International Death Penalty News 2024, Issue 34: Iran, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, United States of America

Iran

On Tuesday, August 13, 2024, Iranian dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi was cleared of all charges against him.  Toomaj was arrested and sentenced to death last year on charges of “corruption on earth.”  He was a rapper who spoke out against the government during the 2022 “Woman, Life Freedom” protests, including during his songs.  His death sentence was removed earlier this year and his case was sent back to a lower court for re-sentencing.  Now, his lawyer has announced that he has been cleared of the original charges and acquitted.  However, he remains in prison on two additional charges.  Authorities have accused him of publishing false statements on social media and disrupting public order.  

On Wednesday, August 14, 2024, 40-year-old Elias Rezaei was executed in Gorgan Central Prison.  Executions are traditionally carried out by hanging.  He was convicted and sentenced to death on drug-related charges about two years ago.  His execution has not yet been reported by state officials or the media.

On Wednesday, August 14, 2024, three men were executed in Ghezelhesar Prison.  Two of the men were identified as Behrouz Vafayi and Saeed Niazi, while the third man was only identified as an Afghan national.  All three were convicted and sentenced to death on drug-related charges.  State officials and the media have not yet reported their executions.

On Wednesday, August 14, 2024, 37-year-old Naser Shafiei was executed in Karaj Penitentiary.  He was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind.  Naser was convicted of murdering his wife about four years ago.  Under Iranian law, all killings are considered “intentional murder.”  After conviction, the family of the victim chooses between granting forgiveness to the convicted, demanding diya (blood money), or demanding the accused be sentenced to qisas.  Circumstances and other mitigating evidence are rarely considered.    His execution has not yet been reported by state officials or the media.

On Thursday, August 15, 2024, 37-year-old Peymanollah Veysi was executed in Sanandaj Central Prison.  He was convicted of murder about five years ago and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind.  Under Iranian law, all killings are considered “intentional murder.”  After conviction, the family of the victim chooses between granting forgiveness to the convicted, demanding diya (blood money), or demanding the accused be sentenced to qisas.  Circumstances and other mitigating evidence are rarely considered.  State officials and the media have not yet reported his execution.

On Saturday, August 17, 2024, Yousef Kazemzaedeh, Ali Salimi, and Heydar Arab were executed in Shiraz Central Prison.  Yousef and Ali were convicted and sentenced to death on drug-related charges, while Heydar was convicted of murder during a street fight about three years ago and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind.  Under Iranian law, all killings are considered “intentional murder.”  After conviction, the family of the victim chooses between granting forgiveness to the convicted, demanding diya (blood money), or demanding the accused be sentenced to qisas.  Circumstances and other mitigating evidence are rarely considered.  A fourth man, Morteza Ardakani, was also to be executed, however, he obtained a two-month extension to his sentence.   None of the executions have yet been reported by state officials or the media.  

On Monday, August 19, 2024, four men were executed in Yazd Central Prison.  Two of the men were identified as Ansar Eftekhareddin and Mahmoud Salim, both Afghan nationals, while the other two men, 33-year-old Abdolraouf Shehbakhsh and 34-year-old Abdolrahman Damani, were Baluch ethnic minorities.  Ansar and Mahmoud were both convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is retribution in kind.  Meanwhile, Abdolraouf and Abdolrahman were both convicted and sentenced to death on drug-related charges.  None of the four executions have been reported by state officials or the media.  

On Monday, August 19, 2024, 31-year-old Mehdi Piri and 35-year-old Mazaher Ayouzi were executed in Zanjan Central Prison. Mehdi was convicted and sentenced to death on drug-related charges about two years ago.  Mazaher was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind.  Under Iranian law, all killings are considered “intentional murder.”  After conviction, the family of the victim chooses between granting forgiveness to the convicted, demanding diya (blood money), or demanding the accused be sentenced to qisas.  Circumstances and other mitigating evidence are rarely considered. State officials and the media have not yet reported either execution.

On Tuesday, August 19, 2024, Mohammad Karamizadeh and Esmail Javadi were executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison.  Both men were convicted in separate cases of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind.  Under Iranian law, all killings are considered “intentional murder.”  After conviction, the family of the victim chooses between granting forgiveness to the convicted, demanding diya (blood money), or demanding the accused be sentenced to qisas.  Circumstances and other mitigating evidence are rarely considered.

