International Death Penalty News 2025, Issue 02: DR Congo, Iran, Jamaica, Pakistan, Singapore, United States of America

Democratic Republic of Congo

The minister of justice announced that around 102 men were executed by the government in the past week. All the men were between the ages of 18 and 35. They were armed robbers and “urban bandits” known as Kulunas who terrorize urban areas after dark. There are plans to execute about 70 more men in the near future. In 1981, DR Congo abolished the death penalty, however, they reinstated it in 2006.

Iran

On November 30, 2024, 52-year-old Mohammad Shafi Mousavi was executed in Malayer Prison. Executions are traditionally carried out by hanging. He was arrested about six years ago and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Under Iranian law, all killings are considered intentional murder and mitigating evidence is rarely considered. After conviction, the family of the victim chooses if the defendant is granted forgiveness or if they want to demand qisas or diya (bloody money). There is no limit to the amount of diya that can be demanded and if the money is not paid, the defendant is often executed. State officials and the media have not yet reported the execution.

On Wednesday, December 25, 2024, Mohammad Javad Goudarzi was executed in Aligudarz Prison. He was convicted and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Under Iranian law, all killings are considered intentional murder and mitigating evidence is rarely considered. After conviction, the family of the victim chooses if the defendant is granted forgiveness or if they want to demand qisas or diya (bloody money). There is no limit to the amount of diya that can be demanded and if the money is not paid, the defendant is often executed. State officials and the media have not yet reported the execution.

On Tuesday, December 31, 2024, Yavar Abdouli was executed in Dezful Prison. Yavar was arrested about three years ago. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Under Iranian law, all killings are considered intentional murder and mitigating evidence is rarely considered. After conviction, the family of the victim chooses if the defendant is granted forgiveness or if they want to demand qisas or diya (bloody money). There is no limit to the amount of diya that can be demanded and if the money is not paid, the defendant is often executed. State officials and the media have not yet reported the execution.

On Wednesday, January 1, 2025, at least three men were executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison. Executions are traditionally carried out by hanging. Two of the men were Afghan nationals while the third was a Baloch ethnic minority. The three men were denied a final opportunity to visit with their families and say goodbye. The crimes of the men were not reported. State officials and the media have not yet reported the executions.

On Wednesday, January 1, 2025, 6-year-old Behrouz Mehrani was executed in Gorgan Central Prison. He was arrested about four years ago and sentenced to death on drug-related charges. His execution has not yet been reported by state officials or the media.

On Wednesday, January 1, 2025, 27-year-old Pejman Massoudi Koushak was executed in Yasju Central Prison. He was arrested about four years ago, convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Under Iranian law, all killings are considered intentional murder and mitigating evidence is rarely considered. After conviction, the family of the victim chooses if the defendant is granted forgiveness or if they want to demand qisas or diya (bloody money). There is no limit to the amount of diya that can be demanded and if the money is not paid, the defendant is often executed. State officials and the media have not yet reported the execution.

On Saturday, January 4, 2025, 40-year-old Valiollah Kamalpour was executed in Semnan Central Prison. He was arrested and convicted of an honor killing about three years ago. He was sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Under Iranian law, all killings are considered intentional murder and mitigating evidence is rarely considered. After conviction, the family of the victim chooses if the defendant is granted forgiveness or if they want to demand qisas or diya (bloody money). There is no limit to the amount of diya that can be demanded and if the money is not paid, the defendant is often executed. State officials and the media have not yet reported the execution.

On Saturday, January 4, 2025,  31-year-old Ramezan Taheri was executed in Taybad Prison. Executions are traditionally carried out by hanging. He was arrested about two years ago and sentenced to death on drug-related charges. His execution has not yet been reported by state officials or the media.

Jamaica

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Travis Ellis, who is accused of murdering Barbara Gayle, a retorted journalist. Ellis killed Barbara during a robbery on December 17, 2024. She had been stabbed multiple times and her vehicle was stolen.

Pakistan

On November 4, 2019, Asma and Ghulam Nabi murdered 35-year-old Shah Zaman in his home. Now, a court has sentenced Nabi to death, while Asma was sentenced to life in prison. Asma was married to Shah and confessed to murdering him with the help of Nabi. It is thought that Asma and Nabi were involved in a relationship before the murder.

Singapore

Three men and a woman were arrested for possession of multiple drugs worth over $700,000. The drugs seized by Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau included heroin, ice, ketamine, ecstasy, and cannabis. If convicted, they could be sentenced to death.

United States of America

Aaron Gunches, a death row inmate in Arizona, is asking the courts to allow his execution to proceed. Gunches was sentenced to death after being convicted of murdering Ted Price in 2002. In November 2022, Gunches first requested that his appeals process be stopped and his execution carried out. He was given an execution date, which was later halted by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, who halted all executions to have the state’s death penalty protocol reviewed. That review has since been completed and Gunches is once again asking for an execution date to be scheduled.

Shannon Agofsky and Len Davis, federal death row inmates, were among those granted a commutation by President Joe Biden. However, they are refusing to accept the commutation from death to life in prison without parole. Agofsky and Davis, are both convicted of murder and claim to be innocent. As a death row inmate, they are afforded “heightened scrutiny” during appeals, which would be lost if they accepted the commutation. They have filed appeals against the commutation, however, they may be forced to accept it.

Thirty-four-year-old Yoni Barrios could be sentenced to death in Nevada. Barrios is accused of stabbing to death two people and injuring six others on the Las Vegas Strip during a stabbing spree on October 6, 2022. He was initially found to be incompetent to stand trial, however, after two years of treatment in a psychiatric hospital, he has now been found competent. Prosecutors have not yet announced if they will seek the death penalty, however, his alleged crimes qualify him for it.

In August 2020, 27-year-old Sara Pasco and another woman were kidnapped by a group of nine people in Lawrence County, Missouri. After being kidnapped, Sara was shot and killed. The other woman survived by hiding under Sara’s body. She escaped after the kidnappers left and notified the police. Initially, prosecutors wanted to seek a death sentence for five of the nine kidnappers, however, due to a lack of lawyers qualified to handle death penalty cases, only three were considered. In the end, none of the kidnappers were sentenced to death. All were convicted and received sentences ranging from five years probation to 40 years in prison. Now, the final kidnapper, Steven Calverley, has also been sentenced. He received a sentence of 40 years in prison, after waiving his right to a trial in exchange for eliminating the death penalty as a possible sentence.