Iran has seen a surge in executions, with at least 40 people executed in political and security-related cases since the war began, sparking concerns of crimes against humanity.
The Justice Department announced Friday that the US will re-adopt firing squads, electrocution, and gas asphyxiation as execution methods for the worst federal offenses, expanding beyond lethal injection. The policy readopts the protocol from Trump's first term and streamlines processes to expedite death penalty cases after inmates exhaust appeals. This reverses Biden's pause on federal executions, though only three federal inmates remain on death row after Biden commuted 37 sentences in December 2024. Public support for the death penalty has declined to 52%, and the US remains the only country in the Americas actively carrying out executions.
The Justice Department announced it will re-adopt lethal injection and expand execution methods to include firing squads, electrocution, and gas asphyxiation for federal death penalty cases. The policy reverses Biden's pause on federal executions and comes after Trump pledged to vigorously pursue the death penalty. Only three federal inmates remain on death row after Biden commuted 37 sentences in December 2024.
The US is one of the very few Western nations that still uses the death penalty, although public support for capital punishment has gradually declined among Americans.
The US is one of very few Western nations still using the death penalty, although public support for capital punishment has declined among Americans.
The Justice Department announced Friday it will adopt firing squads as a permitted federal execution method and reauthorize pentobarbital lethal injections, reversing Biden-era policies. The moves come as the Trump administration ramps up capital punishment, with 44 defendants now facing potential death sentences compared to just three remaining on federal death row after Biden commuted 37 sentences.
The Justice Department announced Friday it will adopt firing squads as a permitted federal execution method and reauthorize single-drug lethal injections with pentobarbital. The moves reverse Biden administration policies and ramp up capital punishment, with the Trump administration having already authorized seeking death sentences against 44 defendants. Only three defendants remain on federal death row after President Biden commuted 37 sentences to life imprisonment.
The UN human rights office expressed alarm at Singapore's execution of 25 people over 2023-2024, with 24 for drug-related offences. UN High Commissioner Volker Türk called the death penalty for drug crimes 'fundamentally incompatible with human dignity and the right of life,' noting Singapore is among few countries imposing capital punishment for drug offences not involving intentional killing. Singapore maintains the death penalty has made it one of the world's safest cities.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has called on Singapore and all states still carrying out executions to impose a moratorium on the death penalty as a critical step towards abolition. Singapore maintains mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking above certain thresholds, including 500g of cannabis or 15g of heroin. Of the 25 executions in Singapore in 2023-2024, 24 were for drug offences.
President Vladimir Putin said in late 2024 that the Russian authorities had no plans to introduce capital punishment even amid the country’s special military operation