On Wednesday, August 21, 2024, Mohammad Daghestani was executed in Urmia Prison.  He was convicted and sentenced to death on drug-related charges.  State officials and the media have not yet reported his execution.

Maldives

Convicted drug smugglers in the Maldives currently face a sentence of life in prison and a fine between MVR 100,000 and MVR 10 million (about $6,500 to $650,000).  However, if a proposed amendment to the drug bill passes, future convicted drug smugglers could be sentenced to death.  The bill is still being drafted by the Homeland Security Ministry.  Currently, the only crime punishable by death is intentional homicide and no execution has occurred in the nation since at least 1953.

Saudi Arabia

On Saturday, August 17, 2024, Abdul Majid bin Hassan bin Abdullah Al-Nimr was executed.  Executions are traditionally carried out by beheading.  Al-Nimr was convicted and sentenced to death for betraying his country, joining an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group, financing terrorism, and supporting extreme ideologies.  

Thailand

On July 28, 2024, in honor of the King’s 72nd birthday, 30,597 prisoners were granted royal clemency.  Among those granted clemency was former deputy commerce minister Banyin Tangpakorn, who was sentenced to death in two murder cases. His sentence has been reduced to life in prison.  Different inmates received different forms of clemency, with some, like Banyin, only receiving a reduction in sentence, while others will be released on parole, and still others will be granted complete freedom.  It will take some time for all the eligible prisoners to be released, as they must wait for a formal court order.

United States of America

In 1975, Glynn Ray Simmons was sentenced to death in Oklahoma.  He was convicted of murdering 30-year-old Carolyn Sue Rogers during a liquor store robbery in Edmond, Oklahoma.  Glynn was identified in a line-up by a survivor of the liquor store shooting.  However, Glynn insisted that on the day of the robbery, he was in Harvey, Louisana with friends.  He had four witnesses testify to his location that day, but he was still sentenced to death, along with another man.  His sentence was later commuted to life in prison, without the possibility of parole, after the Supreme Court of the United States found that the death penalty was unconstitutional.  Glynn always insisted that he was innocent and continued to work towards proving his innocence, including finding additional people to testify as to his whereabouts on the day of the murder.  Additionally, the witness identification was called into question, as the witness identified several men throughout eight line-ups.  Eventually, a judge vacated Glynn’s conviction and ordered a new trial.  On July 22, 2023, Glynn was released from prison on bond.  A short time later, the district attorney announced they would not be seeking a new trial for Glynn.  In October 2023, Glynn sought a declaration of innocence, which was granted on December 19, 2023.  Since receiving the declaration of innocence, Glynn has sought compensation from the city and others who put him behind bars for nearly 50 years.  He was recently awarded just over $7 million from the Edmond City Council in a lawsuit settlement.  Other lawsuits remain pending. 

In 2001, Marcellus Williams was convicted of murdering Felicia “Lisha” Gayle on August 11, 1998, in University City, Missouri, during a home robbery.  Williams has always insisted he is innocent of the crime.  Now, it has been discovered that there were “constitutional errors” made during his trial, including the mishandling of evidence, that makes the resulting verdict questionable.  DNA testing on a key piece of evidence, the murder weapon, reveals that it was mishandled and neither excludes nor condemns Williams of the crime.  Additionally, witnesses who testified against Williams were largely considered “unreliable.”  While William was initially sentenced to death, and scheduled to be executed next month, he reached a plea deal with prosecutors that would spare his life.  However, shortly after agreeing to this plea deal, the Missouri Supreme Court halted it, claiming the lower judge had overstepped his authority in agreeing to the deal. Lawyers for Williams will continue to fight to spare his life and overturn his conviction.

Advocates against the death penalty in North Carolina are asking Governor Roy Cooper to commute all death sentences in the state before he leaves office.  Included among those advocates are those who have lost family members during violent crimes, including the 2015 shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. These family members argue that they are forced to relive the crime and trauma every time there is an appeal.  Former death row inmates who have had their convictions overturned are also encouraging the governor to commute all death sentences, arguing that everyone deserves a chance to change.  The last execution in North Carolina occurred in 2006.  There are multiple lawsuits against the state’s death penalty that have put it on hold.