International Death Penalty News 2021, Issue 52: India, Iran, Japan, Myanmar, Tunisia, United Arab Emirate, United States of America

December 23, 2021
IDPN 2021 Issue 52

India

On Saturday, December 18, 2021, 48-year-old Chandrapal was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging for raping and murdering a 10-year-old girl in September 2021. Chandrapal was also given a fine.

Iran

Political prisoner, 48-year-old Heidar Ghorbani was allegedly executed on Saturday, December 4, 2021. Heidar was convicted of “armed rebellion against the state” and sentenced to death in January 2020.

On Sunday, December 12, 2021, two men were executed in Shiraz Central Prison. The men were identified as Bakhtiar Sarmadi and Hossein Heidarzadeh. Bakhtiar and Hossein were each convicted of murdering a man on a farm five years ago and sentenced to qisas, that is retribution in kind. In Iran, no distinction is made between intentionally killing someone, accidentally killing someone, and killing someone in self-defense. All persons convicted of killing another individual are convicted of “premeditated murder.”

On Sunday, December 12, 2021, one man was executed in Meshkin Shahr Prison. He has been identified as Mohammad Tazeh Kar. Mohammad was convicted of killing his friend during a fight. In Iran, no distinction is made between intentionally killing someone, accidentally killing someone, and killing someone in self-defense. All persons convicted of killing another individual are convicted of “premeditated murder.” Mohammad may have been a juvenile at the time of the crime, although this has not been confirmed. His execution has not been reported by state officials or media in Iran.

On Sunday, December 12, 2021, 45-year-old Hashem Amiri was executed in Gorgan Prison. He was convicted of committing a murder during a robbery of a home in 2013. n Iran, no distinction is made between intentionally killing someone, accidentally killing someone, and killing someone in self-defense. All persons convicted of killing another individual are convicted of “premeditated murder.” His execution has not been reported by state officials or media in Iran.

On Tuesday, December 14, 40-year-old Massoumeh Zarei was executed by hanging in Amol Prison. Massoumeh was convicted of participating in the murder of her husband, who was addicted to drugs and beat her. He was also known to have affairs and publicly taunt Massoumeh about not being able to leave him. All persons convicted of killing another individual are convicted of “premeditated murder.” Her execution has not been reported by state officials or media in Iran.

On Wednesday, December 15, 2021, one man was executed in Ardabil Central Prison. He has been identified as 40-year-old Mohammad Khodayi. Mohammad was convicted of murdering his wife five years ago. He was sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. In Iran, no distinction is made between intentionally killing someone, accidentally killing someone, and killing someone in self-defense. All persons convicted of killing another individual are convicted of “premeditated murder.”

On Wednesday, December 15, 2021, five prisoners were executed in Gohardasht and Qayen Prisons. The men have been identified as Hamed Mousavi, Kourosh Mazaheri, Davood, and Ali Nehtani (Nourzehi). One prisoner remained unnamed. Their crimes were not reported.

On Wednesday, December 15, 2021, four men were executed in Raji Shahr Prison. All four men were convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Three of the men are identified as Hamed Mousavi, Kourosh Mazaheri, Davoud (surname unknown), while the identity of the fourth man is unknown. The four executions have not been reported by state officials or media in Iran. In Iran, no distinction is made between intentionally killing someone, accidentally killing someone, and killing someone in self-defense. All persons convicted of killing another individual are convicted of “premeditated murder.”

Japan

On Tuesday, December 21, 2021, three men were executed by hanging in Japan. It has been two years since Japan last carried out an execution. The three men were identified as 65-year-old Yasutaka Fujishiro, 54-year-old Tomoaki Takanezawa, and 44-year-old Mitsunori Onogawa. Yasutaka was convicted of killing seven of his relatives in Hyogo Prefecture in 2004. Tomoaki and Mitsunori were convicted of killing two employees at two different pachinko parlors in Gunma Prefecture in 2003.

Myanmar

Since the military coup that overthrew civilian rule in the country on February 1, 2021, at least 90 individuals have been sentenced to death by military courts. Defendants do not always have access to legal counsel or representation. Several have been sentenced to death in December 2021.

Tunisia

Several unspecified terrorism cases were decided by the Court of First Instance in Tunis. In the case of the 2013 murder of a policeman, those involved were sentenced to death. Other sentences in other cases ranged from 12 years to life sentences.

United Arab Emirates

An unnamed Pakistani man was sentenced to death by Abu Dhabi Criminal Court. He was convicted on drug-related charges and crystal meth was found in his possession when he was arrested. The man used popular social media app, WhatsApp, to advertise his drugs.

United States of America

Lawyers for Rodney Reed have filed an appeal with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, alleging that the prosecution illegally withheld evidence from the defense during Rodney’s initial trial. They are alleging that the prosecution specifically “suppressed statements” to benefit a police officer, who was a prime suspect in the case. Rodney, a black man, is convicted of the 1998 murder of Stacy Stites, a white woman. Rodney claimed he was having an affair with Stacy, who was engaged to Jimmy Fennell, a police officer. Rodney was most recently scheduled to be executed in 2019, however, his execution was stayed over claims of new evidence that could exonerate him.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has announced that 62-year-old Gary Lee Sampson has died while in prison. Sampson was sentenced to death in 2003 for murdering 19-year-old Jonathan Rizzo and 69-year-old Philip McCloskey in Massachusetts. That decision was later overturned and in 2017, a jury ruled that Sampson should be executed for Rizzo’s murder. Sampson has also been convicted of murdering Robert “Eli” Whitney in New Hampshire, where he received a life sentence. Sampson’s cause of death was not reported.

Vietnam

On Friday, December 17, 2021, 32-year-old Chiang Wei Chih, and 34-year-old Yeh Ching Wei were sentenced to death for “illegally transporting narcotic substances.” Both men are Taiwanese nationals. The duo alleged that they did not know they were transporting drugs, as they were hired to “transport goods with art products hidden inside, and find a warehouse to stash them away in Vietnam.”

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