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Document(s)
Government Misconduct and Convicting the Innocent, The Role of Prosecutors, Police and Other Law Enforcement
By Samuel R. Gross, Maurice J. Possley, Kaitlin Jackson Roll, Klara Huber Stephens , on 20 July 2022
2022
Academic report
Innocence
More details See the document
This is a report about the role of official misconduct in the conviction of innocent people. We
discuss cases that are listed in the National Registry of Exonerations, an ongoing online archive
that includes all known exonerations in the United States since 1989, 2,663 as of this writing.
This Report describes official misconduct in the first 2,400 exonerations in the Registry, those
posted by February 27, 2019
- Document type Academic report
- Themes list Innocence
Document(s)
Guess Who’s Coming to Jury Duty? How the Failure to Collect Juror Demographic Data Contributes to Whithewashing the Jury Box
By Berkeley Law Death Penalty Clinic , on 30 April 2024
2024
Academic report
United States
More details See the document
Published on February 2024.
Founded in 2001, the Berkeley Law Death Penalty Clinic seeks justice for individuals facing capital punishment by providing high-quality representation and offers students a rich opportunity for meaningful, hands-on experience in high stakes, complex litigation. The clinic also tackles problems endemic to the administration of the death penalty and the criminal legal system.
The report continues the clinic’s racial justice research and advocacy by cataloging the states that gather prospective jurors’ self-identified race and ethnicity and those that do not. It examines what courts do with the information, including whether it is provided to the court and counsel for use during jury selection, and the consequences of these choices in furthering or obstructing jury representativeness and diversity. In particular, the report shows why the collection of prospective jurors’ self-identified race and ethnicity is vital to meeting state and federal fair cross-section guarantees and eliminating the discriminatory exercise of peremptory challenges.
- Document type Academic report
- Countries list United States
Jobs
ASIA PACIFIC
on 19 September 2024
Available grants are indicated below, with the specific target countries and the specific maximum amounts for each Worldwide Grant Grant Asia 1 All Asia Pacific countries Grant Asia 2 All Asia Pacific countries Grant Asia 3 All Asia Pacific countries Grant Asia 4 Bangladesh Grant Asia 5 Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa Grant Asia 6 […]
2024
Document(s)
A Deadly Distraction, Why the Death Penalty is not the Answer to Rape in South Asia
on 25 May 2022
2022
Arguments against the death penalty
NGO report
Bangladesh
India
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
More details See the document
Since 2010, persons convicted of rape offences were executed in at least 9 countries, including India and Pakistan. Moreover, public protests against the rape epidemic, which led governments to introduce capital rape laws, illustrates the need to shine a spotlight in South Asia.
The report examines the use of the death penalty for rape in four South Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and explores ways that anti-death penalty activists can challenge this concerning trend.
- Document type Arguments against the death penalty / NGO report
- Countries list Bangladesh / India / Pakistan / Sri Lanka
Document(s)
Zimbabwe – Universal Periodic Review – Death Penalty – July 2021
By Eleos Justice, Monash University, on 15 July 2021
2021
NGO report
World Coalition
Zimbabwe
More details Download [ pdf - 271 Ko ]
This report addresses Zimbabwe’s compliance with its human rights obligations with respect to its use of the death penalty. The United Nations considers Zimbabwe a de facto abolitionist country. It has not carried out any executions since 2005. Courts, however, continue to sentence individuals to death, with 88 people currently on death row as of December 2020, after 8 sentences were commuted in April 2020. The new Zimbabwean Constitution (the “2013 Constitution”) has replaced the mandatory death penalty with a discretionary sentence for the crime of murder committed under aggravating circumstances. The 2013 Constitution further outlaws the imposition of the death penalty on women, men over the age of 70, and men under the age of 21 at the time the offence was committed. In its 2016 Universal Periodic Review, Zimbabwe noted all recommendations related to the death penalty, partly on the ground that Zimbabwean public opinion did not support abolition of death penalty. Since 2016, developments demonstrate a more positive attitude among the public and opinion leaders toward further reform and the abolition of death penalty.
This report focuses on various issues concerning the death penalty and related international human rights instruments, and on conditions of detention and acts of torture and ill treatment of people in detention. Specifically, this report recommends that Zimbabwe abolish the death penalty, improve detention conditions, ratify relevant human rights treaties, and increase resources dedicated to improving the justice system.
- Document type NGO report / World Coalition
- Countries list Zimbabwe
Document(s)
A/HRC/51/7 – Advance Edited Version – Question of the death penalty
By Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), on 26 July 2022
2022
United Nations report
More details See the document
Pursuant to Human Rights Council decision 18/117, the present report is submitted to update previous reports on the question of the death penalty. In the report, the Secretary-General reaffirms the trend towards the universal abolition of the death penalty and highlights initiatives limiting its use and implementing the safeguards guaranteeing the protection of the rights of those facing this severe penalty. A minority of States continued to use the death penalty. Pursuant to Council resolution 22/11, the report also includes information on the human rights of children of parents sentenced to the death penalty or executed.
- Document type United Nations report
Document(s)
“Don’t let them kill us”: Iran’s relentless execution crisis since the 2022 uprising
By Amnesty International, on 4 April 2024
2024
NGO report
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
faMore details See the document
Published in 2024.
This research briefing documents the horrifying surge in executions in Iran in 2023, the highest in eight years. More than half of the executions were for drug-related offences amid a distressing return to a lethal antinarcotics policy since Ebrahim Raisi’s rise to presidency in 2021. With systemic impunity in Iran, the briefing reiterates the need for states to initiate criminal investigations under the principle of universal jurisdiction into crimes under international law committed by Iranian officials, irrespective of the absence or presence of the accused in their territory. Since the “Woman Life Freedom” uprising of September-December 2022, the Iranian authorities have weaponized the death penalty to create a pervasive climate of fear across the country, exert control over the population, and suppress dissent and any challenge to their iron grip on power. As a result, 2023 saw an exponential increase in the number of recorded executions. The authorities executed at least 853 people in 2023, a 48% increase from 2022 when 576 people were executed and a 172% increase from 2021 when 314 people were executed. Amnesty International believes that the real number of executions is higher, but the Iranian authorities are not transparent about the number of people executed each year and do not make data on executions publicly available.
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list Iran (Islamic Republic of)
- Available languages « ن گ راذ ی د ام ار دنشکب » نارحب مادعا یب یاه ناما رد اریا شزیخ نامز زا ن لاس 1
Document(s)
Mobilization Kit 2010
By World Coalition against the death penalty , on 10 October 2010
2010
Campaigning
Trend Towards Abolition
More details Download [ pdf - 138 Ko ]
Every year, the World Coalition Against the Death
Penalty (WCADP) calls for local initiatives worldwide.
The events involve citizens and organisations
supporting the abolition of capital punishment and
comprise debates, concerts, press releases or any
other action which would give the global abolition claim
an international boost.
This Day is aimed at both political leaders and public
opinion in countries where the death penalty has or
has not yet been abolished: people have to remember
the meaning of abolition and pass it down through the
generations.
They must be aware that justice without the death
penalty is possible
- Document type Campaigning
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
Document(s)
The Myth of Autonomy Rights
By Kathryn E. Miller, on 20 July 2022
2022
Article
United States
More details See the document
Supreme Court rhetoric, scholarly discussion, blackletter law, and ethical rules have perpetuated a myth that individual rights protect the autonomy of defendants within the criminal legal system. To expose this myth, I examine six rights that the Court has enshrined as essential decision points for criminal defendants due to the rights’ purported expressive and consequential functions: (1) the right to self-representation; (2) the right to plead guilty; (3) the right to waive a jury; (4) the right to testify; (5) the right to waive appeals; and (6) the right to maintain innocence at a capital trial. I conclude that each of these rights fails to protect defendant autonomy.
