capital punishment

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Juvenile Offender's Execution Outrages UN

Iran violated international law, human rights office says

(Newser) - A United Nations agency has condemned Iran's execution of a man who was 16 when he was charged with crime. Mohammad Hassan Rezaiee, 30, was put to death Thursday, the BBC reports. Amnesty International said he was forced to confess to stabbing a man in 2007. Rezaiee was convicted...

One of My &#39;Best Students&#39; Was Sentenced to Die
One of My 'Best Students'
Was Sentenced to Die
OPINION
Dec 15, 2020 11:00 AM CST

One of My 'Best Students' Was Sentenced to Die

'Understanding our own humanity is a lifelong project,' Jennifer Lackey writes

(Newser) - "The death penalty is purportedly reserved for the 'worst of the worst' or those with 'irretrievably depraved characters.' But this is based on a myth." That's according to Jennifer Lackey, founder and director of the Northwestern Prison Education Program. It was through the program...

&#39;Brandon&#39;s Execution Is a Stain&#39;
'Brandon's Execution Is a Stain'
Dec 11, 2020 6:39 AM CST

'Brandon's Execution Is a Stain'

Brandon Bernard put to death in Indiana despite outcry over his case

(Newser) - For the ninth time this year, a federal execution has been carried out. Brandon Bernard was put to death in Indiana Thursday despite celebrities and politicians intervening on his behalf. After the Supreme Court denied a request to delay the execution for two weeks and President Trump did not act...

Governor Says Ohio Has to Change Execution Method

Lethal injection no longer an option, he says

(Newser) - Lethal injection is no longer an option for Ohio executions, and lawmakers must choose a different method of capital punishment before any inmates can be put to death in the future, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday. It's "pretty clear" there won't be any executions next year,...

Father Says, &#39;I Don&#39;t Want This Monster Pampered&#39;
Montana Man
Wants His Son
Executed
Nov 28, 2020 2:20 PM CST

Montana Man Wants His Son Executed

Michael Covey believes his son deserves capital punishment

(Newser) - A Montana man says he believes in the death penalty—at least where his son is concerned. "I don't want this monster pampered," Michael Covey, 62, told the Missoulian . "What he did is unforgivable. I definitely wanna do my part to make sure it doesn't...

DOJ to Allow for Federal Execution by Firing Squad

Change is one of several to come before Trump's term is up

(Newser) - Death by firing squad could be the fate of federal death row inmates in the US under a new rule from the Justice Department. For decades, federal executions have been carried out by lethal injection. But a new rule to be published Friday in the Federal Register, and take effect...

Her Lawyers Got COVID. Now an Execution Reprieve

Federal judge orders Lisa Montgomery not be put to death before 2021

(Newser) - Lisa Montgomery is getting a bit of a break. Montgomery was set to be executed on Dec. 8 in Terre Haute, Ind., which would make her the first woman put to death by the federal government in nearly seven decades. But two of her attorneys last week requested a delay...

Lawyers for Death Row Inmate: We Got COVID Due to Bill Barr

Lisa Montgomery's attorneys: Surprise execution date set during pandemic forced us to travel

(Newser) - Two attorneys for a female death-row inmate are blasting Attorney General Bill Barr, saying they contracted COVID-19 because he "recklessly" put their client's execution on the calendar for next month, all while the pandemic is still raging. In a lawsuit filed on behalf of Lisa Montgomery against the...

Bangladesh's Death Penalty for Rape Isn't Enough: Advocates

Rights groups say system doesn't support victims or hold rapists accountable

(Newser) - From now on, rapists could face the death penalty in Bangladesh. The government is making the change in the face of public outrage over a series of well-publicized attacks on women, the New York Times reports, though human rights groups said the change in the law won't solve the...

