All about Death Row Conditions

71 element(s) found

Document(s)

Qarchak Prison Report: Hell for Women and Children in Iran

By Iran Human Rights, on 10 December 2024


2024

NGO report

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Women


More details See the document

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) has released a detailed report exposing the inhumane conditions at Qarchak Prison in Iran, a facility originally designed as a poultry farm. The prison detains over 2,000 women and children in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, with a lack of healthcare, contaminated drinking water, and inadequate nutrition. Children, some born in the prison, are exposed to severe hardships, including unhygienic environments, insufficient food, and inadequate medical care, and are often separated from their mothers at the age of two.

The report also highlights the use of solitary confinement for women, including death row prisoners awaiting execution. These cells lack ventilation and basic facilities, exacerbating the psychological and physical suffering of detainees. Mothers detained with their children face additional challenges, including threats of separation and the absence of educational or recreational resources for their children.

IHRNGO calls for the immediate closure of Qarchak Prison and urges the international community to take action against these egregious human rights violations. This report underscores the urgent need to protect the dignity and rights of all prisoners, particularly the most vulnerable women and children.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list Iran (Islamic Republic of)
  • Themes list Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment / Death Row Conditions / Women

Document(s)

Hidden Casualties: Executions Harm Mental Health of Prison Staff

By Death Penalty Information Center , on 5 December 2024


2024

Arguments against the death penalty

Death Row Conditions

Mental Illness

United States


More details See the document

Executions take a severe psychological toll on prison staff, with many experiencing PTSD, moral injury, and emotional distress. This article explores the hidden casualties of the death penalty, revealing how executioners and correctional officers face mental health challenges that often go unacknowledged. With insights from studies, personal accounts, and cases across the U.S., it highlights the urgent need for systemic support and reform.

  • Document type Arguments against the death penalty
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Death Row Conditions / Mental Illness

Document(s)

New digital exhibition: Capital Letters from death row India

By Project 39A, on 21 November 2024


2024

NGO report

Death Row Conditions

India


More details See the document

Project 39A has launched Capital Letters from death row India, a unique digital exhibition curated by reFrame. Featuring letters, artwork, audio recordings, and photographs created by prisoners on death row, the exhibition offers a deeply humanizing look into their lived experiences. Through eight thematic sections, visitors can explore the complex realities of life on death row and engage with stories of hope, trauma, and resilience.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list India
  • Themes list Death Row Conditions

Document(s)

Report of the Secretary General: Question of the death penalty 2024

By Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), on 16 July 2024


2024

United Nations report

Clemency

Death Row Conditions

Fair Trial

Trend Towards Abolition

aresfrruzh-hant
More details Download [ pdf - 424 Ko ]

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 SecretaryGeneral reaffirms the general trend towards universal abolition of the death penalty and highlights initiatives limiting its use and implementing safeguards guaranteeing the protection of the rights of those facing this penalty. Between July 2022 and June 2024, a minority of States continued to implement the death penalty, with some increasing their use considerably. Pursuant to Council resolution 22/11, the report includes information on the human rights of children of parents sentenced to the death penalty or executed.

Document(s)

REPORT WORLD DAY AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY 2023

By world coalition against the death penalty, on 7 June 2024


2024

NGO report

Death Row Conditions

Fair Trial

fr
More details Download [ pdf - 1029 Ko ]

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

Document(s)

Women and The Death Penalty in Kenya: Essays on the Gendered Perspective of the Death Penalty

on 2 February 2024


2024

NGO report

Death Row Conditions

Fair Trial

Gender

Kenya

Women


More details See the document

This publication seeks to make visible the gender and intersectional discrimination faced by women in the judicial process leading to the death penalty. Through the various articlesin this publication, the authors bring to light the reality of women facing the death penalty through a different lens.

The first author, Shekinah Bright Kiting’a, in making a compelling case for abolition of the death penalty, explores how the death penalty uniquely affects women in the context of motherhood. Further, she highlights the rights and well-being of the children affected by their mothers’ death sentences, revealing flaws in our legal and ethical systems. With the overall aim of advocating for its abolition due to its significant impact on both parenthood and children’s rights, her article seeks to push for reforms that honour motherhood and prioritize children’s well-being in these difficult circumstances.