I then argue that genuine displays of autonomy under the criminal legal system take the form of resistance to the law, legal advocates, and the legal system. Thus, the autonomy of criminal defendants occurs not because of law but in spite of it. As such, scholarly discussions of the personal autonomy of criminal defendants should focus not on rights and rules but on acts of resistance. The current autonomy rights discourse is harmful because it obscures the system’s defects by framing discussions around individual rights instead of structural limitations. This lends itself to solutions involving procedural tinkering to better actualize individual rights instead of radical structural reform or abolition. By obscuring these structural defects and stressing the system’s protective qualities, the autonomy rights discourse presents the system not only as legitimate, but as functional, and potentially even successful. As such, a new scholarly frame is warranted: autonomy as resistance to law and the legal system. By illuminating the ways in which autonomy in the criminal legal system resembles autonomy under the American institution of slavery, the autonomy as resistance frame exposes the need for radical structural change and facilitates a reimagining of the criminal legal system.
- Document type Article
- Countries list United States
Document(s)
From Advocacy To Abolition: How The Universal Periodic Review Can Shape The Trajectory Of The Abolition Of The Death Penalty
By Amy Bergquist, California Western, School of Law, on 1 February 2024
2024
Academic Article
Trend Towards Abolition
More details See the document
Published in 2023.
This article assesses whether there is evidence to suggest that the UPR can influence the timing of a country’s decision to abolish the death penalty. The evidence arises out of the examination of thirty case studies of countries that abolished the death penalty, or ratifiedthe leading treaty calling for abolition. This article concludes that in some circumstances the UPR does appear to influence that timing. These conclusions can assist civil society organizations as they refine their advocacy to encourage more countries to abolish the death penalty.
Part I of this article offers an introduction to the global abolitionist movement and two of its advocacy targets: the U.N. Human Rights Council and the UPR. Part II makes the case for focusing on the UPR to assess the efficacy of U.N. advocacy. Part III describes the process of abolition and offers several theories as to how the UPR might influence a country’s trajectory toward abolition. Part IV sets out the study’s methodology and encompasses the analysis of the case studies, focusing first on countries that have abolished the death penalty early in a UPR cycle, then on countries that have abolished at mid-cycle, and finally on countries that have abolished during the tail end of the cycle. The conclusion discusses the implications of these findings for civil society organizations working toward abolition of the death penalty.
- Document type Academic Article
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
Document(s)
A/HRC/54/53: Human rights challenges in addressing and countering all aspects of the world drug problem – Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
By United Nations , on 15 August 2023
2023
Academic report
United Nations report
Drug Offenses
aresfrruzh-hantMore details See the document
The present report outlines human rights challenges in addressing and countering key
aspects of the world drug problem. It also offers an overview of recent positive developments
to shift towards more human rights-centred drug policies, and provides recommendations on
the way forward in view of the upcoming midterm review of the 2019 Ministerial Declaration
and to contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
- Document type Academic report / United Nations report
- Themes list Drug Offenses
- Available languages التحديات الناشئئئنة لت التصئئئد لمخئئئ لة المخدرات العالمية بجميع جوان ا ومواج ت ا في التمتع بحقوق اإلنسان تقرير مفوضية األمم المتحدة السامية لحقوق اإلنسان*A/HRC/54/53: Desafíos en materia de derechos humanos a la hora de abordar y contrarrestar todos los aspectos del problema mundial de las drogas - Informe de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos HumanosA/HRC/54/53 : Enjeux en matière de droits de l’homme de la mobilisation et de la lutte contre le problème mondial de la drogue sous tous ses aspects - Rapport du Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies aux droits de l’hommeПроблемы в области прав человека при решении мировой проблемы наркотиков во всех ее аспектах и борьбе с нею Доклад Управления Верховного комиссара Организации Объединенных Наций по правам человекаA/HRC/54/53:全方位处理和应对世界毒品问题方面的人权挑战 - 联合国人权事务高级专员办事处的报告
Document(s)
Mobilization Kit 2008
By World Coalition against the death penalty , on 10 October 2008
2008
Campaigning
Trend Towards Abolition
frMore details Download [ pdf - 137 Ko ]
Every year, the World Coalition Against the Death
Penalty (WCADP) calls for local initiatives worldwide.
The events involve citizens and organisations
supporting the abolition of capital punishment and
comprise debates, concerts, press releases or any
other action which would give to the global abolition
claim an international boost.
This Day is intended for both political leaders and
public opinion of countries where the death penalty
has or not been abolished yet: people have to
remember the meaning of abolition and pass it down
through generations.
They must be aware that a justice without death
penalty is possible.
- Document type Campaigning
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
- Available languages Kit de mobilisation 2008
Document(s)
The Process of Abolishing the Death Penalty in Members States of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
By Nael Georges, ECPM, on 27 November 2020
2020
NGO report
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Brunei Darussalam
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Chad
Comoros
Djibouti
Egypt
Indonesia
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Iraq
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lebanon
Libya
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Morocco
Mozambique
Niger
Nigeria
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Sudan
Suriname
Tajikistan
Togo
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
arfrMore details See the document
As the 47th session of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is being held on 27-28 November 2020 in Niamey, Niger, ECPM and Nael Georges release this study, “The Process of Abolishing the Death Penalty in Member States of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation”.
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list Afghanistan / Albania / Algeria / Azerbaijan / Bahrain / Brunei Darussalam / Burkina Faso / Cameroon / Chad / Comoros / Djibouti / Egypt / Indonesia / Iran (Islamic Republic of) / Iraq / Jordan / Kazakhstan / Kuwait / Kyrgyzstan / Lebanon / Libya / Malaysia / Maldives / Mali / Morocco / Mozambique / Niger / Nigeria / Oman / Qatar / Saudi Arabia / Sierra Leone / Somalia / Sudan / Suriname / Tajikistan / Togo / Tunisia / Turkey / Turkmenistan / Uganda / United Arab Emirates / Uzbekistan
- Available languages مسارمإلغاء عقوبة الإعدافي الدول الأعضاءفي منظمة التعاونالإسلاميLes processus d’abolition de la peine de mort dans les États membres de l’Organisation de la coopération islamique (OCI)
Document(s)
Lethal injection in the modern era: cruel, unusual and racist
By Reprieve , on 24 April 2024
2024
NGO report
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
United States
More details See the document
Published on April 2024.
Researchers at Reprieve conducted an in-depth comparative study of botched lethal injection executions in the modern era of the U.S. death penalty, cross-referenced against the 1,407 lethal injection executions carried out or attempted during that period.
This report examines the phenomenon of botched executions by lethal injection, exploring the trends and contributing factors leading to botched executions through an analysis of 73 botched executions in the 1,407 lethal injection executions since 1977 (known as the modern era of the death penalty in the U.S.). This analysis used a process called multi-variable logistic regression, a type of analysis that assesses the odds of something happening considering multiple variables, to assess how identifiable characteristics (gender, age, and race) were associated with botched executions.
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Article(s)
Why is the Death Penalty not the answer to Rape?
By Morine Chauvris, on 8 July 2024
Every October 10th, the World Coalition against the death penalty and its members celebrates the World Day against the Death penalty. In 2024 and 2025, the abolitionist movement will focus on challenging the widespread misconception that the death penalty enhances safety for individuals and communities.
2024
Women
Document(s)
The Culture of Capital Punishment in Japan
By David T. Johnson, on 4 July 2020
2020
Academic report
Japan
More details See the document
Japan retains the death penalty for three main reasons: because it missed a major opportunity for abolition in the postwar Occupation, because of the long hegemony of the (conservative) Liberal Democratic Party, and because (like the United States and China) it has sufficient size, economic influence, and political clout to enable it to defy human rights norms. Capital punishment also persists in Japan because it performs welcome functions for politicians, prosecutors, media, and the public.
Despite widespread belief to the contrary, capital punishment in Japan does not deter homicide better than long terms of imprisonment do.
- Document type Academic report
- Countries list Japan
Document(s)
Annual Report On the Death Penalty in Iran 2023
By Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) with the support of ECPM (Together Against the Death Penalty), on 14 March 2024
2024
NGO report
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
More details See the document
Published on March 5, 2024
This report has been drafted by Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) with the support of ECPM (Together Against the Death Penalty). Since 2012, Iran Human Rights and ECPM have been working together for the publication, international release and distribution of annual reports on the death penalty in Iran.
