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Unveiling Singapore’s Death Penalty Discourse: A Critical Analysis of Public Opinion and Deterrent Claims

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While Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) maintains a firm stance on the effectiveness of the death penalty in managing drug trafficking in Singapore, the article presents evidence suggesting that the methodologies and interpretations of these studies might not be as substantial as portrayed.

Tennessee | Nashville DA asks judge to vacate baby murder conviction following new medical evidence

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Nashville man who has spent the past 25 years in prison for a crime he maintains he didn’t commit could soon be released after the Davidson County District Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit (CRU) said new medical evidence proves he is innocent. During a hearing Tuesday, the CRU asked the court to vacate Russell Maze’s murder conviction he received in connection to the death of 19-month-old son, Alex, in October 2000.

Singapore | Court of Appeal rejects 36 death row inmates’ PACC Act constitutional challenge

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Singapore Supreme Court dismissed appeal by 36 death row inmates challenging new measures to prevent execution delays. Chief Justice deems the challenge lacking current basis and an abuse of court process. SINGAPORE: The Court of Appeal of Singapore on Wednesday (27 March) dismissed an appeal lodged by 36 death row prisoners challenging two new provisions introduced by a law aimed at preventing death row inmates from exploiting court processes to delay their executions.

Afghanistan | Taliban leader says women will be stoned to death in public

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The Taliban’s Supreme Leader has vowed to start stoning women to death in public as he declared the fight against Western democracy will continue. “You say it’s a violation of women’s rights when we stone them to death,” said Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada in a voice message, aired on state television over the weekend, addressing Western officials.

Pakistan | Christian brothers acquitted of blasphemy; three accusers charged

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Pakistan is No. 7 on list of places most difficult to be a Christian LAHORE, Pakistan — Two Christian brothers have been acquitted of blasphemy, and the three Christians who framed the brothers have been charged. On March 1, Umar Saleem and Umair Saleem were acquitted following a police investigation showing the two had been framed, states the news services Christian Daily International and Morning Star News.

Iran | Couple hanged in the Central Prison of Tabriz

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A couple were hanged in the Central Prison of Tabriz at dawn on March 18, 2024, on the eve of the Persian New Year. The news of the executions was released today by Iranian human rights organizations. However, the official news outlets in Iran have not announced them. Yassin Zolfaqari and his wife, whose identity has not been specified, were executed in the Central Prison of Tabriz for possessing 3 kilograms of Crack.  They came originally from Jolfa, in East Azerbaijan Province, and had been married for only a year.

Iran Executes Three on Drug-related Charges

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The Islamic Republic recently executed three individuals, including a woman, on drug-related charges amidst a surge in capital punishment in the country. On the morning of March 25, a 36-year-old man named Abbas Aghaei, from Tabriz, faced the death penalty at Tabriz Central Prison. His conviction stemmed from drug-related charges, as reported by the Norway-based Iran Human Rights organization.

Malaysia | Man’s death sentence for murdering pregnant wife replaced with 35-year jail term

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T Paramasparan was enraged after his wife confessed that she was pregnant with another man’s child. A three-member Federal Court bench also ordered T Paramasparan to be given 12 strokes of the cane. PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court has commuted the death sentence of a former petty trader to a 35-year jail term for the 2002 murder of his pregnant wife.

NGOs call on Morocco to save 6 men sentenced to death in Somalia

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Non-governmental organisations in Morocco have called on their government to intervene and prevent the execution of six Moroccans in Somalia. In a joint statement, the six bodies explained that they learned about the verdict issued by a military court in northern Somalia on 2 March, which sentenced six Moroccans to death by firing squad on charges of belonging to Daesh.

Tennessee bill authorizing death penalty for child rape goes to committee

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NASHVILLE, Tenn.--A bill to be discussed in the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee would authorize the death penalty as a punishment for rape of a child. SB1834/HB1663 is sponsored by Senator Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-D27) and Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland-D44) in their respective chambers. Under the bill, if an individual is convicted of aggravated child rape, the person could be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole or death. 

Tunisia sentences four to death for ISIS murder of politician

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A court in Tunisia has sentenced four people to death and two people to life in prison on charges of participating in the murder of the prominent political leader Chokri Belaid in 2013. He was found shot dead in his car in the capital, Tunis, prompting outrage. The leftist politician had been a fierce critic of the then-ruling Islamist Ennahda party. He claimed it turned a blind eye to violence perpetrated by extremists against secularists.

Pakistan | Hope for Christian 22 Years on Death Row for ‘Blasphemy’

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Supreme Court seeks Islamic body’s opinion on evidence. In a significant move, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has directed the country’s top Islamic body to advise on whether content that has left a Catholic on death row for 22 years was in fact blasphemous, sources said.

Malaysia | 2 Filipinas escape death sentence after apex court grants 30 years’ jail for drug trafficking

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2 Filipinas, who had been on death row since 2013, were granted a reprieve when the Federal Court on Tuesday granted them a revision of their sentence, bringing it down to 30 years’ jail. A 3-member bench, led by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, substituted the death penalty punishments initially given to Aisa Bello Mensong, aged 44, and Eleonor Cantor Sadullo, aged 66, with 30 years’ jail instead.