Kenaya Komba dissects gender disparity in the judicial system by exploring the intersection of domestic violence and the death penalty. In making a case for a restorative approach to justice, her article analyses the impact of capital punishment on victims of domestic violence and the systemic injustice and biases they continue to grapple with. Her elaborate analysis of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 and the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act, 2016, highlights the urgent need for reform in the legal system.

While Analyzing the role the media plays in shaping perceptions of women on death row, Patricia Chepkirui evaluates the implications of positive and negative media portrayals of such women by highlighting the ethical responsibilities of media in the coverage of women on death row cases. The article ultimately underscores the significance of responsiblemedia coverage in ensuring that media exposure of cases of women on death row is fair,balanced, and respectful of their rights and dignity.

Alex Tamei delves into the intricacies of abuse, gender-based violence, and trauma as mitigating factors in death penalty sentencing for women. His article comparatively analyses two Kenyan cases of murder in retaliation to intimate partner violence, seeking to shed light on the plight of victims of gender-based violence. The article effortlessly brings out the nexus between the death penalty and intimate partner violence and makessolid recommendations for change.

The fifth author, Patience Chepchirchir, delves into the nexus between psychological abuse and provocation. Through her article, she brings out the scope of psychological abuse while focusing on the linkage between emotional abuse and provocation and how the same can be considered as mitigating factors. Through an elaborate analysis of case law, she makes a case for psychological abuse of women as a mitigating circumstance during sentencing.

Stella Cherono’s article reflects on the intersectional discrimination faced by women in the criminal trial process leading to death row. The article highlights the complex and overlapping forms of discrimination women experience during the pretrial, trial and sentencing stages. Through her comprehensive analysis of gendered pathways to offending and imprisonment, she challenges how society perceives discrimination.

Loraine Koskei Interrogates the emerging jurisprudence on Intimate Partner Violence.Her article lays out the gendered factor in the commissioning and sentencing of women convicted of murder and offers possible recommendations.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list Kenya
  • Themes list Death Row Conditions / Fair Trial / Gender / Women

Document(s)

Documentaire: femmes dans la couloir de la mort

By Investigations et Enquêtes , on 17 January 2024


2024

Multimedia content

Death Row Conditions

Gender

United States

Women


More details See the document

Un regard déchirant sur la vie des femmes condamnées et les failles du système judiciaire américain. Aux Etats-Unis, 54 femmes « attendent » l’exécution de leur peine. Linda Carty et Melissa Lucio sont emprisonnées au Texas, Shawna Forde en Arizona. Elles se livrent. Parmi les prisonnières, certaines espèrent la révision de leur procès.

  • Document type Multimedia content
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Death Row Conditions / Gender / Women
International Symposium on the Right to Life in Taiwan

Article(s)

Symposium international sur le droit à la vie à Taiwan

By L'Alliance taïwanaise pour l'abolition de la peine de mort (TAEDP), on 12 January 2024

L’Alliance taïwanaise pour l’abolition de la peine de mort (TAEDP) a organisé une série d’événements, dont un séminaire international, une visite de prison et des réunions, du 19 au 22 septembre 2023, pour célébrer son 20e anniversaire.

2024

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

India

Taiwan

International Symposium on the Right to Life in Taiwan

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.

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

India

Taiwan

Death penalty: An irreversible torture:

Article(s)

Points forts : Discussion sur la torture et la peine de mort avec des experts de l’ONU et des ancien.nes détenu.es

By Venus Aves, on 6 November 2023

À l’occasion de la 21e Journée mondiale contre la peine de mort, consacrée à la réflexion sur le lien entre le recours à la peine de mort et la torture ou d’autres peines ou traitements cruels, inhumains ou dégradants, qui débutera en 2022, la Coalition mondiale a organisé une discussion en ligne avec des experts […]

2023

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

Death penalty: An irreversible torture: Discussion with special rapporteurs and exonerees

Article(s)

Highlights: Discussion on torture and the death penalty with UN experts and exonerees

By Venus Aves, on 6 November 2023

For the 21st World Day Against the Death Penalty dedicated to the reflection on the relationship between the use of the death penalty and torture or other cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment started in 2022, the World Coalition hosted an online discussion with United Nations experts Morris Tidball Binz (UN Special Rapporteur on […]