The 16th annual report on the death penalty by Iran Human Rights and ECPM (Together Against the Death Penalty) provides an assessment and analysis of the 2023 death penalty trends in 2023 in the Islamic Republic of Iran. It sets out the number of executions in 2023, the trend compared to previous years, the legislative framework and procedures, charges, geographic distribution and a monthly breakdown of executions. Lists of the female and juvenile offenders executed in 2023 are also included in the tables. The report also looks into the abolitionist movement within Iran, including the forgiveness movement and its contribution to reducing the use of the death penalty, and provides analysis on how the international community can contribute to limiting the scope of the death penalty in Iran. The 2023 report is the result of hard work from Iran Human Rights members and supporters who took part in reporting, documenting, collecting, analysing and writing of its contents. We are especially grateful to Iran Human Rights sources inside Iran who incur a significant risk by reporting on unannounced and secret executions in prisons of 30 different provinces. Due to the very difficult context, the lack of transparency and the obvious risks and limitations that human rights defenders face in the Islamic Republic of Iran, this report does not give a complete picture of the use of the death penalty in Iran by any means. There are 46 reported executions which are not included in this report due to a lack of sufficient details or an inability to confirm cases through two different sources. However, it aims to provide the most complete and realistic figures possible in the present circumstances. The current report does not include suspicious deaths in custody, death row prisoners who died in prison before the executions or those killed under torture. ECPM supports the elaboration, editing process, publishing and distribution of this report in the framework of its international advocacy work against the death penalty. The problems of transparency on the data and information about the death penalty in Iran should be overcome by a strong strategy of distribution and dissemination. The overall objectives of this report for Iran Human Rights and ECPM are to call attention to and publicise the facts, in order to change national and international views on the situation of the death penalty in Iran, first executioner country in the world.
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Document(s)
Uganda – Universal Periodic Review – Death Penalty – July 2021
on 21 July 2021
2021
NGO report
World Coalition
Uganda
More details Download [ pdf - 336 Ko ]
This report addresses Uganda’s compliance with its international human rights obligations with respect to the death penalty. The report examines and discusses the current state of the death penalty in Uganda, including (1) the broad scope of crimes that are eligible for the death penalty; (2) the lack of effective access to counsel in capital cases; (3) the occurrence of extrajudicial killings.
This report recommends that Uganda adopt a number of key steps to better align its death penalty practices with Uganda’s international human rights obligations. These steps include the following: establishing an official, de jure moratorium on the death penalty; reducing the number and scope of crimes that are eligible for the death penalty; reducing the maximum possible sentence from death to one that is fair, proportionate and in compliance with international human rights standards; and other measures
- Document type NGO report / World Coalition
- Countries list Uganda
Document(s)
Educational guide: teaching abolition
By World Coalition against the death penalty , on 10 October 2011
2011
Campaigning
Trend Towards Abolition
frMore details See the document
In 2009, the World Day Against the Death Penalty was
dedicated to the theme “Teaching Abolition”. The World
Coalition developed a teaching guide to be used in
schools throughout the world
- Document type Campaigning
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
- Available languages Guide pédagogique: éduquer à l'abolition
Article(s)
Over 8,000 people on death row in South Asia
By Aurelie Placais, staff, on 3 May 2022
With few executions but one of the biggest death rows in the world, South Asia is at a crossroad. Recent publications explore mental health on death row and social and economic background of people sentenced to death in Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
2022
Bangladesh
Death Row Conditions
India
Maldives
Mental Illness
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Document(s)
Annual Report on The Death Penalty In Iran 2021
on 28 April 2022
2022
NGO report
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
frMore details See the document
The 120-page report assesses and analyses trends in death penalty practices in order to propose recommendations, tailored to the national context, and to engage in a constructive dialogue on capital punishment in the country.
The death penalty situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran remains alarming with a significant increase in executions in 2021 (+25%) and an increasing number of Iranian women being executed. The number of executions has doubled after the election of Ebrahim Raeisi as President, and as the Islamic Republic and Western governments negotiate to revive the nuclear deal, also called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). These are some of the main findings of the 14th Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran by Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) and Ensemble Contre la Peine de Mort (ECPM) released today.
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list Iran (Islamic Republic of)
- Available languages Rapport annuel sur la peine de mort en Iran 2021
Document(s)
Facts and Figures 2012
By World Coalition against the death penalty , on 10 October 2012
2012
Campaigning
Trend Towards Abolition
esfrMore details Download [ pdf - 251 Ko ]
On October 10, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and abolitionists worldwide will celebrate the 10th
anniversary of World Day against the Death Penalty. This year’s World Day focuses on the achievements and
progress made toward abolition. Around the world, countries have ended or restricted their use of the death
penalty. In addition, they have signified their support of ending this practice by ratifying the Second Optional
Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty
and by voting in favour of United Nations (UN) resolutions for a moratorium on the death penalty. The World
Coalition welcomes these steps forward as it also remains vigilant for the challenges ahead.
- Document type Campaigning
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
- Available languages Hoja Informativa DetalladaFaits et figures 2012
Article(s)
Malaysia and the Politics Behind the Death Penalty: A Tumultuous Relationship.
By Michelle Chew, on 24 October 2022
On 6 October 2022, the Malaysian government tabled bills abolishing the mandatory death penalty.
2022
Malaysia
Trend Towards Abolition
Article(s)
Statement on the end of the unofficial moratorium on executions in Myanmar
By the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 11 August 2022
The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, and ACAT-France, ACAT-Germany (and their partner organization Federal Association of Vietnamese Refugees in the Federal Republic of Germany), Amnesty International, Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN), Avocats Sans Frontières France, Centre for Civil and Political Rights, Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE International), Coalition Marocaine Contre la Peine […]
2022
Moratorium
Myanmar
Document(s)
Felony Murder: An On-Ramp for Extreme Sentencing
By The Sentencing Project, Fair and Just Prosecution, on 23 March 2022
2022
NGO report
United States
More details See the document
Although other countries have largely rejected the felony murder doctrine, 48 states, the District of Columbia, and the federal government still use these laws. Felony murder laws compel harsh decades-long – or even life – sentences even when the individual charged did not directly cause or intend the loss of life.
This report evaluates the legal and empirical foundation, and failings, of the felony murder rule, profiles impacted individuals, and highlights recent reform efforts in 10 jurisdictions. Key findings include:
1. Felony murder laws widen the net of extreme sentencing and are counterproductive to public safety.
2. Felony murder laws have particularly adverse impacts on people of color, young people, and women.
3. Existing reforms must be expanded to achieve justice.
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list United States
Document(s)
Death Row in the USA: Death Penalty Cases and Statistics by State
By Legal Defense Fund , on 13 May 2024
2024
Academic report
Death Row Conditions
United States
More details See the document
LDF issues a quarterly report entitled Death Row USA that contains death penalty information, death row populations by state, and other capital punishment statistics in the United States.
- Document type Academic report
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Death Row Conditions
Article(s)
ADPAN network reinforces its strength in Asia
By Jessica Corredor, on 22 August 2017
The Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network held its third AGM in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 20 July, followed by a national conference on the abolition of the death penalty in Malaysia and Asia-Pacific.
2017
Malaysia
Article(s)
Worldwide abolitionists to focus on South-East Asia
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 30 April 2015
The next general assembly of the World Coalition will take place on Saturday 13 June 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, following the Regional Congress against the Death Penalty organised by ECPM in partnership with ADPAN on 11-12 June 2015.
2015
Malaysia
Article(s)
Building a death penalty-free future in Asia
By Aurélie Plaçais, on 6 December 2012
Ways to strengthen transregional action led by Asian activists and ideas to combat obstruction from national authorities were among the issues discussed at the third ADPAN consultative meeting.
