International Death Penalty News 2022, Issue 36: Gaza, India, Iran, Singapore, Somalia, Taiwan, United States of America

Gaza

The Islamist militant group, Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has carried out five executions. These are the first executions on the Gaza Strip since 2017. The five men who were executed were Palestinian nationals. Two were convicted of collaborating with Israel. The three other men, Ashraf Abu Leila, Hisham al-Aloul, and Abdallah al-Nashar, were convicted of assassinating a Hamas military leader.

India

A 32-year-old unnamed man has been sentenced to death by a special Protection of Children against Sexual Offenses court in Limkheda of Dahod district. The man is convicted of murdering and attempting to rape a 2-and-one-half-year-old child in 2018. The case was considered to be among the “rarest of the rare” making the man eligible for the death penalty. The man offered to take the young girl to a store to buy her chips. When she did not return after two hours, her family became concerned. Her body was found the following day. She died during her assault.

Iran

On Wednesday, August 31, 2022, 29-year-old Aref Maleki was executed in Shiraz Central Prison. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. In the Iranian legal system, all deaths are considered intentional murder, no matter the circumstances or intent. State officials and the media have not yet reported his execution.

On Wednesday, August 31, 2022, 27-year-old Mohammad Hassan Kahrari, 28-year-old Morteza Teimouri, and 30-year-old Mohammad Khosravi were executed in Arak Central Prison. All three men were arrested on separate drug-related charges. None of the executions have yet been reported by state officials or the media.

On Thursday, September 1, 2022, Hamidreza Mardani was executed in Isfahan Central prison. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. He was arrested about three years ago. State officials and the media have not yet reported his execution.

On Thursday, September 1, 2022, Hamid Ghareh Lar was executed at Qom Central Prison. Just 25 days earlier, Hamid’s brother, Ali Ghareh Lar, was also executed at Qom Central Prison. Hamid was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas. He was arrested about three years ago. Neither execution has been reported by state officials or the media.

On Tuesday, September 6, 2022, Massoud Ghaed-Rahmati was executed in Khorramabad Central Prison. Massoud was convicted and executed on drug-related charges. He was first arrested about four years ago. State officials and the media have not reported his execution.

On Tuesday, September 6, 2022, Hassan Haghverdizadeh and Khalghollah Fahimzadeh were executed in Taybad Prison. Both were convicted on drug-related charges. Khalghollah was an Afghan national. Neither execution has been reported by state officials or the media.

On Tuesday, September 6, 2022, Abdolkhalegh Narouyi, 46-year-old Soleiman Narouyi, 36-year-old Abdolghafour Bahadorzadeh-Rigi, Abbas Nobakht, Mohammad Zobeiri, Mohammad Kazemi, and Mohammadreza Hedayati were executed in Minab Prison. All the men were convicted of drug-related crimes. Four of the seven men were Baluch minorities. None of the executions have been reported by state officials or the media.

An unnamed prisoner has been executed in Tabriz Central Prison, on an unknown date. The man was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. He was convicted along with two other men. One has been executed, while the third was spared by the family of the victim.

Two gay women have been sentenced to death for corruption on earth through promoting homosexuality, a crime in the Islamic nation. The two women have been identified as 31-year-old Zahra Sediqi Hamedani and 24-year-old Elham Chubdar. Allegedly, they were denied access to legal representation during their trials.

Singapore

According to the Minister for Home Affairs and Law, there are 10 Malaysian nationals on death row in Singapore. All are convicted on drug-related charges, mainly drug trafficking. Singapore has strict anti-drug laws. But those laws do not deter everyone from attempting to bring in large amounts of drugs to sell. Earlier this year, Singapore executed two Malaysian nations who were convicted of drug trafficking. Those who remain on death row have submitted clemency petitions, seeking to be spared from execution. A response has not yet been given to their petitions.

Somalia

On Tuesday, September 6, 2022, four people were executed by firing squad in the Sahel region. Two of the four were officers of the Somaliland national army. One shot to death his commanding officer after he was given stiff disciplinary action. The second, a lieutenant colonel, killed a young woman because he was annoyed at where she parked her vehicle. The other two men executed were also convicted of murder.

Taiwan

On Wednesday, September 7, 2022, prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty for the man accused of murdering two police officers in Tainan City on August 22. The police officers, Tu Ming-cheng and Tsao Jui-chieh, were stabbed to death while pursuing the theft of a scooter in Tainan City. The following day, Lin Hsin-wu was arrested for their deaths.

United States of America

Paulding County District Attorney Matthew Rollins has announced that he intends to seek the death penalty for Darlene Nicole Brister in Georgia. Forty-year-old Darlene is accused of murdering her three children before setting the family’s house on fire. Two of the children, eight-month-old Devonte and three-year-old Donovan were stabbed to death before the house was set aflame. A third child, five-year-old Devin, later died at the hospital from his injuries. A fourth child, an eight-year-old, required emergency surgery but survived his injuries. The three other children did not have serious injuries. It is not clear what prompted the attack on her children, however, Darlene’s husband said the two had a fight that night and he was gone at the time of the attack. Darlene also is reported to suffer from depression.

In 2019, lawmakers in Oregon passed a bill that narrowed what qualifies as aggravated murder, the only crime in the state that can carry a sentence of death. Now, on Thursday, September 1, 2022, the Oregon Supreme Court overturned the death sentence of a death row inmate. The court ruled that the 2019 law “fundamentally altered prevailing societal standards.” While the law included a provision that did not make the law retroactive, the new ruling by the Oregon Supreme Court could do so, overturning death sentences for many inmates on death row in the state. Oregon has not had an execution since 1997, and there is currently a moratorium on executions in the state.

The Ohio Supreme Court overturned the death sentence of Odraye Jones, a/k/a Malik Allah-U-Akbar, an African-American. During his trial, a defense expert offered the “radical” testimony that one-quarter of urban Black men were sociopaths who should be locked up. During his appeal, Akbar successfully argued that his original defense lawyers were ineffective. Akbar, then known as Jones, was sentenced to death for the November 1997 murder of a police officer in Ashtabula, Ohio.

Four men on death row in South Carolina previously filed a lawsuit arguing that the firing squad and the electric chair as methods of execution were unconstitutional. Now, Judge Jocelyn Newman has ruled in their favor. Judge Newman cited “advances in scientific research and evolving standards of humanity and decency” in her decision. The state is appealing the ruling. The firing squad has not previously been used as a method of execution in South Carolina, however, lawmakers recently passed a bill approving its use. Additionally, the default method of execution in the state was switched from lethal injection to electrocutions, due to the state’s difficulty in obtaining execution drugs.

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