A total of 93 women are currently on death row in Bangladesh, but no female death sentence has been carried out since the country’s independence. The most recent case involves Swapna Khatun, sentenced to death for the Ramisa murder in Mirpur on May 19, 2026. She has been moved to the condemned cell following the verdict. Prison authorities said 50 of the women are held in the condemned section of Kashimpur Women’s Central Jail, where inmates are kept separately and not assigned work.

Legal experts explained that although there is no legal barrier to executing women, complex judicial procedures and humanitarian considerations often prevent enforcement. Appeals to higher courts frequently reduce death sentences to life imprisonment. The Kashimpur women’s prison, opened in 2007, has no gallows, as no woman has ever been executed in Bangladesh. Lawyers noted that women are rarely sole perpetrators in murder cases, which influences judicial leniency.

Officials added that condemned women are allowed limited outdoor time and monthly family visits. Many spend years in isolation, leading to psychological distress. Human rights conventions and social compassion toward women also contribute to the non-enforcement of death sentences.