2012
Australia
Bangladesh
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Mongolia
Moratorium
Pakistan
Philippines
Republic of Korea
Singapore
Taiwan
Thailand
Member(s)
Act for Human Rights (ALEF)
on 30 April 2020
Act for Human Rights previously know as “Association libanaise pour l’éducation et la formation” core mandate is Monitoring and Advocacy. Its main concern are Human Rights issues, thus the organization has been advocating against death penalty. Currently our project activities are the following: Death Penalty Abolition Activities in Lebanon- ALEF – act for human rights […]
2020
Lebanon
Article(s)
A Moratorium acts as a “truce” for the death penalty
on 23 August 2012
Hands Off Cain published its annual report in August. President of Sierra Leone Ernest Bai Koroma wrote the introduction and the book has been dedicated to Rwanda.
2012
Benin
Burundi
Ethiopia
Ghana
Guinea
Latvia
Maldives
Mauritania
Mongolia
Moratorium
Morocco
Myanmar
Nigeria
Rwanda
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Suriname
Uganda
United States
Zambia
Document(s)
Special issue: a decade-long review of the death penalty for drug offences
By Harm Reduction International, on 7 May 2024
2024
NGO report
Drug Offenses
More details See the document
This report builds on the pioneering work HRI has been doing since its first ‘The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview (‘Global Overview’) in 2007. It analyses how the landscape of the death penalty for drug offences has shifted in the last decade, looking at the main trends regarding people on death row, death sentences and executions for drug offences, as well as key developments at national and international level in the period between 2014 and 2023.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Drug Offenses
Document(s)
Proven With(out) Certainty: How Judges Sentence Defendants to Death for Drug Offences in Iran
By Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation for the Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy in Iran, Monash University and ELEOS Justice, on 6 February 2024
2024
NGO report
Drug Offenses
More details See the document
Published in April 2023.
Despite the reduction in the number of executions for drug offences during 2018-2020, a sudden increase in executions was recorded during 2021-2023: at least 131 known executions were recorded for drug offences in 2021, 253 executions in 2022, and 82 executions during the first 3 months of 2023 (Table). However, information concerning the death penalty in Iran is notoriously difficult to obtain because of the secrecy surrounding the country’s criminal justice process. This note provides a rare glimpse into the application of capital drug laws in the Islamic Republic of Iran. It exposes the idiosyncratic practices of the judiciary and its decision-making, using cases concerning the death penalty for drug offences—its imposition prohibited long under international standards. These judgments repeatedly use the language of ‘certainty’ in convicting the accused. In reality, to those familiar with basic fair trial standards, they raise serious concerns about miscarriages of justice that could potentially result in the erosion of legitimacy of the criminal ‘justice’ system in Iran.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Drug Offenses
Article(s)
ADPAN network keeps up abolitionist fight
By Anti-Death Penalty Asian Network (ADPAN), on 10 October 2012
The Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network, which was founded on 10 October 2006, is again taking action this World Day Against the Death Penalty and takes stock on 10 years of progress in Asia – and on the challenges ahead.
2012
Document(s)
Arbitrary and Capricious: Examining Racial Disparities in Harris County’s Pursuit of Death Sentences
By Texas Defender Service, on 24 April 2024
2024
NGO report
United States
More details See the document
Published on February 2024.
Texas has executed more people than any other state. However, out of the 254 counties in Texas, 136 have never sent an individual to death row. Harris County—Texas’s largest county and home to the city of Houston—stands out as the “death penalty capital of the world.” Harris County has executed more people than any state in the United States except Texas3 and is responsible for a quarter of the 1,124 people who have been sent to Texas’s death row since 1973.
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list United States
Document(s)
Resolution 77/274 – Moratorium on the use of the death penalty
By United Nations General Assembly, on 8 August 2022
2022
United Nations report
More details See the document
The present report provides information on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 75/183. It discusses developments towards the abolition of the death penalty and the establishment of moratoriums on executions and highlights trends in the use of the death penalty, including the application of international standards relating to the protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty. The report discusses conditions of detention for persons on death row, the application of the death penalty to foreign nationals, its disproportionate and discriminatory application to women, its disproportionate impact on poor and economically vulnerable individuals, its discriminatory use relating to persons exercising their human rights, and various initiatives for advancing its abolition. The report welcomes progress made towards universal abolition in States representing different legal systems, traditions, cultures and religious backgrounds. It concludes that all measures aimed towards limiting the application of the death penalty constitute progress in the protection of the right to life.
- Document type United Nations report
Article(s)
Adoption of Bill Allowing the Imposition of the Death Penalty for a New Crime.
By Grace Keane O'Connor , on 30 April 2021
Philippine House Bill No. 7814 provides the death penalty for a new crime under the 2002 Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.
2021
Drug Offenses
Philippines
Article(s)
International Symposium on the Right to Life in Taiwan
By Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP), on 12 January 2024
The Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP) held a series of events including an international seminar, prison visit, and meetings that took place from 19-22 September 2023 to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
2024
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Death Row Conditions
India
Taiwan
Article(s)
The Status Quo of China’s Death Penalty and the Civil Society Abolitionist Movement
By China Against the Death Penalty, on 15 February 2022
Translation of an article on the death penalty in China for the Beijing Olympics 2022, initially published by Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty in October 2021 for World Day.
2022
China
Legal Representation
Article(s)
Recapping and video recordings of the side events of the 2021 General Assembly
By Elise Garel, World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 27 September 2021
On June 18, 2021, on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, several events were organized. These events were an opportunity for the members of the World Coalition to address many issues related to the fight for the abolition of the death penalty.
2021
Juveniles
Legal Representation
Women
Document(s)
Death Penalty For Drug Offences: Global Overview 2021
on 21 March 2022
2022
NGO report
Drug Offenses
More details See the document
Harm Reduction International has monitored the use of the death penalty for drug offences worldwide since our first ground-breaking publication on this issue in 2007. This report, our eleventh on the subject, continues our work of providing regular updates on legislative, policy and practical developments related to the use of capital punishment for drug offences, a practice which is a clear violation of international law.
The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2021 found that: 1) 35 countries still retain the death penalty for drug offences 2) At least 131 people were executed for drug offences in 2021 – a 336% increase from 2020. However, due to a severe lack of transparency, if not outright censorship, this is only a partial picture. This figure likely represents only a fraction of all drug-related executions carried out globally.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Drug Offenses
Article(s)
Asia still top executioner but more divided than ever: Hands Off Cain Report
By Aurélie Plaçais, on 11 August 2011
Hands Off Cain’s 2011 Report contains the most important facts regarding the practice of the death penalty in 2010 and the first six months of 2011.
2011
China
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Drug Offenses
India
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Mongolia
Moratorium
Myanmar
Viet Nam
Document(s)
Gender, Violence, and the Death Penalty
By Sandra Babcock and Nathalie Greenfield, California Western International Law Journal , on 1 February 2024
2024
Academic Article
Gender
Women
More details See the document
Published in 2023.
This article is the first in a series that will systematically explore how gender has affected the criminal proceedings of women currently on death row. For this inaugural article, we have undertaken the first—and, to our knowledge, only comprehensive analysis of gender-based violence (“GBV”) in the lives of all women currently on death row, examining the prevalence of GBV and how it has shaped the lives and affected the criminal prosecutions of women facing execution. Our research reveals, for the first time, that almost every woman on death row in the United States has experienced GBV. Indeed,the great majority have experienced more than one incident of GBV in their lifetime. Our findings align with previous studies demonstrating that women’s pathways to incarceration are paved with physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. Our research further shows that both in the United States and around the world, defense attorneys frequently fail to present evidence of GBV in women’s capital trials. When they do introduce such evidence, they fail to fully explain the nature of their clients’ victimization and the harm they have suffered as a result. Moreover, prosecutors frequently rely on gendered tropes to discredit women’s accounts of violence such as childhood sexual abuse, rape, and intimate partner violence. Consequently, those who sentence women to die rarely comprehend the extensive trauma that the women have endured throughout their lives, and how that trauma relates to their legal and moral culpability.
