International Death Penalty News 2024, Issue 50: India, Iran, Morocco, Taiwan, United States of America, Zimbabwe

India

On Friday, December 13, 2024, the Telangana High Court commuted the death sentence of 62-year-old Gafafar Ali to life in prison. He had previously been sentenced to death for the brutal rape and murder of a five-year-old girl.  Gafafar was in the country as a migrant construction worker.  The order commuting his sentence includes that he is not eligible for remission or early release before being imprisoned for 30 years.  He is also not entitled to parole for at least 15 years.  Under Indian law, only crimes considered the “rarest of the rare” are eligible for death sentences.  The court determined that this label was incorrectly applied to this case.  The girl was not killed to cover up the crime and conceal evidence but rather from the trauma and shock of the rape.  

Iran

Under the government’s new Hijab and Chastity law, those failing to comply could be sentenced to death.  The law first passed through parliament in September 2023, and, one year later, was finalized by the Guardian Council.   It has yet to be signed into active law by the president. The law requires compulsory hijab, with various punishments for not obeying.  A further examination of the law has revealed that the judiciary is permitted to give death sentences to those “accused of promoting nudity, unveiling, or improper attire in collaboration with foreign entities.”  Such crimes fall under the umbrella of “corruption on earth.”  International human rights organizations and others have criticized the law as violating fundamental rights.

On Saturday, December 7, 2024, 21-year-old Ashkan Fathi was executed in Isfahan Central Prison.  Ashkan was arrested about two years ago.  She was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind.  Under Iranian law, all killings are considered “intentional murder” as the Iranian penal code does not recognize differing degrees of murder and mitigating evidence is rarely considered. After conviction, the family of the victim chooses between granting forgiveness or demanding diya (blood money) or demanding qisas.  There is no limit to the amount of diya that can be demanded and if it is not paid by a set time, the convicted can be executed.  Ashkan’s execution has not yet been reported by state officials or the media.

On Saturday, December 7, 2024, 37-year-old Ameneh Alipour was executed in Zanjan Prison.  She was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind.  Under Iranian law, all killings are considered “intentional murder” as the Iranian penal code does not recognize differing degrees of murder and mitigating evidence is rarely considered. After conviction, the family of the victim chooses between granting forgiveness or demanding diya (blood money) or demanding qisas.  There is no limit to the amount of diya that can be demanded and if it is not paid by a set time, the convicted can be executed.  State officials and the media have not yet reported her execution.  

Morocco

On Monday, December 9, 2024, Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi announced the nation’s support for the United Nation’s resolution calling for a moratorium on executions to be discussed.  In alignment with this support, Parliament is scheduled to vote on a two-year moratorium on executions, with the plan to alter the law and permanently abolish executions during that time.  However, not all groups support abolishing capital punishment.  Morocco has not carried out an execution since 2013, and there are 88 individuals on death row.  

Taiwan

On Wednesday, December 11, 2024, Chen Yen-hsiang had his death sentence commuted to life in prison by the Taiwan High Court.  Chen was initially sentenced to death for murdering eight of his family members in June 2022. Chen set fire to his home which resulted in the deaths of his mother, his wife, his three children, and three others.  The Court chose to commute his sentence because he voluntarily turned himself in and has shown remorse for his actions.  

United States of America

President Joe Biden, in a single day, commuted the sentences of about 1,500 inmates and pardoned 39 others.  The 39 individuals who received pardons were convicted of non-violent crimes.  Those who had their sentences committed were released from prison to home confinement during COVID-19 and have since reintegrated into their homes and communities.  Many were convicted of non-violent drug-related crimes. Biden has promised to continue reviewing clemency petitions before he leaves office in January.  While it was the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history, Biden did not use it to address the inmates who remain on federal death row.  Before his election, Biden promised to not carry out any executions as president and to consider ending the federal death penalty.  Donald Trump, the current president-elect who also served as President before Biden, has promised to once again resume federal execution.  Trump carried out 13 federal executions during the final months of his first term.

A lawmaker in Arizona is seeking to abolish capital punishment in the state.  This is not the first time such a bill has been introduced in the state legislature in Arizona.  If passed, the bill would permit the people of Arizona to vote on whether to keep capital punishment as law in the state.  A similar bill was introduced last year, however, it was never brought for a vote during the last legislative session.  

Zimbabwe

The Senate in Zimbabwe passed a bill that abolishes the death penalty.  The bill must still be signed by the president before it can be set into law.  President Emmerson Mnangagwa has previously expressed his opposition to capital punishment.  He has also granted amnesty to several death row inmates by converting their death sentences to life in prison.  There are currently over 60 death row inmates in the nation.