capital punishment

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US World's No. 5 Executioner: Amnesty

Executions surge in Middle East

(Newser) - Fewer countries than ever are executing people, but those countries are doing so with gusto, according to a new report from Amnesty International. Just 20 nations still use the death penalty. The US executed 43 people last year, making it 5th globally, and the only Western democracy on the list,...

China's Execution Show Axed After West Takes Notice

China's Interviews Before Execution spoke to hundreds of doomed inmates

(Newser) - Hit Chinese TV program Interviews Before Execution has been abruptly canceled—after five years on the air and just about a week of attention from the West. The show, which reached 40 million viewers every Saturday night, featured glamorous host Ding Yu speaking to condemned criminals days, hours, or even...

Iran: We Might Still Stone Adulteress

Tehran apparently still itching to execute Ashtiani

(Newser) - The dizzying saga of Sakineh Mahammadi Ashtiani took another turn today, with Iran saying that it was going forward with plans to execute the convicted adulteress by stoning—unless, of course, it decides to just hang her instead, reports the AP . "There is no haste," said Malek Ajdar...

New Death Sentences Hit 35-Year Low

Just 78 sentenced this year: new report

(Newser) - The number of death sentences handed down this year dropped 30% compared to last, hitting the lowest level in 35 years, according to a new report. Just 78 people were sentenced to death this year—marking "the first time we've had fewer than 100 new death sentences in...

Oregon Governor Declares Execution Moratorium

Kitzhaber says system is 'compromised and inequitable"

(Newser) - John Kitzhaber has declared that there will be no more executions in Oregon as long as he remains governor. "It is time for Oregon to consider a different approach,” the Democrat said at a news conference. “I refuse to be a part of this compromised and inequitable...

Turkey Pardon as Barbaric as Death Penalty

Thanksgiving tradition a reminder of 'arbitrary' punishment: Justin Smith

(Newser) - On the surface, the annual presidential pardon of a turkey may be all in fun, but it’s also a disturbing reminder of the continued existence of the death penalty in this country. The pardon makes light of “the strange power vested in politicians to decide the earthly fates...

Support for Death Penalty Hits 39-Year Low
Support for Death Penalty Hits 39-Year Low
survey says
Oct 13, 2011 12:25 PM CDT

Support for Death Penalty Hits 39-Year Low

New poll finds 61% back capital punishment

(Newser) - A full 61% of Americans back the death penalty, but even so, support is at a 39-year low. A new Gallup poll finds that support is down from 64% last year, and is at its lowest level since a brief moratorium on capital punishment began in 1972 with the Supreme...

Bankers? Off With Their Heads: Roseanne

Comedian advocates the guillotine for Wall Street justice

(Newser) - Roseanne Barr really wants heads to roll on Wall Street, Real Clear Politics reports. Not only does the comedian, author, and Wall Street protester say guilty bankers should pay back earnings over $100 million, she wants a very sharp blade hanging over their heads: "If they are unable to...

No More Last Meals for Death Row Cons in Texas
No More Last Meals for
Death Row Cons in Texas
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Sep 25, 2011 7:00 PM CDT

No More Last Meals for Death Row Cons in Texas

They can no longer make special requests

(Newser) - Death row inmates in Texas can no longer request special last meals, and they can blame racist killer Lawrence Russell Brewer. Before he was executed this week , Brewer ordered up a Texas-sized feast, according to the Austin American-Statesman : "Two chicken fried steaks, a triple-meat bacon cheeseburger, a cheese omelet,...

Outrage Follows Execution of Troy Davis

High-profile case sparked protests in DC, Paris

(Newser) - The execution of Georgia inmate Troy Davis late last night was one of the most high-profile the US has seen in years and has sparked calls for a rethink of the death penalty. More than 500 people gathered outside the prison as Davis was executed; protests occurred as far away...