- Document type Academic Article
- Themes list Gender / Women
Document(s)
The Physician in the Execution Chamber: No Such Thing as the Normal Pain of Dying
By Joel Zivot, California Western International Law Journal , on 1 February 2024
Academic Article
United States
More details See the document
Published in October 2023.
For capital punishment to be lawful in the United States of America, it must occur without cruelty, a requirement of the traditional reading of the Eighth Amendment. There has never been a consensus on what form of execution is cruel, although some historic practices are shockingly barbaric to modern sensibilities— I think of the “draw and quarter” technique. The family of the murdered victim may fairly argue that the murderous behavior should be the minimum degree of cruelty meted out. But western countries eschew that standard and seek moderate forms, partly to deter by punishment and partly as a forfeit of the murderer’s life for the victim’s life when execution is allowed in that state. Certainly, there is substantial support for continuation of execution in states that allow it. The judges must be respectful of that, but still, they must respect the 8th amendment. At present, the prevalent method of execution in the United States is “lethal injection” using injectable medicines in very high doses that are repurposed to kill the prisoner. Because it is impossible to ask an executed individual about the cruelty experienced during their own death, the state instead relies on the empathy of witnesses to gauge the cruelty of a prisoner’s execution. Lethal injection was expected to be a bloodless execution and aimed to eliminate the visible appearance of cruelty, sometimes through the use of a paralytic.
- Document type Academic Article
- Countries list United States
Article(s)
Imposing the death penalty has not reduced drug crimes in Asia -New Report
By FIDH & World Coalition, on 10 October 2015
Death penalty for drug crimes in Asia: an illegal practice reveals report published on World Day by FIDH and the World Coalition
2015
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
China
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Drug Offenses
India
Indonesia
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Japan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Malaysia
Maldives
Myanmar
Pakistan
Republic of Korea
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Taiwan
Thailand
Viet Nam
Article(s)
US murder victims’ families advocate abolition in Asia
on 14 July 2010
World Coalition member organisation Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights held public events and meetings with victims and leaders during a recent tour of South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
2010
Murder Victims' Families
Republic of Korea
Document(s)
Mobilization Kit 2006
By World Coalition against the death penalty , on 10 October 2006
2006
Campaigning
Trend Towards Abolition
frMore details Download [ pdf - 114 Ko ]
The World Coalition was created in Rome on 13 May
2002, following the commitment undertaken by the
organizations who signed the Final Declaration of
the First World Congress against the death penalty
in June 2001 in Strasbourg. It comprises 52 non-
governmental organizations, as well as bar asso-
ciations, trade unions and local communities.
The Coalition aims to reinforce the international
movement to abolish the death penalty, to reduce
the scope of capital punishment and put an end
to executions wherever they take place. To this
end, the Coalition facilitates the creation and devel-
opment of national and regional coalitions against
the death penalty. The Coalition also spearheads
lobbying efforts directed towards states and inter-
national institutions.
- Document type Campaigning
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
- Available languages Kit de mobilisation 2006
Article(s)
What China’s report to the United Nations tells us about transparency and the death penalty
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 28 June 2024
In January 2024, China underwent its fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the UN Human Rights Council. While in all previous reviews, the death penalty was mentioned in the Chinese state report, nothing was reported this year.
2024
China
Document(s)
Educational guide 2009
By World Coalition against the death penalty , on 10 October 2009
2009
Campaigning
Trend Towards Abolition
esfrruzh-hantMore details Download [ pdf - 536 Ko ]
With this Educational Guide, the World Coalition
Against the Death Penalty is launching a collaborative
initiative which aims to improve the contributions of all.
This guide will be regularly supplemented by new infor-
mation and themes. It will also be frequently updated
on the Coalition’s website (www.worldcoalition.org).
On behalf of the members of the World Coalition in
more than thirty countries across the world, we thank
you for your support.
- Document type Campaigning
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
- Available languages Guía pedagógica Jornada mundial 2009Guide pédagogique 2009Руководство по обучению организации мероприятий по случаю Всемирного дня борьбы против смертной казни2009 年世界反死刑日
Document(s)
The Power of Example: Whither The Biden Death Penalty Promise?
on 21 July 2022
2022
NGO report
United States
More details Download [ pdf - 4342 Ko ]
“The President, his administration and Congress must recognize that respect for human dignity and retention of the death penalty are incompatible; that respect for the rule of law must include international human rights law guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty; that upholding universal rights must include upholding the right of everyone to life and freedom from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; and that making international institutions stronger must include implementing the conclusions of UN human rights treaty bodies,”
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list United States
Document(s)
How to Work with Parliamentarians for the Abolition of the Death Penalty
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 7 October 2021
2021
Working with...
World Coalition
Moratorium
Public Opinion
frMore details Download [ pdf - 18114 Ko ]
This how-to guide, elaborated with Parliamentarians for Global Action with highlights coming from the African continent, is specifically designed for the use of abolitionist civil society groups who want to work with parliamentarians for the abolition of the death penalty.
- Document type Working with... / World Coalition
- Themes list Moratorium / Public Opinion
- Available languages Comment travailler avec les parlementaires pour l'abolition de la peine de mort ?
Article(s)
Alarming levels of executions in few countries – Amnesty
on 27 March 2012
In a new report, Amnesty International analyses some of the key developments in the worldwide application of the death penalty, citing figures it has gathered on the number of death sentences handed down and executions carried out in 2011.
2012
Bahrain
Belarus
China
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Iraq
Moratorium
Nigeria
Saudi Arabia
Sierra Leone
South Sudan
Tunisia
Article(s)
ADPAN network strengthens abolitionists across Asia
By Aurélie Plaçais (in Taipei, Taiwan), on 9 December 2014
The Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network, a coalition hosted by Amnesty International in London since 2006, has become an independent organisation registered in Malaysia and held its first AGM in Taipei, Taiwan on 4-5 December.
2014
China
Japan
Malaysia
Mongolia
Public Opinion
Republic of Korea
Taiwan
Taiwan
Article(s)
Asia: Stop executions and unfair trials
By ADPAN, on 6 December 2011
A hard-line group of Asian countries are defying the global trend against the death penalty and putting to death thousands of people after unfair trials every year, the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) said today in a new report.
2011
Article(s)
Follow-up to the initiative on the conditions of detention and treatment of death row prisoners
By Nordine Drici (Planète Réfugiés) & Sandrine Ageorges-Skinner (ECPM), on 10 June 2019
PRDH, in partnership with ECPM and the University of Grenoble-Alpes, organized a side event on the conditions of detention and treatment of death row prisoners worldwide during the 7th World Congress against the Death Penalty in Brussels (27 February – 1 March 2019) which provided food for thought and some areas of work thanks to the presence of some thirty participants working in more than 10 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. The results of these discussions are shared in this article.
2019
Article(s)
Japan executions “a step backward for Asia”
on 30 July 2010
Activists in Japan and elsewhere have criticised Justice Minister Keiko Chiba for ordering two men to be hanged in Tokyo on July 28 despite her earlier abolitionist statements.
2010
Japan
Moratorium
Public Opinion
Taiwan
Article(s)
Asia develops into hub of abolitionist dialogue
By Emile Carreau, on 6 November 2014
World Coalition member, Community of Sant’Egidio, has organised anti-death penalty conferences in Japan and the Philippines, both of which were overwhelmingly attended. Further conferences in the region are set to continue.
2014
Cambodia
India
Indonesia
Japan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Philippines
Sri Lanka
Viet Nam
Article(s)
Death penalty: Singapore’s growing abolition movement
By Kirsten Han, on 5 September 2022
Article first published by the Interpreter Public support for capital punishment isn’t as overwhelmingand unshakeable as the government often portrays it to be.