Death Row Inmate's Last Words: 'I'm Ready, Father'

Christopher Vialva is first Black inmate put to death since federal executions resumed this year

(Newser) - A man who killed a religious couple visiting Texas from Iowa was executed Thursday, the first Black inmate put to death as part of the Trump administration's resumption of federal executions after a nearly 20-year pause. Christopher Vialva, 40, was pronounced dead shortly before 7pm ET after receiving a...

Iran Shows No Mercy to Accused Wrestler

Navid Afkari said he gave a false confession under torture

(Newser) - Iranian state TV on Saturday reported that the country's authorities executed a wrestler for allegedly murdering a man, after President Trump asked for the 27-year-old condemned man's life to be spared, the AP reports. State TV quoted the chief justice of Fars province, Kazem Mousavi, as saying: "...

World Rallies Behind Wrestler Facing the 'Rope'

Navid Afkari says Iranian authorities tortured him into confessing

(Newser) - Navid Afkari has the world's attention. Sports groups are rallying behind the Iranian wrestler who insists his murder confession was forced under torture, the New York Times reports. Now his execution appears imminent: "We really are at one minute to midnight," says Brendan Schwab, head of the...

Native American's Last Words: 'No, I'm Good'

Lezmond Mitchell has died by lethal injection in Indiana

(Newser) - The only Native American on federal death row was put to death Wednesday, despite objections from many Navajo leaders who had urged President Trump to halt the execution on the grounds it would violate tribal culture and sovereignty, the AP reports. With the execution of Lezmond Mitchell for the grisly...

This Man Will Die Tonight Against a Government's Wishes

The Navajo Nation has been opposed to the death penalty for Lezmond Mitchell from the start

(Newser) - After a 17-year pause, federal executions resumed this summer, with three men put to death. A fourth man on federal death row is slated to experience the same fate tonight in Terre Haute, Ind., but that fate is one a government—the Navajo government—has vehemently opposed. That's because...

Navajo Nation Turns to Trump As Execution Nears

Judge called the prosecution 'a betrayal of a promise'

(Newser) - With the execution scheduled for less than two weeks from now, the Navajo Nation has asked President Trump to spare the life of Lezmond Mitchell. Capital punishment violates Navajo beliefs and would pose a challenge to tribal sovereignty, leaders said. "We strongly hold to our cultural, traditional, and religious...

Facing Execution, Inmate Comments on His 'Sanitized Murder'

Wesley Ira Purkey was 2nd US inmate executed this week

(Newser) - Wesley Ira Purkey was pronounced dead by lethal injection Thursday morning—America's second execution this week after a 17-year hiatus, the Tribune-Star reports. A 5-4 Supreme Court decision in the wee hours allowed the lethal injection to proceed in Terre Haute, Ind., despite concerns over Purkey's mental competency....

First Federal Execution in 17 Years Is Delayed Again

Judge says legal issues haven't been resolved

(Newser) - A US district judge on Monday ordered a new delay in federal executions, hours before the first lethal injection was scheduled to be carried out at a federal prison in Indiana, per the AP . The administration is certain to ask a higher court to allow the executions to move forward....

Supreme Court Clears Way for Federal Executions

First since 2003 schedule to take place in July

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Monday refused to block the execution of four federal prison inmates who are scheduled to be put to death in July and August, per the AP . The executions would mark the first use of the death penalty on the federal level since 2003. The justices rejected...

Drug Dealer Hears Death Sentence Over Zoom

Malaysian man sentenced for drug trafficking in Singapore

(Newser) - A man has been sentenced to death in Singapore over a Zoom call, which is probably not how Zoom CEO Eric Yuan envisioned his product being put to use. Reuters reports it's "one of just two known cases where a capital punishment verdict has been delivered remotely."...

For First Time in US During Pandemic, an Execution

Missouri puts Walter Barton to death

(Newser) - Many states have postponed scheduled executions amid the coronavirus pandemic, but on Tuesday night, an inmate was put to death for the first time since March 5. Walter Barton, 64, was convicted of murdering his former landlord, 81-year-old Gladys Kuehler, in 1991, USA Today reports. Kuehler operated a mobile home...

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