International Death Penalty News 2021, Issue 51: Bangladesh, India, Iran, North Korea, United States of America

December 17, 2021
IDPN 2021 Issue 51

Bangladesh

On Sunday, December 12, 2021, Sree Kartik Kumar Ghosh was sentenced to death for murdering his wife, Shreepa, in 2010.  Allegedly Kartik assaulted Shreepa over her dowery. Shreepa’s body was covered in bruises when it was discovered.

India

The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court has upheld the death sentence for 27-year-old Digamber Dasre. Digamber is convicted of murdering his sister, Pooja, in what he claimed was an honor killing. Pooja had an affair with Govind before her marriage to another man. After her marriage, Pooja eventually returned to Govind. Livid at his sister, Digamber visited Pooja and Govind and convinced them to return and get properly married. While returning to Pooja’s hometown, Digamber murdered both of them. Digamber alleged that he carried out an honor killing to protect the reputation of his family. The courts ruled that the murder was cruel and the “rarest of the rare,” making Digamber eligible for the death penalty.

Iran

On Thursday, December 9, 2021, four Baloch citizens were executed in a prison in the Kerman region. The executed have been identified 23-year-old Khalid Shahbakhsh, Gholam Brahui, Saeed Dehmardeh, and Ibrahim Sistani. Gholam was arrested in 2017, Khalid was arrested in 2018, and Ebrahim and Saeed were arrested in 2019. All four men were convicted on drug-related charges.

On Saturday, December 11, 2021, 35-year-old Sivan Hosseini was executed in Sanandaj Central Prison. Sivan was convicted of murdering his wife in 2016. He was sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Sivan and his wife had two children together and his wife’s family refused to grant him forgiveness, which would have spared him from execution.

On Tuesday, December 14, 2021, three men were executed in the city of Nasiriyah. All three men were convicted on terrorism charges. The execution was carried out by hanging. One of the three men was convicted of being involved in a 2013 car bombing in Nasiriyah, while a second man was convicted of participating in a similar attack in the Karbala province. There were no details on the crime of the third individual.

Japan

On Saturday, December 11, 2021, 76-year-old death row inmate Minoru Iwamori died at a prison hospital. Minoru had been convicted and sentenced to death for murdering a 69-year-old man and his 67-year-old wife in February 2007. He then stole some money from them. Minoru had previously been hospitalized earlier in the month for a heart arrhythmia. His condition grew worse and he died from a heart attack.

North Korea

At least seven people have reportedly been executed in public for watching and/or distributing K-pop music. K-pop music is banned in the hermit kingdom, as it originates from South Korea and is a part of South Korean culture. Outside music and influences are banned in North Korea, as state leaders fear it could corrupt young people.

United States of America

Dylan Castimore has pled not guilty to the charges against him in South Dakota. If convicted on the charges, Dylan could be sentenced to death. Dylan is accused of murdering eight-week-old Daxton Castimore, Dylan’s infant son. Prosecutors have not yet announced if they will seek the death penalty. The infant died due to a skull fracture and a lacerated liver, although Daxton had several other injuries including broken ribs.

In November of 2021, a judge vacated the death sentence of Tennessee inmate Abu-Ali Abdur’Rahman a/k/a James Lee Jones. Now, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery has announced that he will not appeal Abu-Ali’s resentencing to life in prison. Abu-Ali’s death sentence was vacated after the judge determined that his Constitutional right to a fair trial was violated due to racism during the jury selection process. According to the court order, Abu-Ali has pled guilty to charges of murder, attempted murder, and armed robbery and will receive three consecutive life sentences. Attorney General Slatery issued a statement in which he voices his concerns over the legality of the order vacating Abu-Ali’s death sentence, however, his office will not appeal the order. Abu-Ali was convicted and sentenced to death in 1987 for murdering Patrick Daniels and attempting to murder Norma Jean Norman. Two young children were also in the house at the time of the crime.

On Friday, December 10, 2021, Florida inmate Paul Durousseau was resentenced to life in prison. In 2007, Durousseau was convicted of the 1999 murder of 24-year-old Tyresa Mack.  Durousseau was a taxi driver at the time of the murder. He is also suspected in the deaths of five other women, however, those cases were never brought to trial. Durousseau was granted a new sentencing trial after a new state law took effect that required a unanimous jury recommendation for an inmate to be sentenced to death. The jury at his original trial was not unanimous, and neither was the jury at his resentencing trial. Since the jury was not in agreement, Durousseau was sentenced to life in prison.

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