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

Comprendre le lien entre la peine de mort et la torture

Article(s)

Journée internationale pour le soutien aux victimes de la torture : Comprendre le lien entre la peine de mort et la torture

By Wendy Adouki, on 26 June 2023

Le 26 juin 2023, le monde entier commémore la Journée internationale pour le soutien aux victimes de la torture (Journée internationale). Instaurée en 1987, cette journée internationale a débuté lorsque la Convention des Nations unies contre la torture et autres peines ou traitements cruels, inhumains ou dégradants (Convention des Nations unies contre la torture) est […]

2023

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

Understanding the link between the Death Penalty and Torture

Article(s)

International Day in Support of Victims of Torture: Understanding the link between the Death Penalty and Torture

By Wendy Adouki, on 26 June 2023

Today, 26th June 2023, the world is commemorating the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (International Day). Started in 1987, this International Day began when the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UN Convention Against Torture) came into force; a crucial legal text to combat […]

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

Document(s)

Crossing the River Styx, The Memoir of a Death Row Chaplain

By Russ Ford. Charles Peppers. Todd C. Peppers, on 24 March 2023


2023

Book

Death Row Conditions

United States


More details See the document

The Reverend Russ Ford, who served as the head chaplain on Virginia’s death row for eighteen years, raged against the inequities of the death penalty—now outlawed in Virginia—while ministering to the men condemned to die in the 1980s and 1990s. Ford stood watch with twenty-eight men, sitting with them in the squalid death house during the final days and hours of their lives. In July 1990 he accidentally almost became the 245th person killed by Virginia’s electric chair as he comforted Ricky Boggs in his last moments, a vivid episode that opens this haunting book. Many chaplains get to know the condemned men only in these final moments. Ford, however, spent years working with the men of Virginia’s death row, forging close bonds with the condemned and developing a nuanced understanding of their crimes, their early struggles, and their challenges behind bars. His unusual ministry makes this memoir a unique and compelling read, a moving and unflinching portrait of Virginia’s death row inmates. Revealing the cruelties of the state-sanctioned violence that has until recently prevailed in our backyard, Crossing the River Styx serves as a cautionary tale for those who still support capital punishment.

  • Document type Book
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Death Row Conditions

Document(s)

He Called Me Sister

By Suzanne Craig Robertson, on 24 February 2023


2023

Book

Death Row Conditions

United States


More details See the document

The fascinating, moving story of a friendship with an inmate on death row. It was a clash of race, privilege, and circumstance when Alan Robertson first signed up through a church program to visit Cecil Johnson on Death Row, to offer friendship and compassion. Alan’s wife Suzanne had no intention of being involved, but slowly, through phone calls and letters, she began to empathize and understand him. That Cecil and Suzanne eventually became such close friends—a white middle-class woman and a Black man who grew up devoid of advantage—is a testament to perseverance, forgiveness, and love, but also to the notion that differences don’t have to be barriers. This book recounts a fifteen-year friendship and how trust and compassion were forged despite the difficult circumstances, and how Cecil ended up ministering more to Suzanne’s family than they did to him. The story details how Cecil maintained inexplicable joy and hope despite the tragic events of his life and how Suzanne, Alan, and their two daughters opened their hearts to a man convicted of murder. Cecil Johnson was executed Dec. 2, 2009.

  • Document type Book
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Death Row Conditions

Document(s)

Capital Punishment & Social Rights Research Initiative – Texas

By Barbara Laubenthal, on 12 February 2023


2023

Multimedia content

Death Row Conditions

United States


More details See the document

The Capital Punishment and Social Rights Research Initiative assesses and analyzes the access of men and women on U.S. death rows to social rights such as health care, social contacts, visitation, communication, recreation and spiritual support. CPSR’s info series on living conditions on death row, state by state. Part 1: Texas

  • Document type Multimedia content
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Death Row Conditions
Journée mondiale poster

Article(s)

Retour sur le 20ème anniversaire de la Journée Mondiale Contre la Peine de Mort

By Dunia Schaffa, on 27 January 2023

“Psychologiquement, je ne suis plus humain”. Ce tweet de l’Organisation mondiale contre la torture, citant une interview de Richard Yav, un ancien agent de sécurité condamné à tort à la peine de mort pendant 20 ans au Bénin, met en lumière les différents impacts de la torture.