UK court says Assange can’t be extradited on espionage charges until US rules out death penalty

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A British court ruled Tuesday that Julian Assange can’t be extradited to the United States on espionage charges unless U.S. authorities guarantee he won’t get the death penalty, giving the WikiLeaks founder a partial victory in his long legal battle over the site’s publication of classified American documents.

California | As San Quentin’s death row empties, condemned inmates get a glimpse of hope

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There’s an utterly new feeling at San Quentin’s death row these days, and it’s not just for the people running the place. You can feel it like electricity all up and down the grim, time-worn cell blocks housing the worst criminals in the state. It’s hope.

Oklahoma | Death row inmate Michael DeWayne Smith denied stay of execution

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Death row inmate Michael DeWayne Smith on Monday lost his request for a stay of his execution. Smith, 41, asked for the stay because of a proposed moratorium on the death penalty that is before the state Legislature. He is set to be executed by lethal injection April 4 at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals voted 5-0 to deny his request.

Indonesia | Bali Prosecutors Seeking Death on Appeal

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The Indonesian criminal justice system allows appeals by defendants and prosecutors when the convicted party considers the sentence handed down in a trial too harsh or when prosecutors feel the punishment handed down by the Court is too lenient. After the appeal process, sentences initially meted out by the Court can be affirmed, abolished, enhanced, or reduced.

Ohio dad could still face death penalty in massacre of 3 sons after judge tosses confession

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Chad Doerman was charged with murdering his sons, ages 3, 4 and 7 Even after a judge tossed the alleged confession of an Ohio dad accused of executing his three sons and shooting their mother's hand, he could still face the death penalty, experts say. Ohio law makes capital punishment a possibility in certain murder cases – including when there is a child victim. "The confession isn’t a mitigating or aggravating factor, so it doesn’t affect the death penalty one way or another," said Neama Rahmani, a Los Angeles-based attorney and former federal prosecutor.

Taiwan | Lawmakers claim Constitutional Court could abolish death penalty

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KMT legislators call on government, Judicial Yuan to respect public opinion and keep death penalty TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers held a press conference on Friday (March 22) at the Legislative Yuan urging the outgoing Tsai administration and the Constitutional Court not to abolish the death penalty in Taiwan.

China | Former gaming executive sentenced to death in poisoning of billionaire Netflix producer

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A former executive at Yoozoo Games was sentenced to death on Friday in the 2020 poisoning of the founder of the high-profile Chinese gaming company, which has links to Game of Thrones and the new Netflix series, "The Three-Body Problem." Xu Yao poisoned the food of company founder Lin Qi in December 2020 because of a dispute over the running of the business, the Shanghai First Intermediate People's Court said.  The Hollywood Reporter, citing local media, reported at the time Lin was allegedly sickened by a cup of poisoned pu-erh tea.

Missouri Supreme Court declines to halt execution of man who killed couple in 2006

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The Missouri Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to halt the execution of Brian Dorsey, who is scheduled to die by lethal injection next month for killing his cousin and her husband 18 years ago. Judge W. Brent Powell wrote in the unanimous decision that Dorsey "has not demonstrated he is actually innocent" of the first-degree murder convictions that brought him to death row, despite previously pleading guilty to those charges and failing to deny that he committed the crimes. 

Alabama activists rally to retroactively abolish judicial override in death penalty cases

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Amnesty International and the ACLU of Alabama held a rally at the Alabama statehouse on Thursday in support of HB27, later marching to Gov. Kay Ivey's office to submit petitions calling for clemency for an inmate currently on death row. Robin "Rocky" Meyers was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in 1994. The trial judge then went over the jury and imposed a death sentence through judicial override.

US appeals court directs probe of juror bias in Boston Marathon bomber's case

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BOSTON, March 21 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Thursday directed the judge who presided over Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's 2015 trial to investigate whether two jurors were biased and should not have been seated, creating potential grounds to overturn his death sentence. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stopped short, opens new tab of granting Tsarnaev's latest bid to overturn his death sentence for his role in the 2013 attack that killed three people and wounded 260 others.

Japan marks 29 years since Tokyo subway sarin gas attack

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Japan on Wednesday marked the 29th anniversary of a fatal nerve gas attack on Tokyo's subway system by members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult. About 20 Tokyo Metro staff and relatives of victims held a moment of silence at 8 a.m. at Kasumigaseki subway station on the Hibiya line to remember two former colleagues who died in the attack.

Georgia Executes Willie James Pye

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Georgia carries out first execution in more than 4 years A Georgia man convicted of killing his former girlfriend 3 decades ago has been put to death in the state's first execution in more than 4 years. Authorities say 59-year-old Willie James Pye was pronounced dead at 11:03 p.m. Wednesday evening following an injection of the sedative pentobarbital. Pye was convicted of murder and other crimes in the November 1993 abduction, rape and shooting death of Alicia Lynn Yarbrough.