Nico Bavurha, one of the men sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the assassination of Laurent Kabila, died on April 1 at Mama yemo hospital in Kinshasa where he had been transferred following a long period of illness in prison.

two Yemenis were beheaded for killing a Saudi woman after breaking into her home, the Saudi Arabia Interior Ministry said.

South Africa's Constitutional Court ruled that the country's last death row inmates be given new sentences in line with its post-apartheid constitution that outlaws capital punishment.

Saudi Arabia executed three Saudis for killing local officials and security forces in the north of the kingdom, the country’s Interior Ministry said.

Saudi Arabia executed Emad al-Wakil, an Egyptian man, for raping and killing a woman, the country’s interior ministry said.

Saudi Arabia executed a gang of six Somali men convicted of abducting and robbing taxi drivers in the Red Sea port of Jeddah. The six men had lured taxi drivers to a remote spot where they hit them and threatened them with knives before robbing them and taking their cars, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Saudi authorities executed Ahmed Ben Maid al-Zahrani.

South Korea's human rights watchdog said it supported a bill before parliament calling for the abolition of the death penalty.

the European Union's legislative branch expressed its dissent with the executive over policy toward Cuba, condemning a shift seeking rapprochement with the Communist-ruled island that included suspension of diplomatic sanctions.

the Ugandan High Court sentenced David Katushabe, from Nakasongola, to death for wounding his neighbour while stealing a goat.

the United Nations mission in the Ivory Coast expressed concern over serious human rights violations including summary executions, abductions and torture which had occurred over the last two months.

it was reported that Uzbekistan executed Akhrorkhodzha Tolipkhodzhayev, bringing to at least 10 the number killed since a 2003 UN appeal for it to suspend the death penalty due to torture concerns, the human rights group Mothers Against Execution and Torture said.