2023

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

world day poster

Article(s)

A Look Back at the 20th Anniversary of the World Day Against the Death Penalty

By Dunia Schaffa, on 27 January 2023

“Psychologically I am no longer human.”. This tweet by the World Organization Against Torture, quoting an interview with Richard Yav, a former security guard who was wrongly sentenced to death for 20 years in Benin, sheds light on the various impacts of torture.

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

Intersectionalité

Article(s)

Déclaration commune sur la peine de mort et les droits des femmes et des personnes LGBTQIA+

By Coalition mondiale contre la peine de mort, on 10 October 2022

20 ème Journée Mondiale contre la Peine de Mort Pour ce 20-ème anniversaire de la Journée Mondiale contre la Peine de Mort dédiée à la réflexion sur le lien entre la torture et le recours à la peine de mort et en continuation de la Journée Mondiale contre la peine de mort de 2021 sur […]

2022

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

Fair Trial

Women

intersectionality

Article(s)

Joint statement on the death penalty and human rights of women and LGBTQIA+ individuals

By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 10 October 2022

20th World Day against the Death Penalty On this 20th anniversary of the World Day Against the Death Penalty dedicated to the link between torture and the use of the death penalty and in continuation of the 2021 World Day Against the Death Penalty dedicated to women facing capital punishment, sentenced to death, executed, pardoned […]

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

Fair Trial

Women

Document(s)

European Court for Human Rights cases involving the death penalty

By European Court for Human Rights Press Unit, on 24 June 2022


2022

International law - Regional body

Regional body report

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

Fair Trial


More details See the document

“[T]he [European Court of Human Rights] in Öcalan did not exclude that Article 2 [of the European Convention on Human Rights, protecting the right to life,] had already been amended so as to remove the exception permitting the death penalty. Moreover, … the position has evolved since then. All but two of the Member States have now signed Protocol No. 13 [to the Convention, concerning the abolishment of the death penalty in all circumstances,] and all but three of the States which have signed have ratified it. These figures, together with consistent State practice in observing the moratorium on capital punishment, are strongly indicative that Article 2 has been amended so as to prohibit the death penalty in all circumstances. Against this background, the Court does not consider that the wording of the second sentence of Article 2 § 1 continues to act as a bar to its interpreting the words ‘inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment’ in Article 3 [of the Convention, prohibiting torture and inhuman or degrading treatment,] as including the death penalty …” (Al-Saadoon and Mufdhi v. the United Kingdom judgment of 2 March 2010, § 120).

  • Document type International law - Regional body / Regional body report
  • Themes list Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment / Death Row Conditions / Fair Trial
Amnesty international

Article(s)

عقوبة الإعدام في 2021

By Amnesty International, on 9 June 2022

عقوبة الإعدام في 2021 سجلت منظمة العفو الدولية 579 إعداماً في 18 بلداً في عام 2021، بزيادة قدرها 20 في المئة عن 483 عملية إعدام مسجلة في عام 2020. على الرغم من هذه الزيادات، فإن رقم عمليات الإعدام العالمية لعام 2021 يشكل ثاني أدنى رقم سجلته منظمة العفو الدولية منذ عام 2010، على الأقل. للعام […]

2022

Death Row Conditions

Death Row Conditions

Amnesty International informe 2021

Article(s)

Aumentan las ejecuciones, pero se avanza hacia la abolición en 2021

By Amnesty International, on 9 June 2022

El 24 de mayo, Amnistía Internacional publicó su informe anual sobre el uso de la pena de muerte en el mundo, que muestra el número total de condenas y ejecuciones en 2021. En 2021, Amnistía Internacional registró 579 ejecuciones repartidas en 18 países, lo que supuso un incremento del 20% respecto a las 483 ejecuciones […]

Death Row Conditions

Death Row Conditions

Amnesty International - Rapport 2021

Article(s)