2022
Singapore
Document(s)
Data Mapping: Women on Death Row
By World Coalition against the Death Penalty , on 1 August 2023
2023
NGO report
Gender
frMore details Download [ pdf - 813 Ko ]
In 2021, the 19th edition of the World Day Against the Death Penalty (“World Day” on October 10) was dedicated to the invisible reality of women on death row, paving the way for new data on the issue of women sentenced to death. Many members of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (“World Coalition”), in preparation for 10 October, conducted research to document the situations of women facing the death penalty around the world. To systematize the information collected and have a global understanding of women sentenced to death, the World Coalition conducted a data systematization exercise.
This short report presents the main conclusions of this country exercise. These findings are a compilation of existing data available to the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and its members organization up to December 2022.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Gender
- Available languages Cartographie de données : les femmes dans le couloir de la mort
Document(s)
United States – Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – Death Penalty – May 2022
on 21 July 2022
2022
NGO report
United States
More details Download [ pdf - 703 Ko ]
1. The Committee last reviewed the United States’ compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in 2014. Among the 2014 Concluding Observations are two recommendations relevant to this Report. 2. The Committee stated that it “remain[ed] concerned that members of racial and ethnic minorities, particularly African Americans, continue to be disproportionately arrested, incarcerated and subjected to harsher sentences, including life imprisonment without parole and the death penalty.” Among other things, the Committee encouraged “[a]mending laws and policies leading to racially disparate impacts in the criminal justice system … and implementing effective national strategies or plans of action aimed at eliminating structural discrimination.” The Committee specifically encouraged “[i]mposing a moratorium on the death penalty, at the federal level, with a view to abolishing the death penalty.”1 3. The Committee also commented on “the ongoing challenges faced by indigent persons belonging to racial and ethnic minorities to access legal counsel in criminal proceedings in practice.” The Committee encouraged the adoption of “all necessary measures to eliminate the disproportionate impact of systemic inadequacies in criminal defence programmes on indigent defendants belonging to racial and ethnic minorities, including by improving the quality of legal representation provided to indigent defendants.”2 4. This report addresses the United States’ compliance with its human rights obligations under the Convention with regard to the death penalty, including with respect to those areas identified in the Committee’s 2014 Concluding Observations as described above.
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list United States
Document(s)
The Clemency Process in East and Southeast Asia
on 22 March 2022
2022
NGO report
China
Clemency
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Singapore
Taiwan
Thailand
Viet Nam
More details Download [ - 0 Ko ]
In this report, we summarise the current international position on clemency and the death penalty and compare it to snapshots of the clemency processes in the following Southeast and East Asian countries: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, and China. All references to clemency in this paper are in the context of reprieve from the death penalty.
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list China / Indonesia / Japan / Malaysia / Singapore / Taiwan / Thailand / Viet Nam
- Themes list Clemency
Article(s)
Unveiling Singapore’s Death Penalty Discourse: A Critical Analysis of Public Opinion and Deterrent Claims
By World coalition against the death penalty, on 27 March 2024
While Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) maintains a firm stance on the effectiveness of the death penalty in managing drug trafficking in Singapore, the article presents evidence suggesting that the methodologies and interpretations of these studies might not be as substantial as portrayed.
2024
Singapore
Document(s)
Abolitionnist portrait 2004
By World Day against the death penalty , on 10 October 2004
2004
Campaigning
Trend Towards Abolition
frMore details See the document
Abolitionnist portrait 2004
- Document type Campaigning
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
- Available languages Portrait d'abolitionnistes 2004
Article(s)
Ways to Restrict the Use of the Death Penalty in Iran
By Iran Human Rights, on 8 April 2019
Iran Human Rights (IHR); March 27, 2019: A part of the 11th Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran, by IHR, deals with the ways to restrict the use of the death penalty in Iran.
2019
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Document(s)
MOBILIZATION KIT World Day Against the Death Penalty 2024 – 2025 Security and the death penalty
By World coalition against the death penalty, on 12 June 2024
2024
Campaigning
World Coalition
frMore details Download [ pdf - 2534 Ko ]
- Document type Campaigning / World Coalition
- Available languages KIT DE MOBILISATION Journée mondiale contre la peine de mort 2024 - 2025 Sécurité et peine de mort
Article(s)
E Book review: a guidebook to the death penalty in Asia
on 10 March 2009
A new, authoritative study sheds a new light on capital punishment across Asia and may help abolitionists enhance their strategies.
2009
China
Japan
Philippines
Republic of Korea
Taiwan
Viet Nam
Member(s)
Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain
on 7 January 2022
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) fosters awareness of and support for democracy and human rights in Bahrain and Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC). ADHRB has launched an Anti-Death Penalty Campaign during the summer of 2020 which involved local, national, and international engagements to advocate and lobby for the abolition of the […]
2022
Bahrain
Document(s)
The Death Penalty in Kenya: A Punishment that has Died Out in Practice, Part One – A Public Ready to Accept Abolition
on 15 June 2022
2022
NGO report
Kenya
Public Opinion
More details See the document
In 2021, The Death Penalty Project and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, in partnership with the Australian National University commissioned Prof. Carolyn Hoyle, Director of The Death Penalty Research Unit, at the University of Oxford, to undertake research in order to provide accurate data on attitudes towards the death penalty in Kenya and facilitate a constructive conversation on the future of capital punishment. The research examined the views of both the general public in Kenya and also opinion formers, those considered influential in shaping, and responding to, national views.
Key findings:
– 40% in favour of abolishing the death penalty, 10% did not know either way
– 51% in favour of retaining the death penalty, only 32% strongly in favour
– Those against the death penalty believed that criminals deserved the opportunity for rehabilitation.
– Knowledge of the death penalty appears to be limited, just 66% were aware Kenya retains the death penalty and just 21% knew no executions had take place in the past 10 years
– The public expressed concerns around the possibility that innocent people could be sentenced to death: 61% of the public – including retentionists – thought that ‘many’ or ‘some’ innocent people have been sentenced to death in Kenya; only 8% thought that ‘no innocent people have been sentenced to death’
– Public support fell from 51% to 31% when considering abolition in the region
59% of the public, who were initially in favour of retention, said that they would accept a new policy of abolition
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list Kenya
- Themes list Public Opinion
Article(s)
Moving away from the death penalty in Asia
By Sandra Babcock (DeathPenaltyWorldwide.org) in Bangkok, on 25 October 2013
Following up on the World Day Against the Death Penalty, successive meetings in Thailand and in China highlight decreasing support for capital punishment among Asian governments and public opinion.
2013
Brunei Darussalam
China
Japan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Moratorium
Myanmar
Public Opinion
Thailand
Page(s)
About the Library
on 4 December 2020
For a resource to be placed in the library, two main criteria need to be satisfied. Firstly, the resource needs to be substantially based on the death penalty or shed light on a particular issue relevant to the death penalty.Secondly, the resources need to be published after the year 2000, to ensure that only the […]
2020
Article(s)
Take Action for World Day 2023!
By World coalition against the death penalty, on 20 September 2023
Take action now! The 21st World Day Against the Death Penalty is an excellent opportunity to publicly oppose the use of this inhumane punishment and to support those who are fighting for its abolition all over the world.
2023
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Document(s)
The Road to Abolition?: The Future of Capital Punishment in the United States
By Charles J. Ogletree and Austin Sarat, on 24 August 2023
2023
Book
United States
More details See the document
At the start of the twenty-first century, America is in the midst of a profound national reconsideration of the death penalty. There has been a dramatic decline in the number of people being sentenced to death as well as executed, exonerations have become common, and the number of states abolishing the death penalty is on the rise. The essays featured in The Road to Abolition? track this shift in attitudes toward capital punishment, and consider whether or not the death penalty will ever be abolished in America.The interdisciplinary group of experts gathered by Charles J. Ogletree Jr., and Austin Sarat ask and attempt to answer the hard questions that need to be addressed if the death penalty is to be abolished. Will the death penalty end only to be replaced with life in prison without parole? Will life without the possibility of parole become, in essence, the new death penalty? For abolitionists, might that be a pyrrhic victory? The contributors discuss how the death penalty might be abolished, with particular emphasis on the current debate over lethal injection as a case study on why and how the elimination of certain forms of execution might provide a model for the larger abolition of the death penalty.
