International Death Penalty News 2025, Issue 07: Congo, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, United States of America

Congo

Eighty-four Congolese soldiers are accused of murder, rape, and other crimes against civilians. The trial against them has begun. More soldiers are expected to be brought to trial in the coming days. The death sentence is being sought for all the soldiers. The soldiers were supposed to be protecting civilians when they committed the crimes against them. The Congolese troops were in the area fighting Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.

France

Last week, 61-year-old French national Serge Atlaoui was returned to France after spending 18 years on death row in Indonesia. He was convicted on drug-related charges. At the time of his return, he still had a 30-year jail sentence to serve. However, he is now eligible to ask for a reduced sentence and/or a pardon from President Emmanuel Macron. Serge has long denied the charges against him, claiming he knew nothing about the drugs in the building where he had been hired to install machinery. Before his arrest, Serge worked as a welder. France does not have the death penalty, as they abolished it in 1981.

India

The Ministry of External Affairs has announced that there are 54 Indian nationals on death row in foreign nations. The Ministry also confirmed that it is assisting those facing legal challenges abroad, including Nimisha Priya, who was convicted and sentenced to death in Yemen.

For the second year in a row, the Supreme Court has not upheld a death penalty appeal. In 2024, six death penalty appeals were brought before the court. Of those six, five had their death sentences commuted to life in prison, while one was acquitted of the charges against them. Meanwhile, in 2024, 139 trials resulted in death sentences, with the majority being for murder cases.

Indonesia

According to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, at the end of 2024, there were 157 Indonesian nationals on death row in other nations. Additionally, over the last year, the Indonesian government worked to free 137 other Indonesian nationals from foreign death row. Some of the 137 were given reduced sentences, while others were set free. The majority of those on foreign death row are convicted on drug-related charges. Government officials are continuing to work on the cases of those still on death row in other nations.

Iran

Recently obtained information by Iran Human Rights indicates that two men were executed at Gorgan Central Prison on January 5, 2025. The two men were identified as 26-year-old Afghan national Abdolhamid Kouhkan and 34-year-old Baluch ethnic minority Golmohammad Gorgij. Kouhkan was arrested about three and a half years ago while Gorgij was arrested about five years ago. Both men were convicted on drug-related charges. After Gorgij’s arrest and trial, he was initially sentenced to 20 years in prison, however, his sentence was later changed to the death penalty for unclear reasons. State officials and the media have not yet reported the executions.

On Thursday, February 6, 2025, 47-year-old Mahtab Qazizade was executed by hanging in Sari Central Prison. She was convicted of murdering her husband about four years ago and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Under Iranian law, all killings are considered intentional murder, with mitigating evidence rarely considered. After conviction, the family of the deceased chooses between granting the condemned forgiveness or demanding diya (blood money) or qisas. There is no limit to the amount of diya that can be demanded and if it is not paid, the condemned is often executed. State officials and the media have not yet reported Mahtab’s execution.

On Saturday, February 8, 2025, 50-year-old Ali Rezaei was executed in Zanjan Central Prison. He was convicted and sentenced to death on drug-related charges. He had two children, ages nine and 14. Before his arrest, Ali worked as a carpenter. State officials and the media have not yet reported the execution.

On Sunday, February 9, 2025, 33-year-old Shahram Manafzadeh and 29-year-old Farhad Abdoli were executed in Tabriz Central Prison. Executions are traditionally carried out by hanging. Both men were convicted and sentenced to death on rape charges in the same case. Before their arrests, they worked as craftsmen in a milling workshop. In Iran, it is not uncommon for rape suspects to be tortured into making false confessions and to be denied access to a lawyer. State officials and the media have not yet reported the executions.

United States of America

On Thursday, February 13, 2025, James Ford was executed in Florida. He was 64 years of age. James was executed for the murders of 25-year-old Greg Malnory and his 26-year-old wife Kimberly Malnory on April 6, 1997, in Charlotte County, Florida. 

On Thursday, February 13, 2025, Richard Tabler was executed by the state of Texas. Richard was 46 years of age. He was executed for murdering 25-year-old Mohamed–Amine Rahmouni and 28-year-old Haitham Frank Zayed on November 25, 2004, in Killeen, Texas. 

On Tuesday, February 11, 2025, the Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill that would permit capital punishment for those convicted of sexually assaulting minors. The bill passed with a vote of 86-5, with nine abstentions. The bill would only apply to those convicted of raping or sodomizing a victim who is under the age of 12. The sponsor of the bill acknowledges that there are likely to be legal challenges over the bill, as the Supreme Court of the United States has set a precedent that capital punishment is only to be used in cases of murder. Alabama is not the first state to pass such legislation, as Tennessee and Florida have also passed similar bills. In Alabama, the bill now moves to the state Senate.

