Death Penalty in the News
Recent articles about capital punishment around the world
MASS EXECUTION: 37 Beheaded With Sword in Saudi Arabia
April 22, 2019
In Saudi Arabia, 37 people were beheaded in a single day. Those executed were youths who committed crimes while under 18. Crimes included "adopting extremist ideologies." For most Americans, barbaric beheadings offend our sensibilities. But in 2014, a U.S. judge on the 9th Circuit Court suggested beheadings and firing squads were more humane than lethal injection.
SHAMEFUL RECORD: Georgia execution brings U.S. total to 1,500 since 1976
June 20, 2019
Georgia's executed Marion Wilson, Jr., a Person of Color, by lethal injection. With his death, the total number of U.S. executions climbed to 1,500 since the reinstatement of the death penalty in the 1970s, following a ban by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Arizona DA Fails in Effort to Execute Intellectually Disabled Immigrant
July 5, 2019
President Trump has used Apolinar Altamirano as a punching bag in his racist attacks Latinos and immigrants. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that intellectually disabled persons cannot be executed. Rather, they may be sentenced to life in prison with parole. A judge ruled that Altamirano is not sufficiently competent intellectually for the death penalty.
Thousands of Executions in China Each Year
September 10. 2018
In China, the number of exact executions is unknown, because the government keeps that total number secret. In this video clip by ABC Australia, a Chinese abolitionist discusses efforts to reduce the crimes where China applies the death penalty. As argued in the video, China depends heavily on coerced confessions, rather than evidence.
