International Death Penalty News 2024, Issue 44: India, Iran, Jamaica, United States of America

India

The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeals has removed John Asuquo from death row and set him free. The decision was unanimous. Asuquo was arrested in July 2015, after he was discovered with two laptops that had recently been stolen. Asuquo alleged that he found the laptops on the floor and intended to take them to a police station. However, a mob descended on him before he could get to the police station. Asuquo was eventually convicted of being part of the armed robbery and sentenced to death. Now, upon review of the case, the Court of Appeals found that there was contradicting evidence and that the prosecution failed to prove its case in the original trial. Asuquo was acquitted of all charges and released from prison.

Iran

On Wednesday, October 16, 2024, 46-year-old Abdol Nazari was executed in Nourabad Prison. Abdol was the father of four children. He was convicted of murdering his paternal cousin about five years ago during a group fight over farmland. After his conviction, Abdol was sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Under Iranian law, all killings are charged as intentional murder and mitigating evidence is rarely taken into consideration.  After conviction, the family of the victim chooses between demanding diya (blood money), granting forgiveness, or demanding qisas.  There is no limit to the amount of diya that can be demanded and if the convicted and his family is unable to raise the money, qisas will be carried out instead.  State officials and the media have not yet reported his execution.

On Monday, October 21, 2024, Hassan Dorostkar was executed in Maragheh Prison. Hassan was arrested about four years ago. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Under Iranian law, all killings are charged as intentional murder and mitigating evidence is rarely taken into consideration.  After conviction, the family of the victim chooses between demanding diya (blood money), granting forgiveness, or demanding qisas.  There is no limit to the amount of diya that can be demanded and if the convicted and his family is unable to raise the money, qisas will be carried out instead. His execution has not yet been reported by state officials and the media.

On Tuesday, October 22, 2024, 26-year-old Abdolgharib Maleki and Ayoub Sangari were executed in Qom Central Prison. Both men were Afghan nationals. They were convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Under Iranian law, all killings are charged as intentional murder and mitigating evidence is rarely taken into consideration.  After conviction, the family of the victim chooses between demanding diya (blood money), granting forgiveness, or demanding qisas.  There is no limit to the amount of diya that can be demanded and if the convicted and his family is unable to raise the money, qisas will be carried out instead.  State officials and the media have not yet reported either execution.

On Tuesday, October 22, 2024, Shahin Dehghani was executed in Malayer Prison. He was convicted and sentenced to death on drug-related charges. His execution has not yet been reported by state officials or the media.

On Tuesday, October 22, 2024, Mansour Hadadi was executed in Birjand Central Prison. He was convicted and sentenced to death on drug-related charges. His family was not notified of his pending execution, which prevented them from having a final visit. State officials and the media have not yet reported his execution.

On Wednesday, October 23, 2024, 27-year-old Mohammadreza Haji Khani and 30-year-old Mehran Soltani were executed in Zanjan Central Prison. Mohammadreza was convicted of a murder that occurred in a repair shop. Mehran was convicted of murdering a relative five years ago. Both men were sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Under Iranian law, all killings are charged as intentional murder and mitigating evidence is rarely taken into consideration.  After conviction, the family of the victim chooses between demanding diya (blood money), granting forgiveness, or demanding qisas.  There is no limit to the amount of diya that can be demanded and if the convicted and his family is unable to raise the money, qisas will be carried out instead.  State officials and the media have not yet reported either execution.

On Wednesday, October 23, 2024, 35-year-old Soleiman Maleknejad was executed in Maragheh Prison. He was arrested about three years ago. Soleiman was convicted and sentenced to death on drug-rated charges. His execution has not yet been reported by state officials or the media.

On Wednesday, October 23, 2024, Armin Aghchali was executed in Gorgan Central Prison. He was arrested about five years ago. Armin was convicted and sentenced to death on drug-related charges. State officials and the media have not yet reported his execution.

On Sunday, October 27, 2024, 30-year-old Khaled Chenari and 26-year-old Abdolnabi Kalani were executed in Dezful Prison. Both men were convicted in the same murder case about three years ago and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. His execution has not yet been reported by state officials or the media.

On Sunday, October 27, 2024, 47-year-old Esmail Shehbakhshi was executed in Birjand Central Prison. The Baluch ethnic minority was arrested in 2021. He was convicted and sentenced to death on drug-related charges. State officials and the media have not yet reported his execution.

On Monday, October 28, 2024, Hassan Saberi was executed in Isfahan Central Prison. He was arrested about five years ago. Hassan was convicted and sentenced to death on drug-related charges. His execution has not yet been reported by state officials or the media.