Jeff Landry, governor of Louisiana is looking to resume executions in the state. The last execution in Louisiana occurred 15 years ago. Executions have been halted due in part to difficulties in obtaining execution drugs. However, the legislature in Louisana passed a law last year that expanded the legal options for execution. Governor Landry has directed district attorneys to complete reviews of death penalty cases and finalize sentences through the courts resulting in two executions being scheduled for next month. Eighty-one-year-old Christopher Sepulvado is scheduled to be executed on March 17, 2025, while Jesse Hoffman is scheduled to be executed the following day on March 18, 2025.

A bill being considered in Florida would mandate the death penalty for illegal immigrants convicted of a capital felony, which includes premeditated murder, child rape, and drug-trafficking. The bill also includes sentences for lesser charges. While the bill has not yet passed, if it does, it will likely face many legal challenges. The Supreme Court of the United States has previously ruled that capital punishment can not be a mandatory sentence and that capital punishment can only be used for those convicted of murder. If the bill is passed, it is set to take effect immediately.

After refusing a plea deal, 26-year-old Dougnitrio D. Smith Jr., is facing a possible death sentence for the murder of 67-year-old Elizabeth Adams on July 27, 2020, in Port Orange, Florida. Smith broke into Elizabeth’s house and viciously attacked her, resulting in her death. After robbing the home, Smith set it on fire in an attempt to conceal evidence. Prosecutors offered a plea deal that would have sentenced Smith to life in prison, without the possibility of parole. He rejected the deal. Smith’s lawyers are arguing that Smith is incompetent to stand trial and a mental health evaluation has been ordered.

Prosecutors in Florida have announced they will not be seeking the death penalty against Devante Moss. Moss is accused of murdering 32-year-old Chandler Dill and 49-year-old Christopher Liszak and injuring 41-year-old Tuan Duy Hoang Ho, during a shooting at a motel on Ocean Boulevard in Boca Raton, Florida on September 20, 2024. After the shooting, Moss fled to Georgia, where he was eventually arrested and extradited to Florida to stand trial.

New US Attorney General Pam Bondi agreed to the transfer of George John Hanson a/k/a John Fitzgerald Hanson, from a federal prison to Oklahoma so that his death sentence can be carried out. The request was made by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. Hanson is convicted of kidnapping and murdering 77-year-old Mary Bowles in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1999. For that crime, he was sentenced to death in Oklahoma. Hanson had also been convicted on federal bank robbery charges. A request for his transfer was previously denied in 2022.

Mike DeWine, governor of Ohio, has postponed three more executions in the state, extending the unofficial moratorium on executions in Ohio. Percy Hutton, Samuel Moreland, and Douglas Coley have all had their 2025 execution dates postponed three years until 2028. Not all agree with Governor DeWine’s decision of an unofficial moratorium on executions in the state. Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins is asking US Attorney General Pam Bondi and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to restore capital punishment in the state. Watkins is asking Bondi and Yost to coordinate with Govenro DeWine to determine what needs to be done to resume executions.

Federal prosecutors have announced they will not be seeking the death penalty against an Australian mom accused of murdering her daughter. Lisa Cunningham is awaiting trial over the death of her seven-year-old daughter Sanaa, who died in February 2017 in Arizona. An autopsy found that Sanaa died from sepsis related to a chest infection, an abscess in her right foot, and multiple skin ulcers. Lisa’s husband, former police detective Germayne Cunningham is also facing charges related to Sanaa’s death. Allegedly, Sanaa was kept outside, in the laundry room, and the garage. She was forced to sleep outside and restrained with cable ties. Lisa and Germayne often failed to seek medical care for her injuries.

Fifty-year-old Jeremy Albert Best has pled guilty to murder charges to avoid being sentenced to death. Best pled guilty to the murder of his wife Kali Best, who was pregnant with their daughter Freya, and their infant son Zeke. The murders occurred in November 2023 in Idaho. In exchange for pleading guilty, Best will be sentenced to life in prison.

In 2007, Hasson Bacote was sentenced to death for the 2007 murder of Anthony Surles in North Carolina. Now, Superior Court Judge Wayland Sermons Jr. found that race played a factor in the jury’s decision to Lenten him to death. The jury in his case was almost entirely white, while Bacote is a black male. Judge Sermons found that the prosecutor made racial comments during the trial which prejudiced the jury against Bacote. The state plans to appeal the decision to the North Carolina Supreme Court. Bacote is no longer on death row, as his sentence was commuted in December 2024. Former Governor Roy Cooper commuted all state death sentences before leaving office.