Troy Davis' Request to Take Polygraph Rejected

His execution is just hours away

(Newser) - One more rejection for Troy Davis: Prison officials rebuffed his lawyers' attempts this morning to have him take a polygraph test , reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution . The decision makes his execution at 7pm EDT all the more likely, though furious efforts continue to win a reprieve. His lawyers filed another appeal...

We Need to Kill Death Penalty, Not Troy Davis

 We Need to Kill 
 Death Penalty, 
 Not Troy Davis 
'NY TIMES' OP-ED
Sep 21, 2011 10:26 AM CDT

We Need to Kill Death Penalty, Not Troy Davis

Case shows, yet again, why death penalty must be done away with

(Newser) - The New York Times doesn't mince words in an editorial about today's scheduled execution of Troy Davis: Calling it a "grievous wrong," the Times declares that yesterday's rejection of his bid for clemency "is appalling in light of developments after his conviction," among...

Dujane Buck Execution Halted
 Duane Buck Execution Halted 
Sep 16, 2011 6:00 AM CDT

Duane Buck Execution Halted

Supreme Court to review Texan's appeal

(Newser) - Duane Buck's life has been spared, for now, without Texas Gov. Rick Perry having to sit in the hot seat. Buck, who shot two people to death in 1995, had been scheduled to die by lethal injection yesterday, but the US Supreme Court decided to review his appeal, AP...

Broke Counties Eschew Pricey Death Penalty

Capital punishment cases double, triple costs of normal trial

(Newser) - Could the recession snuff out the death penalty? Probably not, but it’s doing a real number on it. Death penalty cases have been cut in half since 2000, from 224 nationwide to 112 last year, and part of that dip appears to be related to the economy, Fox News...

Virginian Executed, Death-Drug Maker Objects

Pharma firm opposes 'distressing misuse' of epilepsy drug

(Newser) - Virginia has become the latest state to execute an inmate using a new cocktail of drugs for the lethal injection despite the manufacturer's objections. Jerry Jackson, 30, was executed for the 2001 rape and murder of an 88-year-old widow, Reuters reports. Pentobarbital, a drug used to treat epilepsy, was...

Georgia Videotapes Execution
Georgia Videotapes Execution
Jul 22, 2011 4:19 AM CDT

Georgia Videotapes Execution

DeYoung killing first to be taped in nearly 20 years

(Newser) - The state of Georgia put to death a man named Andrew DeYoung last night in what is believed to be the first videotaped US execution since 1992—and the first ever taped execution involving lethal injection. DeYoung, 37, consented to the filming, which was ordered by a judge in connection...

Texan Executed for 9/11 Revenge Murder

Surviving victim's appeal to save Mark Stroman rejected

(Newser) - Texas inmate Mark Stroman was executed yesterday for killing a Dallas-area convenience store clerk during a shooting spree that he said was in retaliation for the 9/11 attacks. Stroman claimed the shooting spree that killed two men and injured a third targeted people of Middle Eastern descent, though all three...

Ala. Judges Override Juries— but Not to Be Merciful

Most of the time power is used, it's to impose the death penalty

(Newser) - It sounds sensible, even merciful: Alabama judges are allowed to override the decisions of capital juries. Justice Thurgood Marshall, a staunch death penalty opponent, was in favor of the system, because it allows "someone who had seen more than one case" to make the ultimate decision, says one retired...

Illinois Shuts Down Death Row

State no longer executes criminals

(Newser) - After spending years at the center of national debate over capital punishment, Illinois' death row officially died yesterday when a state law abolishing the death penalty quietly took effect. The fate of executions in the state was sealed in March when Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation ending the death penalty,...

In Country of 1.2B, India Can't Find a Hangman

State of Assam grows desperate to find its next executioner

(Newser) - An unusual job search began in India last month: The country of 1.2 billion is desperately seeking ... a hangman. The New York Times paints a fascinating picture of a country that is no stranger to grisly murders and honor killings, but one in which capital punishment is an extremely...

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