"it is the responsibility of governments to address criminality effectively without resorting to the death penalty," said Amnesty International Malaysia executive director Nora Murat.

the mullahs' Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance (MCIG) in Iran warned newspaper editors to censor reports about escalating number of executions, in particular that of the minors in the country.

Argentina ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights aimed at the abolition of the death penalty.

the United Nations advised Tanzania to ratify the International Covenant on civil and Political Right's Optional Protocol on Abolition of Death Penalty as a step in protecting and promoting human rights

in the most recent death sentence passed on a juvenile in Iran, a 19 year old indentified only by his first name, Hossein, will soon face the gallows for the alleged crime committed when he was 17

Iran's parliament, or Majlis, voted by an overwhelming majority in favor of a draft law that would mandate the death penalty for apostates

in Vietnam, the Ho Chi Minh City Appeal Court retained the death penalty for three who led a trans-national ring that smuggled up to 5.28 kg of heroin.

the death penalty can only be applied to criminals convicted of embezzling funds for natural disasters, riots and economic crises, Indonesia's Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes stated.

Japan hanged three death-row inmates, officials said, bringing the number of executions this year to 13

Iran has hanged a man convicted of drug trafficking in a prison in the northern city of Sari, the government's Iran newspaper reported

a teacher was executed for raping or molesting 39 female primary school pupils in northwestern Gansu Province, China.

China has executed two men. Abduhalik Muzht, 39, convicted of fatally cutting two children with a knife in December 2006, was executed on September 4.