Augmentation des exécutions, mais avancées en faveur de l’abolition en 2021

By Amnesty International, on 9 June 2022

Le 24 mai, Amnesty International a publié son rapport annuel sur le recours à la peine de mort dans le monde, qui indique le nombre total de condamnations et d’exécutions en 2021. Amnesty International a enregistré 579 exécutions dans 18 pays en 2021, ce qui représente une augmentation de 20 % par rapport aux 483 exécutions recensées 2020. Malgré ces augmentations, le nombre total […]

Death Row Conditions

Amnesty International - Report 2021

Article(s)

Executions on the rise, but progress toward abolition in 2021

By Amnesty International, on 9 June 2022

On 24 May, Amnesty International published their annual report on the global use of the death penalty, which shows the overall sentences and executions in 2021 Global figures Amnesty International recorded 579 executions in 18 countries in 2021, an increase of 20% from the 483 recorded in 2020. Despite these increases, the 2021 global executions figure constitutes the second-lowest figure recorded […]

Death Row Conditions

Trend Towards Abolition

Deathworthy and Trapped Inside reports

Article(s)

Plus de 8 000 personnes dans les couloirs de la mort en Asie du Sud

By Aurélie Plaçais, directrice, on 3 May 2022

Avec peu d’exécutions mais l’un des plus grands couloirs de la mort au monde, l’Asie du Sud est à la croisée des chemins. Des publications récentes explorent la santé mentale des personnes condamnées à mort et leur contexte social et économique au Bangladesh, en Inde, aux Maldives, au Pakistan et au Sri Lanka.

2022

Bangladesh

Death Row Conditions

Death Row Conditions

India

Mental Illness

Maldives

Mental Illness

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Deathworthy and Trapped Inside reports

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.

Bangladesh

Death Row Conditions

India

Maldives

Mental Illness

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Document(s)

Living Under Sentence of Death

on 22 April 2022


2022

Academic report

NGO report

Bangladesh

Death Row Conditions


More details See the document

In 2019-20, The Department of Law at the University of Dhaka, in collaboration with the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) and The Death Penalty Project, conducted a study to investigate socio-economic characteristics and experiences of death row prisoners in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh continues to retain and implement the death penalty, with several executions taking place each year. Excluding laws relating to the defence forces and international crimes, there are currently 33 crimes punishable by death. 25 of these offences are non-lethal and arguably do not meet the threshold of the ‘most serious crimes’ under international law.

Inspired by similar studies in other countries, a pilot study was commissioned to examine the demographics and experiences of those sentenced to death. Consistent with those studies around the world, our findings evidence that the death penalty in Bangladesh is disproportionately used against the most vulnerable and marginalised sections of society.

72% of prisoners were classified as economically vulnerable
53% of prisoners were in low-paid work or unemployed
87% of prisoners had no qualifications beyond secondary school level
15% of prisoners had no formal education.

The study also raised serious concerns around the treatment of prisoners, the length of time prisoners spent in prison under the sentence of death and the integrity of criminal investigations and trial.

33% of prisoners’ families alleged their relative had been tortured in police custody, 5% suspected this and 15% refused to comment
60% of respondents were not satisfied with the trial process, with some claiming that the courts had failed to properly appreciate the evidence
On average it took over 10 years for death row cases to be disposed by the HCD (where sentences are confirmed). Prolonged time spent in isolation on death row, has been declared inhumane and degrading in many countries.

The sample consisted of 39 individuals on death row, evidence from their case files and face-to-face interviews with their families were conducted under rigorous ethical guidelines to reveal their profiles and experiences. Despite its small size, the sample is indicative of the general prison population allowing us to draw conclusions on possible trends.

  • Document type Academic report / NGO report
  • Countries list Bangladesh
  • Themes list Death Row Conditions

Document(s)

The death penalty in Egypt: Ten year after the uprising

By Jeed Basyouni - Reprieve, on 10 August 2021


2021

NGO report

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

Egypt

Fair Trial


More details See the document

Reprieve wrote this report about the use of the death penalty in Egypt.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list Egypt
  • Themes list Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment / Death Row Conditions / Fair Trial

Document(s)

Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables

By U.S. Department of Justice Tracy L. Snell, on 10 August 2021


Government body report

Death Row Conditions

Drug Offenses

United States


More details See the document

This report presents statistics on persons who were under sentence of death or were executed in 2019

  • Document type Government body report
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Death Row Conditions / Drug Offenses

Document(s)

Right Here, Right Now Life Stories from America’s Death Row

By Lynden Harris, on 10 August 2021


Book

Death Row Conditions

United States


More details See the document

Upon receiving his execution date, one of the thousands of men living on death row in the United States had an epiphany: “All there ever is, is this moment. You, me, all of us, right here, right now, this minute, that’s love.”