- Document type Book
- Countries list United States
Article(s)
Kazakh criminal law reform could add capital crimes
By Thomas Hubert, on 15 February 2013
As Kazakhstan’s authorities prepare to introduce a new penal code, World Coalition members are warning against attempts to broaden the offences punishable by death.
2013
Kazakhstan
Moratorium
Public Opinion
Article(s)
Iran’s brave human rights defenders and their struggle against the death penalty
By Amnesty International, on 5 March 2018
As the world moves away from the death penalty, Iran continues to execute hundreds of people every year and comes second only to China in the number of executions carried out annually. Amnesty International recorded nearly 1,000 executions in Iran in 2015 and at least 567 in 2016.
2018
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Article(s)
How Business May Contribute to Universal Abolition
By Louis Linel, on 29 January 2021
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have long been at the forefront of the movement for human dignity, as the main, highly-specialized – and sometimes isolated– champions for social justice. However, a new generation of advocates from the private sector, whose primary center of interest or area of expertise seems disconnected from international human rights standards, has been […]
2021
Public Opinion
Jobs
Open Call for proposals – Financial Support to Third Parties – Global Consortium for Death Penalty Abolition
on 19 September 2024
Earlier this year, 13 abolitionist organizations1, including regional networks, grassroots organizations and international NGOs have come together to form the Global Consortium for Death Penalty Abolition. This civil society-led initiative² aims to amplify the voice and influence of the abolitionist movement on a global scale.
2024
Article(s)
Local and International groups express solidarity for the families of executed prisoners in Singapore
By Think Centre, on 26 November 2016
We, the undersigned organisations, condemn the shameful execution of a Nigerian national, Chijioke Stephen Obioha, and a Malaysian national, Devendran a/l Supramaniam in Singapore on 18 November 2016, which runs counter to global trends towards abolition of capital punishment. Around the same time, at the 50th and 51st meeting of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee’s 71st session proceedings, the Singapore representative introduced amendments, undermining the spirit of the draft resolution calling for a moratorium on the death penalty, supported by states such as Syria, Egypt and Bangladesh.
2016
Document(s)
Gender and Death Penalty Glossary
By World Coalition against the Death Penalty, on 1 August 2023
2023
World Coalition
Gender
frMore details Download [ pdf - 829 Ko ]
As part of the integration of a gender and intersectional approach into its strategy, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (World Coalition) decided to develop a glossary to identify and define the key terms of which the abolitionist movement should be aware to consider gender and other axes of intersectional discrimination at work in the capital punishment process, and more broadly to mainstream gender into their abolitionist work. This glossary was developed based on existing glossaries of World Coalition members on closely related topics, existing international definitions and standards established by international human rightsmechanisms as well as based on definitions written by international organizations specializing inwomen’s rights and LGBTQIA+ people’s rights.This glossary aims to support the abolitionist movement in recognizing the gender and intersectional biases at work in the judicial process leading to the death penalty and to contribute to the developmentof a common language around these issues, a process initiated a few years ago by members of theWorld Coalition Against such as the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide. Moreover, this glossary also aims to promote the integration of a gender approach into the internal workings o fabolitionist organizations.
- Document type World Coalition
- Themes list Gender
- Available languages Glossaire Genre et Peine de mort
Document(s)
Migratory dependency and the death penalty: Foreign nationals facing capital punishment in the Gulf
By Lucy Harry, Carolyn Hoyle , and Jocelyn Hutton Death Penalty Research Unit, Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford, on 30 January 2024
2024
Academic Article
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates
More details See the document
Published on July 2, 2023
This article focuses on the cases of 664 foreign nationals, the majority of whom are migrant workers, under sentence of death across the Gulf states (including Jordan and Lebanon) between 2016 and 2021. The features of these cases suggest that they are inextricably linked to migrant workers’ dependency under the kafala system, with examples of migrants duped into smuggling drugs across the border by their migrant broker, and once in country, accounts of violent altercations due to disputes about exit visas, and in the case of migrant domestic workers, self-defence against sexual violence. Engaging with the burgeoning literature on immigration, exploitation and criminalisation, as well as scholarship on capital punishment, this article will explore the multiple and unique layers of dependency fostered by the kafala system that place migrant workers at higher risk of the death penalty in these Gulf jurisdictions.
- Document type Academic Article
- Countries list Jordan / Kuwait / Lebanon / Qatar / Saudi Arabia / United Arab Emirates
Document(s)
Detailed factsheet – World Day 2024 & 2025
By World coalition against the death penalty, on 11 July 2024
2024
Campaigning
World Coalition
frMore details Download [ pdf - 485 Ko ]
- Document type Campaigning / World Coalition
- Available languages Fiche d'information détaillée - journée mondiale 2024 & 2025
Document(s)
World Psychiatric Association position statement mental health and the death penalty
By World Psychiatric Association, on 30 November 2023
2023
Arguments against the death penalty
Fair Trial
Intellectual Disability
zh-hantMore details See the document
International law and laws of various countries prohibit the imposition of the death penalty on persons
with mental illness or developmental and intellectual disabilities due to the special barriers faced by
them in defending themselves; their limited moral culpability; and their diminished ability to
understand the nature and reason for their execution. However, due to lack of accommodations in
criminal proceedings and legal safeguards, persons with mental illness, developmental and intellectual
disabilities are at a greater risk of being sentenced to death and having their fair trial rights denied.
Authors:
Maitreyi Misra, Director (Mental Health and Criminal Justice), Project 39A, National Law University
Delhi.
Namrata Sinha, Research Associate (Mental Health and Criminal Justice), Project 39A, National Law
University Delhi.
Neeraj Gill, Professor, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra and Griffith University,
School of Medicine, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.
Soumitra Pathare, Consultant Psychiatrist, Director, Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy, ILS
Law College, Pune.
Afzal Javed, President, World Psychiatric Association.
- Document type Arguments against the death penalty
- Themes list Fair Trial / Intellectual Disability
- Available languages 世界精神醫學會針對精神健康與死刑之立場聲明
Document(s)
Prison Conditions in Jamaica
on 19 April 2011
2011
NGO report
Death Row Conditions
Jamaica
More details Download [ pdf - 396 Ko ]
In criminal justice matters, Jamaica has been rightly praised for its de-facto abolitionist
stance on the death penalty: nobody has been executed on the island since 1988.
However, the alternative to death is imprisonment. For many years, NGOs, the UN
Human Rights Committee, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and
various independent and internal reports have expressed serious concern about the
conditions in which Jamaica detains its prisoners.
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list Jamaica
- Themes list Death Row Conditions
Document(s)
Mobilization Kit World Day 2023
By World coalition against the death penalty, on 12 June 2023
2023
Campaigning
World Coalition
frMore details Download [ pdf - 864 Ko ]
For the 21th year in a row, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty is calling for local initiatives and world-wide actions that shine a spotlight on the abolition of the death penalty. The goal of this Mobilization Kit is to inform of this year’s objectives as well provide ideas of activities that boost the global abolitionist goal. This year’s World Day is dedicated to people who, during the process of being sentenced to death, or following the sentence of their death, have been victims of torture.
- Document type Campaigning / World Coalition
- Available languages Kit de mobilisation Journée mondiale 2023
Member(s)
Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN)
on 30 April 2020
The Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) was founded in Hong Kong on the World Day against the Death Penalty in 2006. In 2014, at its first General Meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) members approved ADPAN’s Constitution, and ADPAN’s first Executive Committee was elected. ADPAN, an independent Asia-Pacific network committed to working […]
2020
Malaysia
Document(s)
The Philippines – Universal Periodic Review – Death Penalty – March 2022
on 31 March 2022
2022
NGO report
World Coalition
Philippines
More details Download [ pdf - 320 Ko ]
1. This report addresses the Philippines’ compliance with its international human rights
obligations with respect to the death penalty. For years, the Philippines imposed the death
penalty, particularly for so-called heinous crimes. In 2006, President Gloria MacapagalArroyo abolished the death penalty.1 Since then, however, lawmakers have introduced
numerous bills to reinstate the death penalty, with the House adopting Bill No. 7814 as
recently as March 2, 2021.2
2. The report examines the current state of the death penalty in the Philippines, including (1)
acceptance of international norms; (2) proposed legislation reintroducing the death penalty;
(3) torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment in enforcing drug control; (4)
conditions of detention; and (5) administration of justice and fair trial.
