The western German state of Hesse
has voted to finally scrap the death penalty, referendum results have shown, fixing a historical oddity given that the punishment has been illegal in Germany for nearly 70 years.
Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday ruled out any participation on German soil in a potential Turkish referendum about bringing back the death penalty.
If Turkey decides to hold a referendum on reinstating the death penalty, Germany could legally block Turks within its borders from voting, according to an official government assessment.
The central state of Hesse is overhauling their constitution, making sure to get rid of one thing in particular that no other state has: the death penalty.
A German grandmother could face the death penalty in Florida after a court ruled she was stable enough to be tried for the murder of her grandson, who she allegedly drowned in a bathtub while on holiday to see him.
A growing number of Germans are becoming pen pals with inmates serving time in US prisons. The Local's Moises Mendoza explores what's behind these unusual transatlantic relationships.
Nearly slain by a racist killer in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Rais Bhuiyan is now hoping to prevent the man's execution on Texas' death row. On Wednesday, he even asked for the German government for help.
Doctors are backing a call by Health Minister Philipp Rösler for German drug firms to refuse to supply a key agent used in lethal injection executions to the United States.