant wife in 2013. Akimul physically abused his wife Halima Khatun, allegedly over her dowry, eventually killing her for not giving him enough money.
On December 13, 1999, 14-year-old Tania Akhter, an 8th grader of Rebati Mohoan High School in Siddhirganj Upazila, was raped and strangled to death. Now, two people have had their death sentences confirmed for the crime. Another person involved had their sentence of life in prison upheld. Two others were acquitted of the crime.
On Wednesday, December 8, 2021, 20 university students at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology were sentenced to death. They were convicted of murdering 21-year-old Abrar Fahad. Abrar, a fellow student, was murdered after criticizing the government on social media. After making the Facebook post, 20 students went to his dorm and beat him to death with blunt objects over the course of six hours. Five other students were sentenced to life in prison.
Egypt
On Monday, December 6, 2021, a man was sentenced to death for murdering his wife and six children in their home in a village southwest of Cairo. The murders occurred during the holy month of Ramadan, while the family was eating their pre-dawn meal. After murdering his family, the man headed to the bakery shop he owned and attempted to set it on fire and kill himself. He was rescued and turned himself in. He later admitted that he was nearly $50,000 in debt and feared the debtors would harm his family.
India
On Friday, December 3, 2021, the Madras High Court commuted the death sentence of a man convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering a 17-year-old mentally challenged boy. The death sentence was commuted to 30 years in prison because the court found that the man did not intend to kill the 17-year-old. The murder occurred in December 2019.
Nigeria
On Sunday, December 5, 2021, a High Court sentenced 24-year-old Ebenezer Olorunleke to death by hanging. Ebenezer was sentenced to death for murdering his brother while attempting to rob him of his motorcycle.
Saudi Arabia
On Thursday, December 2, 2021, an Egyptian and a Pakistani were executed by beheading. Sayyed Yassir, the Pakistani man, was convicted of stabbing to death a compatriot after the two had a dispute. Sayyed Al Rasheedi, the Egyptian man, was also convicted of murdering a compatriot in a separate case. The executions were carried out in Riyadh.
United States of America
On Thursday, December 9, 2021, Oklahoma executed Bigler Stouffer. Bigler was 79 years of age and was executed for murdering Linda Reaves and injuring Doug Ivens on January 24, 1985.
On Thursday, December 9, 2021, Lawerence Landrum was scheduled to be executed in Ohio. His execution has been rescheduled to October 15, 2024. Sixty-year-old Lawrence is convicted of murdering 84-year-old Harold White, on September 19, 1985, near Chillicothe, Ohio.
Blayde Nathaniel Grayson submitted a request to the Mississippi Supreme Court, asking that his appeals be waived and an execution date set. On November 17, 2021, Mississippi executed David Cox, who also requested that his appeals be dropped and an execution date scheduled. Grayson is convicted and sentenced to death for murdering 78-year-old Minnie Smith during a burglary of her home in George County. The Mississippi Supreme Court has not yet responded to Grayson’s request. During his sentencing trial, Grayson’s attorney, on Grayson’s behalf, asked that he be sentenced to death over receiving a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A judge has denied a request to remove the death penalty from consideration for Nikolas Cruz. Cruz has pleaded guilty to killing 14 students and three school staffers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018. Although he pled guilty, Cruz did not have a deal in place with the prosecution to prevent him from being sentenced to death. A jury will decide if Cruz will be sentenced to death or life in prison. Jury selection is scheduled to begin in January 2022. His lawyers attempted to argue that the death penalty should not be up for consideration.
A judge in California has officially resentenced former death row inmate Scott Peterson. Scott is convicted of murdering his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son, Conner on December 24, 2002. Laci was seven months pregnant at the time of her death. Scott was sentenced to death for the murders in 2005. In 2020, the California Supreme Court found that prospective jurors were improperly dismissed for opposing the death penalty. Now, he has been resentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole for the murder of his wife, and 15 years in prison for the murder of Conner.
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