On Monday, October 28, 2024, German-Iranian dissident activist Jamshid Sharmahd was executed at an undisclosed location. Jamshid was kidnapped during a flight layover in Dubai while traveling to the United States in 2020. He was then transferred to Iran, where he was convicted and sentenced to death for “efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) by planning and directing terrorist acts.” The “terrorist acts” were related to a 2008 Mosque bombing, in which five others had already been convicted and executed. International human rights have condemned his kidnapping and execution.

On Monday, October 28, 2024, 35-year-old Mohammad Javad Ahmadian was executed in Ahvaz Sheiban Prison. He was convicted and sentenced to death on drug-related charges. Mohammad was arrested along with two others. The other two men received 7-10 years in prison. State officials and the media have not yet reported his execution.

Jamaica

Member of Parliament for St Mary Western Robert Montague is renewing his call for the death penalty in the nation. Robert has long been a supporter of the death penalty and states that the death penalty should be reinstated due to recent mass and multiple killings in the nation. He argues that only the death penalty, carried out via hanging, will serve as a deterrent to those who commit such crimes. Capital punishment is still legal in Jamaica, however, no execution has been carried out since 1988. Prime Minister Andrew Holness has indicated that his views on the death penalty have changed in recent years, from being totally opposed to it, to beginning to see a possible need for it.

United States of America

On Friday, November 1, 2024, Richard Moore was executed in South Carolina. Richard was pronounced dead at He was 59 years of age. Richard was convicted of murdering 42-year-old James Mahoney, a store clerk, during a robbery on September 16, 1999.  He committed the robbery to obtain money to buy more drugs.

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón has recommended that Lyle and Erik Menendez be resentenced. Lyle and Erik, brothers, were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of murdering their parents in 1989. While Gascon acknowledges that there is no doubt about the brothers’ guilt, he believes they should be resentenced based on their good behavior in prison and “the current state of the law.” The brothers, then aged 21 and 18, murdered their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez in Beverly Hills, California. The brothers allege that they endured a lifetime of sexual and physical abuse, which led to the murders. To be released from prison, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge must first decide to resentment Lyle and Erik to life in prison with the possibility of parole. They would then have to persuade a parole board to grant them parole. An attorney for Lyle and Erik has expressed hope that the boys will be home for Thanksgiving.

In 1999, Joseph Corcoran was sentenced to death in Indiana for the murder of four people in Fort Wayne, Indiana. His attorney is now fighting that execution date, arguing that Corcoran has been and continues to be “severely mentally ill.” It was due to that mental illness that Corcoran refused to sign his post-conviction petition in the early 2000s. Therefore, his attorney argues, he should be given another chance to sign the petition. Corcoran’s mental competency has been the subject of numerous appeals and investigations. Courts have both acknowledged that Corcoran is mentally ill but also competent to waive his appeals. His lawyer argues that he is not competent to waive his appeals. Due to his scheduled execution date of December 18, 2024, his lawyers are once again raising concerns about his competency to halt his execution.

A jury in Florida has unanimously recommended that 69-year-old Joseph Ables be sentenced to death. Ables was previously convicted of murdering 40-year-old Highlands County Deputy William J. Gentry Jr. Deputy Gentry was shot multiple times in the head after responding to a call in Lake Placid, Florida, from a woman who claimed someone had shot and killed her cat. As Deputy Gentry approached Abels, he was shot and killed. Ables claimed he was acting in self-defense and unaware that Gentry was a lawman.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Ronald Bowling in Kentucky has filed his intent to seek the death penalty against 34-year-old Adam Hayes. Hayes is accused of murdering four-year-old Chloe Darnell, who was last seen alive in September 2023. Chloe’s body was discovered in November 2023. Brittany Slaughter, who had custody of Chloe at the time of her death, has also been arrested and charged with her murder. Slaughter and Hayes were dating at the time.

In 2021, Jason Thornburg was arrested for the deaths of 42-year-old David Lueras, 34-year-old Lauren Phillips, and 33-year-old Maricruz Reyes-Mathis in Fort Worth, Texas. Their bodies were discovered in a burning dumpster. Thornburg has confessed to the murders, including providing intimate details of the crime. Prosecutors have announced that if convicted, they will seek the death penalty for Thornburg.

On February 28, 2013, Eriese Tisdale shot and killed St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Sergeant Gary Morales during a traffic stop. Tisdale was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder in 2016. Due to a ruling by the Florida Supreme Court in 2018, Tisdale became eligible for a new sentencing hearing because the original jury’s decision was not unanimous. Florida law then changed to require a unanimous jury verdict, however, in 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new law into action which only requires a supermajority of the jury to vote for the death penalty, 8-4. The changing laws have affected the retrial. In September 2024, a jury voted 9-3 to re-sentence Tisdale to death. A judge has not yet made his final ruling.