prosecutors demanded the death penalty for Saddam Hussein and three of his former aides for crimes against humanity following a 1982 crackdown on Shi'ites in which hundreds were killed and tortured after an attempt on the Iraqi leader's life in the village of Dujai.

two brothers who led a gang that held more than 100 people hostage were hanged in Alexandria.

three women were reported to have been hanged in Qazvin, west of Tehran.

the Iranian regime hanged a woman and a man in Iranshahr, southeast Iran.

it was reported that capital punishment would not be abolished in Benin. The decision was made by the government and a large number of parliamentarians during the week, holding it necessary to retain the death penalty in order to avoid turning the country into a refuge for international criminals.

Mohammad Khan was hanged in Faisalabad District Jail, Pakistan, in the morning hours.

Modisane Ping was executed in secret in Botswana. Ping was found guilty of killing his girlfriend and her six-year-old son.

Hands Off Cain appreciates the announcement made today by Italy’s Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema who, whilst expounding the guidelines for Italy’s foreign policy, reaffirmed Italy’s commitments for the abolition of the death penalty worldwide.

five Iranian men convicted of kidnapping and rape were hanged in the southern cities of Kerman and Zahedan.

Mohammad Aslam, also known as Muawia, was sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan after being found guilty of killing six Shia Muslims during an attack in 1995. He had pleaded not guilty.

a 17 year old boy was sentenced to death in Iran for murder, according to the daily ‘Etemad’.

three men were hanged in city of Qazvin, west of Tehran.