International Death Penalty News 2022, Issue 30: China, Egypt, Iran, Japan, Myanmar, Singapore, United States of America

China

On Saturday, July 23, 2022, Tang Lu was executed in accordance with the order of the Supreme People’s Court. Tang was sentenced to death in October 2021, for murdering his estranged Tibetan wife, Lhamo. The two were married in 2009. During the marriage, Tang beat Lhamo on several occasions and the two were divorced in June 2020. On September 14, 2020, Tang showed up unannounced at Lhamo’s father’s house, where she was live-streaming a video. Tang sprayed her with gasoline and set her on fire, killing her.

Egypt

On July 28, 2022, 21-year-old Mohamed Adel, a student at the Faculty of Arts Mansoura University, was sentenced to death by a court. He was convicted of murdering fellow university student Nayera Ashraf. Now, a court has asked that the execution be carried out publicly to deter future crimes. Nayera had previously spoken to friends and family about being stalked and threatened by Mohamed after she refused his marriage proposal. The crime occurred outside and was recorded on video surveillance.

Iran

On Thursday, July 21, 2022, 38-year-old Zabiollah Barahouyi and 41-year-old Abdolvahed Ghanbarzehi were executed in Birjand Central Prison. Both men were convicted on drug-related charges. Zabiollah was the father of five children and lived in Zabol. Abdolvahed was also the father of five children and lived in Zahedan. They were arrested on separate charges in 2019. Neither execution has yet been reported by state officials or the media.

On Thursday, July 21, 2022, Mohammad Ali Ojaghi, Robab Danayi, and Heydar Heybozadeh were executed in Yazd Central Prison. Mohammad was executed on drug-related charges. Robab, a female, was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Heydar was also executed on drug-related charges. State officials and media have not reported these executions.

On Saturday, July 23, 2022, 28-year-old Imran Sabzikar was publicly executed. Imran was convicted of murdering Ali Akbar Ranjbar, a police officer. Imran was sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Ali was murdered on February 2, 2022. The execution was carried out at the time and location of the murder. Before being arrested, Imran worked as a construction worker. This is the first public execution to be carried out since June 2020. Public executions were halted due to the covid-19 pandemic.  

On Saturday, July 23, 2022, four Baluch men were executed in Zabol Prison. The men were identified as Farhad Kouhkan, Davoud Amirzadeh, Hamid Jahangard and Habib Totazehi. Three of the men were executed on drug-related charges. The fourth man, Habib, was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind.

On Saturday, July 23, 2022, 38-year-old Shokat Shehbakhsh, Esmail Narouyi, and Khaled Paraki were executed in Zahedan Central Prison. Shokat, a Baluch minority was executed on drug-related charges. His co-defendant, Mousa Shehbakhsh, was also sentenced to death. Mousa was executed on October 18, 2021. Esmail was arrested and executed on drug-related charges. Khaled was arrested six years ago for murder during a tribal war. State officials and domestic media have not reported the three men’s execution.

On Saturday, July 23, 2022, Bahador Norouzi, Ali Mohammad Ghorbani, and Hamed Safayi were executed in Qom Central Prison. All three were arrested and executed for drug-related charges. State officials and domestic media have not reported the executions.

Japan

On Tuesday, July 26, 2022, 39-year-old Tomohiro Kato was executed. Kato was convicted of murdering seven people and injuring eight others during a stabbing rampage in Tokyo in 2008. He was arrested by police at the scene of the crime. He later confessed to the murders, claiming he was angered at the time due to online bullying. As a result of his rampage, knife ownership laws were tightened. The rampage also highlighted the lack of mental health support for young people and the growing influence of being online can have.

Myanmar

The military junta has executed four people accused of helping to carry out terrorist acts. It is the first execution in the nation in decades. The four men were accused of helping to fight the military, which seized power last year in a coup. The four execution have been identified as 53-year-old Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Jimmy; former lawmaker and hip-hop artist 41-year-old Phyo Zeya Thaw; Hla Myo Aung; and Aung Thura Zaw. The executions have drawn international condemnation, as the trials were carried out in secret.

Singapore

On Friday, July 22, 2022, 64-year-old Nazeri Lajim was executed. He was convicted in 2017 for possession of heroin, with intent to traffic. Nazeri was a Singaporean national who became dependent on drugs starting at the age of 14. Before his execution, Nazeri sought a stay of execution, which was denied.

United States of America

On Thursday, July 28, 2022, Joe James was executed by the state of Alabama. Joe was pronounced dead at 9:27 pm local time. He was convicted and executed for murdering Faith Hall on August 15, 1994, in Birmingham, Alabama. 

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