Right Here, Right Now collects the powerful, first-person stories of dozens of men on death rows across the country. From childhood experiences living with poverty, hunger, and violence to mental illness and police misconduct to coming to terms with their executions, these men outline their struggle to maintain their connection to society and sustain the humanity that incarceration and its daily insults attempt to extinguish.

By offering their hopes, dreams, aspirations, fears, failures, and wounds, the men challenge us to reconsider whether our current justice system offers actual justice or simply perpetuates the social injustices that obscure our shared humanity.

  • Document type Book
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Death Row Conditions
World Coalition Against the Death Penalyt

Article(s)

Violations of the Right to Life in the Context of Drug Policies

By International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA), Corporación ATS Acción Técnica Social, IDPC Consortium, Washington Office on Latin America, non-governmental organizations in special consultative status, Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN); Capital Punishment Justice Project (CPJP); Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation (CDPE); Cornell Centre on the Death Penalty Worldwide; Eleos Justice - Monash University; Instituto RIA, AC; Iran Human Rights (IHR); World Coalition Against the Death Penalty., NGO(s) without consultative status, also share the views expressed in this statement, on 10 August 2021

Harm Reduction International and co-signatories congratulate Mr Tidball-Binz on his appointment as Special Rapporteur on summary executions. With this statement, we highlight key violations of the right to life enabled by repressive drug policies or reported in the context of drug law enforcement; and encourage this Rapporteur to pay specific attention to the impact of […]

Death Row Conditions

Drug Offenses

Fair Trial

Document(s)

ISOLATION AND DESOLATION CONDITIONS OF DETENTION OF PEOPLE SENTENCED TO DEATH MALAYSIA – Bahasa Melayu

By Carole Berrih, Ngeow Chow Ying, ECPM, ADPAN, on 27 May 2021


2021

NGO report

Death Row Conditions

Malaysia


More details See the document

Isolation and Desolation – Conditions of Detention of People Sentenced to Death in Malaysia is the first ever fact-finding mission report on the conditions of detention of death row prisoners in Malaysia.

It examines the use of death penalty in Malaysia as well as the actual situation of people on death row.

This report is not meant to point fingers but rather to put the facts on the table in a transparent manner and work from there. It is mainly an advocacy tool for all abolitionist stakeholders, from civil society actors to the parliamentarians who will keep fighting for the abolition of the death penalty.

—————————————
Isolation and Desolation – Conditions of Detention of People Sentenced to Death di Malaysia adalah satu-satunya laporan berasaskan misi mengkaji fakta (fact-finding mission) mengenai keadaan-keadaan penahanan bagi banduan-banduan hukuman mati di Malaysia.

Laporan ini mengkaji pelaksanaan hukuman mati di Malaysia dan juga keadaan sebenar orang-orang yang dijatuhkan hukuman mati.

Laporan ini bukan bertujuan untuk menunding jari terhadap mana-mana pihak, tetapi bertujuan untuk memberi pencerahan kepada fakta-fakta yang ditemui dan berusaha ke atasnya. Laporan ini bertujuan utama sebagai alat advokasi kepada semua pihak yang mempunyai kepentingan dalam pemansuhan, bermula dari ahli persatuan kemasyarakatan sehingga ahli parlimen yang akan berusaha berterusan untuk memansuhkan hukuman mati.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list Malaysia
  • Themes list Death Row Conditions

Document(s)

Isolation and desolation conditions of detention of people sentenced to death Malaysia

By Carole Berrih, Ngeow Chow Ying, ECPM, ADPAN, on 27 May 2021


NGO report

Death Row Conditions

Malaysia

fr
More details See the document

Isolation and Desolation – Conditions of Detention of People Sentenced to Death in Malaysia is the first ever fact-finding mission report on the conditions of detention of death row prisoners in Malaysia.