3. This report recommends that the Philippines continue the abolition of the death penalty,
refrain from reintroducing the death penalty, honor its international commitments, and
implement a human rights-based approach to anti-drug policy
- Document type NGO report / World Coalition
- Countries list Philippines
Article(s)
Asia between an abolitionist trend and populist politics
on 28 February 2010
At least 76% of executions worldwide take place in Asia. Despite these impressive figures, Bikramjeet Batra, and indian lawyer with Amnesty International, is optimistic and explains that “the asian trend is toward abolition”.
2010
Public Opinion
Taiwan
Document(s)
Amnesty International Global Report : Death Sentences and Executions 2022
By Amnesty International, on 16 May 2023
2023
NGO report
aresfrzh-hantMore details See the document
This report covers the judicial use of the death penalty for the period January to December 2022. Amnesty International reports only on executions, death sentences and other aspects of the use of the death penalty, such as commutations and exonerations, where there is reasonable confirmation. In many countries governments do not publish information on their use of the death penalty.
Article(s)
Highest execution numbers in Iran in 10 years
By Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, on 13 March 2012
Iran Human Rights has published its annual report on the death penalty in Iran in 2011. IHR’s international spokesperson Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam says the Iranian authorities are keeping the number of executions high because they use the death penalty as a political tool.
2012
Drug Offenses
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Juveniles
Women
Document(s)
Amnesty International – Global Report : death sentences and executions 2023
on 29 May 2024
2024
NGO report
Trend Towards Abolition
aresfrMore details See the document
Amnesty International’s monitoring of the global use of the death penalty recorded 1,153 known executions in 2023, an increase by 31% from 883 in 2022. However, there was a significant decrease in executing countries, from 20 in 2022 to 16 in 2023.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
- Available languages التقرير العالمي لمنظمة العفو الدولية أحكام وعمليات اإلعدام في 2023Informe Global de Amnistia internacional: condenas a muerte y ejecuciones 2023Amnesty international - Rapport mondial : condamnations à mort et exécutions 2023
Document(s)
Mobilization Kit World Day 2022
By the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 9 June 2022
2022
World Coalition
frMore details Download [ pdf - 892 Ko ]
For the 20th year in a row, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty is calling for local initiatives and world-wide actions that shine a spotlight on the abolition of the death penalty. The goal of this Mobilization Kit is to inform of this year’s objectives as well provide ideas of activities that boost the global abolitionist goal. This year’s World Day is dedicated to people who, during the process of being sentenced to death, or following the sentence of their death, have been victims of torture.
- Document type World Coalition
- Available languages Kit de mobilisation Journée mondiale 2022
Article(s)
South Korea’s 5,000th day without an execution an opportunity for abolition
By Martin Carbonell with ADPAN and MVFHR, on 8 September 2011
8th September 2011 marks the 5,000th day without executions in South Korea. Houng-oh Kim, a member of the National Assembly and former Speaker, is aiming to introduce a new bill abolishing the death penalty to mark this occasion.
2011
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Moratorium
Republic of Korea
Article(s)
Taiwan’s top court rejects appeal to suspend executions
on 7 June 2010
As the legal action taken by local activists to block the use of the death penalty failed, abolitionists across Asia have been calling for an end to the death penalty in their region.
2010
Fair Trial
Taiwan
Taiwan
Document(s)
Detailed Factsheet – World Day 2022
By the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 4 July 2022
2022
World Coalition
frMore details Download [ pdf - 893 Ko ]
Detailed factsheet on torture and the death penalty, for the 20th World Day Against the Death Penalty (2022).
- Document type World Coalition
- Available languages Fiche détaillée - Journée mondiale 2022
Document(s)
Amnesty International Global Report : Death Sentences and Executions 2021
on 25 May 2022
2022
NGO report
aresfrMore details Download [ pdf - 2638 Ko ]
2021 saw a worrying rise in executions and death sentences as some of the world’s most prolific executioners returned to business as usual and courts were unshackled from Covid-19 restrictions, Amnesty International said today in its annual review of the death penalty.
- Document type NGO report
- Available languages التقرير العالمي لمنظمة العفو الدولية أحكام وعمليات الإعدام في 2021Condenas A Muerte Y Ejecuciones 2021Condamnations à mort et exécutions 2021
Article(s)
East African Seminar on Best Practices in Kenya: A Key Gathering for the Abolitionist Movement on the Continent
By Wendy Adouki, World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 15 August 2023
A privileged moment to exchange on the different abolitionist dynamics in Africa As part of the Africabolition project, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (World Coalition) and FIACAT (the International Federation of ACATS) organized a seminar for English-speaking African members from 19-26 June, 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya.
2023
Kenya
Trend Towards Abolition
Document(s)
Malawi – Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women – Death Penalty – January 2022
on 31 January 2022
2022
NGO report
World Coalition
Malawi
Women
More details Download [ pdf - 311 Ko ]
Detention conditions for women in Malawi are crowded, and women in prisons are not given adequate food and nutrition. Specifically, many prisons only serve people with one meal a day, often consisting of a maize meal (nsima) and peas or beans. Overcrowded conditions are a particular concern during the COVID-19 pandemic, when risk of transmission of the disease is high. Prison conditions in Malawi amount to inhuman and degrading treatment.
Women in death penalty proceedings in Malawi lack access to qualified legal representation. Defense advocates in Malawi who are assigned to capital cases often lack relevant experience. In at least one case, a lawyer failed to raise the complete defense of self-defense in representing a woman who killed her husband as a result of a long history of domestic abuse. Had the defense been raised, it is possible that the woman would not have been sentenced to death. Moreover, women from poor and marginalized communities are disproportionately affected by the death penalty because when they are accused of crimes, they are often unable to understand the charges against them because they are illiterate and cannot read the complaint against them. They are also unable to retain private counsel.
Women who face extensive gender-based violence are disproportionately affected by the death penalty in Malawi, including those who seek to protect themselves against their abusers. Long histories of gender-based violence can result in complex trauma and can exacerbate psycho-social or intellectual disabilities, yet sentencing courts fail to take these nefarious effects into account as factors in mitigation of a death sentence.
- Document type NGO report / World Coalition
- Countries list Malawi
- Themes list Women
Article(s)
UPR 36th Session Debriefed on Facebook Live
By Louis Linel, on 17 November 2020
As the 36th session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was being held under the auspices of the UN Human Rights Council from 02 to 13 November, the Advocates for Human Rights, a member organization of the World Coalition, facilitated Facebook live debriefings to cover the review of States that have not yet abolished capital […]
2020
Belarus
Jamaica
Liberia
Libya
Malawi
Maldives
United States
Article(s)
Taiwan activists battle in death penalty-triggered political crisis
on 19 March 2010
After Taiwan’s justice minister was forced to step down for not signing execution warrants, local and international abolitionists rushed in to restore a balanced debate and protect the country’s 44 death row inmates.
2010
Moratorium
Public Opinion
Taiwan
Taiwan
Article(s)
India: a “lethal lottery”
on 15 May 2008
A study of the rulings by New Delhi’s Supreme Court for more than 50 years concluded that “the administration of the death penalty in India is manifestly flawed”.
2008
Fair Trial
India
Innocence
Legal Representation
Terrorism
Jobs
SOUTH ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST (SAME)
on 19 September 2024
Available grants are indicated below, with the specific target countries and the specific maximum amounts for each Worldwide Grant Grant SAME 1 All South Asia and Middle East countries Grant SAME 2 Target country: Jordan How to apply? Worldwide Grant 8 grants of maximum 1,000 EUR each on data collection gathering on intersectional discrimination faced […]
2024