International Death Penalty News 2022, Issue 31: Iran, Singapore, Somalia, United States of America, Vietnam

Iran

On Sunday, July 24, 2022, 45-year-old Sarajolhagh Sedighi, a Pakistani national, was executed in Shiraz Central Prison.  He was convicted of “participation in murder” and sentenced to qisas.  Before his arrest, Sarajolhagh was a cleric in Pakistan.  State officials and the media have not yet reported his execution.

On Monday, July 25, 2022, 35-year-old Mohammad Izadi was executed at Isfahan Central Prison.  He was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind.  All killings in the nation are considered intentional by law.  Mitigating evidence, such as intent and circumstances, is often not considered when deciding a case. State officials and the media have not yet reported his execution.

On Tuesday, July 26, 2022, 35-year-old Ahmad Ghadimi and Shahram Yadegar were executed in Hamedan Central Prison.  They were convicted on separate drug-related charges.  Before his arrest, Ahmad worked at a supermarket and had a child.  State officials and the media have not yet reported either execution.

On Tuesday, July 26, 2022, 40-year-old Gholam Nourzehi, a Baluch minority, and 38-year-old Jomeh Barakzehi, an Afghan national, were executed in Isfahan Central Prison.  Both were convicted on drug-related charges in the same case three years ago.  State officials and the media have not yet reported the executions.

On Wednesday, July 27, 2022, 72-year-old Abdollah Rahimi, Soheila Abedi, 26-year-old Payam Yazdani, and 37-year-old Heyva Ahmadi were executed in Sanandaj Central Prison.  Abdullah was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind.  He spent 14 years on death row before being executed.  Payam and Heyva were also convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas.  They are convicted of murdering their friend about seven years ago.  State officials and the media have not yet reported the four executions.

On Wednesday, July 27, 2022, Mohammadreza Arjmandi was executed in Bam Prison.  He was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind.  State officials and the media have not reported his execution.  In Iran, all killings are considered murder, no matter the intent or circumstances.  All are charged with intentional murder.

On Wednesday, July 27, 2022, three women were executed.  All were convicted of murdering their husbands.  One of the women was identified as 25-year-old Soheila Abadi.  She was forced to marry when she was 15 years of age, eventually killing her husband of “family disputes.”

On Thursday, July 28, 2022, a 27-year-old man was executed in Rasht Central Prison.  The man, identified by his initials only, was convicted of murdering police officer Omid Chayi and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind.  Men above the age of 18 are required to serve 24 months in the military, unless they qualify for an exemption.  Omid was allegedly killed when he denied an exemption request.

On Friday, July 29, 2022, Baluch minorities Saeed Shehbakhsh and 35-year-old Ziaollah Barahouyi-Yagizehi were executed in Damghan Prison.  Both men were arrested on the same drug charges and sentenced to death.  State officials and the media have not reported their executions.

On Sunday, July 31, 2022, Ayoub Mirazayi-Sarabi was executed in Kermanshah Central Prison.  Ayoub was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas.  All killings in the nation are considered intentional by law.  Mitigating evidence, such as intent and circumstances, is often not considered when deciding a case.  State officials and the media have not yet reported the execution.

On Sunday, July 31, 2022, 28-year-old Payam Nouri was executed in Ardabil Central Prison.  Payam was convicted of rape and sentenced to death.  State officials and the media have not yet reported his execution.

On Sunday, July 31, 2022, 30-year-old Reza Meraji was executed in Shiraz Central Prison.  He was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind for a crime committed four years ago.  State officials and the media have not yet reported the execution.

On Sunday, July 31, 2022, 36-year-old Nemat Valipour was executed in Sabzevar Prison.  Nemat, a father of one, worked at a factory before his arrest.  He was convicted of murdering another person over a financial dispute and sentenced to qisas.  State media and officials have not yet reported the execution.

Singapore

The execution of a 49-year-old Malaysian man has been confirmed.  The unnamed man was executed in Changi Prison, after being convicted of trafficking cannabis.  Execution in Singapore at typically carried out by “long-drop hanging.”

On Wednesday, July 27, 2022, the Central Narcotics Bureau arrested two Singaporean nationals for drug trafficking.  The confiscated drugs included heroin, Crystal meth, cannabis, and methadone, and are estimated to be worth over $300,000 in street value.  The two people, a 41-year-old man, and a 34-year-old woman, were arrested in a hotel room in Sentosa.  A search of the room revealed most of the drugs, while more were later discovered at a private residence.  If convicted, the two will likely be sentenced to death.

Twenty-four death row inmates in the nation joined together and filed a lawsuit against the government.  The inmates alleged that the government has prevented their right to justice.  Included among the examples are accusations that death row inmates are forced to defend themselves without a lawyer in the final hours leading up to their executions.  Additionally, cost provisions, which allow the courts to order defense lawyers to pay the costs of lawsuits, have prevented lawyers from taking up cases for death row inmates.  On Wednesday, August 3, 2022, a High Court judge threw out the lawsuit.

On Thursday, August 4, 2022, two death row inmates were executed at dawn in Changi Prison.  The two men executed were identified as Abdul Rahim Shapiee and Ong Seow Ping.  Both were convicted in the same drug case.  Their execution was delayed nearly an entire day due to appeals.

Somalia

The militant group, al-Shabab, has executed seven men in southwestern Somalia.  The executions were carried out in public.  Six of those executed were convicted of spying for the Somalia and US governments, which resulted in the deaths of senior al-Shabab leaders.  However, verdicts by al-Shabab courts are highly suspect, as defendants are not allowed lawyers to defend them.

United States of America

The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned the death sentence of South Carolina inmate Quincy Allen.  Allen was sentenced to death in March 2005 for the murder of Dale Hall and Jedediah Hard.  The 4th Circuit Court overturned the sentence saying that mitigating evidence in the case was overlooked, including a childhood history of abuse and neglect for Allen and his mental illness.

In 2016, Lawrence “Larry” Rudolph and his wife, Bianca Rudolph, took a safari in Zambia.  By the end of the safari, Bianca was dead, after being shot in the heart with a shotgun.  Larry, a dentist from Pennsylvania, alleged that his wife was a nervous traveler and shot herself as she attempted to pack the shotgun.  He returned to the United States and cashed in over $4 million in life insurance claims after her death.  A federal court in Denver, Colorado, where some of the life insurance money was paid out, has now convicted Larry of murder and mail fraud.  The prosecution argued that Bianca could not have shot herself because the shot came from a couple of feet away.  He is scheduled to be sentenced in February 2023.  He could be sentenced to death for his crimes.

Vietnam

Five people, including two Chinese nationals, have been sentenced to death for drug trafficking.  The two Chinese nationals have been identified as 55-year-old Huang Zai Wen and 59-year-old Wu He Shan.  The three Vietnamese accomplices have been identified as 48-year-old Thao Na Pao, 35-year-old Ly A Vu, and 40-year-old Thao A Do.  A sixth Chinese man, identified only as Hung, was also involved in the drug trafficking, however, police have been unable to locate him.  Five other unnamed people were also reportedly part of the trafficking ring.  They have also not yet been located.

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