Death penalty | News and current affairs from Germany and around the world | DW | 10.04.2017

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Death penalty

The death penalty, also known as capital punishment, refers to the practice by states of putting a person to death for committing certain crimes.

Dozens of countries still use executions as a punishment for certain offenses, although most, including those in the European Union, have abolished it completely. Many people consider the death penalty a violation of human rights. Here you can find an automatic compilation of all DW content on the death penalty.

Fall Khashoggi - Gedenkveranstaltung in Washington

Khashoggi killing: Saudi prosecutor seeks death penalty for five suspects 15.11.2018

Saudi Arabia's top prosecutor has recommended the death penalty for five of the suspects charged in the murder case of dissident writer Jamal Khashoggi. However, he denied Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's involvement.
Gegen die Todesstrafe

German state of Hesse to abolish death penalty 02.11.2018

A vote to reform Hesse's constitution saw a clear majority in favor of scrapping the death penalty. The repeal is symbolic as federal law made capital punishment illegal after World War II.
Symbolbild Todesstrafe Galgen

Malaysia to abolish death penalty 11.10.2018

The Malaysian government has agreed to amend the law to abolish capital punishment and halt all pending executions. Human rights groups have hailed the decision.
Ausschnitt Sierra Leone Ernest Bai Koroma und Samuel Sam-Sumana

Africa Link on Air - 10 October 2018 10.10.2018

Sierra Leone cancels a multimillion deal with China to build a new airport+++ Business community backs S African new finance minister Tito Mboweni+++Listen to how life is in two divided cities of Cameroon+++The fate of death row inmates in Uganda as world marks day against the death penalty.
Bangladesch Protest Tarique Rahman

Bangladeshi opposition chief gets life sentence over deadly 2004 attack 10.10.2018

A court has sentenced opposition leader Tarique Rahman to life in prison and given the death penalty to 19 others. The attack left more than 20 dead and hundreds injured, including current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Fußball Bundesliga l Hertha BSC Berlin vs Bayern München 2:0 l Sieg für Hertha

Bundesliga: Capital punishment for Bayern Munich 28.09.2018

Bayern Munich dropped points for the second time in a week as they followed up a draw against Augsburg with a defeat in Berlin. It was Hertha Berlin's first win against Bayern in nearly 10 years.
Hessen, Terrorverdächtiger vor Gericht

European court upholds deportation of Tunisian terror suspect 27.09.2018

The man had appealed against his deportation from Germany, saying he faced death penalty in his native country. Tunisia order his extradition in connection with a 2015 attack in Tunis which left over 20 tourists dead.
Symbolbild Arabischer Frühling Saudi-Arabien

Saudi female activist faces death penalty, rights groups say 21.08.2018

Human rights activist Israa al-Ghomgham, imprisoned for protesting alongside Saudi Arabia's Shia minority, is facing possible execution by beheading. Experts have warned of increasing repression in the country.
Indien Mandsaur - Proteste nach Vergewaltigung

India orders death sentence for rapists of 8-year-old 21.08.2018

The sentence is one of the first under a new law allowing for speedy trials and death penalties for child rapists. The brutal rape of the class 2 student in June sparked angry protests.
USA Nevada Exekutions-Raum

Nebraska executes first US inmate using fentanyl 14.08.2018

Nebraska had abolished the use of capital punishment in 2015 but reinstated it through a referendum a year later. A German company attempted to stay the execution, saying Nebraska obtained the lethal drugs improperly.
Symbolbild Todesstrafe Giftspritze

Nebraska execution can go ahead despite German pharma firm's opposition, judge rules 11.08.2018

German pharmaceutical company Fresenius Kabi had argued Nebraska cannot use its drugs to carry out an execution. A judge ruled that the execution can go ahead.

USA Todesstrafe Medikament Midazolam

Fresenius case puts spotlight on misuse of medicines in executions 10.08.2018

A lawsuit filed by a German pharma company against the US state of Nebraska has once again drawn attention to US authorities finding it hard to obtain the drug cocktails they need to carry out the death penalty.

USA Todesstrafe

German drug company sues to block US execution 08.08.2018

A US state's first-ever lethal injection could be delayed or permanently halted by a German company that said Nebraska may have illegally acquired its drugs. The state plans on using an untested four-drug combination.
Twitter Anne Hidalgo

Vandals hit Paris plaque for France's last executed gays 06.08.2018

A plaque commemorating a gay couple burnt alive at a city hall in 1750 was the target of the third attack in as many months. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took to Twitter to decry the "shameful demonstration of homophobia."
Rom Papst Franziskus

Death penalty: Pope Francis makes seismic shift in Catholic Church policy 02.08.2018

The Vatican has announced that it will pursue the worldwide abolition of the death penalty. Pope Francis has argued that capital punishment denies the dignity inherent in all humans.
Japan Haftanstalt in Tokio | Hinrichtungsraum

Japan executes remaining Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult members 26.07.2018

The last of 13 cult members who had been sitting on death row have been put to death. The cult's sarin gas attack in Tokyo's subway system in 1995 killed 13 people, injured some 6,000 others and shocked Japan.
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