It examines the use of death penalty in Malaysia as well as the actual situation of people on death row.

This report is not meant to point fingers but rather to put the facts on the table in a transparent manner and work from there. It is mainly an advocacy tool for all abolitionist stakeholders, from civil society actors to the parliamentarians who will keep fighting for the abolition of the death penalty.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL GLOBAL REPORT

Article(s)

Editorial: Amnesty International releases annual report

By Amnesty International, on 27 May 2021

On 21 April, we published our annual report on the global use of the death penalty, which shows that in 2020 the world got one step closer to freeing itself from this cruel punishment.

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

Public Opinion

World Coalition Against the Death Penalty

Article(s)

75th UN General Assembly High-Level Event Focuses on the Gender Dimension of the Death Penalty

By Gia Tongson, on 6 October 2020

On September 24th, the UN Permanent Mission of Italy, the European Union, and Amnesty International, in cooperation with the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) and UN Women, held a high-level virtual event that shed light on the gender dimension of the death penalty. The webinar was conducted as part of […]

2020

Death Row Conditions

Fair Trial

Women

Document(s)

Fourteen Days in May

By Paul Hamann, on 30 November 2018


2018

Arguments against the death penalty

Multimedia content

Death Row Conditions


More details See the document

Fourteen Days in May is a documentary directed by Paul Hamann. The program recounts the final days before the execution of Edward Earl Johnson, an American prisoner convicted of rape and murder.

The documentary crew, given access to the prison warden, guards and chaplain and to Johnson and his family, filmed the last days of Johnson’s life in detail. The documentary argues against the death penalty and maintains that capital punishment is disproportionately applied to African-Americans convicted of crimes against whites. The programme features attorney Clive Stafford Smith, an advocate against capital punishment.

  • Document type Arguments against the death penalty / Multimedia content
  • Themes list Death Row Conditions

Article(s)

No mention of death row prisoners in Mandela rules

By Nordine Drici (Planète Réfugiés) & Sandrine Ageorges-Skinner (ECPM), on 30 November 2018

Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 2018 is an opportunity to question the effectiveness of civil and political rights, but also economic, social and cultural rights, in the context of an increasingly globalized world that ostracizes, excludes, sentences to death and continues to execute.

Death Row Conditions

Article(s)

Death penalty is torture, says expert

By Nicolas Chua & FIACAT, on 29 November 2018

In celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ 70th anniversary, the 20th EU-NGO Forum was held in Brussels on 21-22 November 2018, during which a session on “International Actions against Death Penalty and Torture” took place. World Coalition Director Aurélie Plaçais was invited to participate in the panel discussion, alongside representatives from Coalition member organizations ECPM and FIACAT.

2018

Death Row Conditions

Document(s)

Behind the Curtain: Secrecy and the Death Penalty in the United States

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 20 November 2018


2018

NGO report

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

United States


More details See the document

Report published by the Death Penalty Information Center on secrecy and the death penalty in the United States. This report documents the laws and policies that states have adopted to make information about executions inaccessible to the public, to pharmaceutical companies, and to condemned prisoners. It describes the dubious methods states have used to obtain drugs, the inadequate qualifications of members of the execution team, and the significant restrictions on witnesses’ ability to observe how executions are carried out. It summarizes the various drug combinations that have been used, with particular focus on the problems with the drug midazolam, and provides a state-by-state record of problems in recent executions. It explains how government policies that lack transparency and accountability permit states to violate the law and disregard fundamental principles of a democratic government while carrying out the harshest punishment the law allows.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment / Death Row Conditions

Article(s)

NGO Forum & The ACHPR: A broad overview of African prisons amidst tensions

By Jessica Corredor, on 16 November 2018

The NGO Forum, preceding the ACHPR session, was held from 20 to 23 October 2018, with “The Fight against Corruption” as its main topic.

2018

Death Row Conditions

Legal Representation

Article(s)

Hope resonates globally on World Day against the Death Penalty

By Nicolas Chua, on 25 October 2018

On 10 October 2018, abolitionist forces around the world celebrated the 16th World Day against the Death Penalty in a flurry of diverse activities and events meant to raise awareness on living conditions on death row. Activists in every continent mobilized civil society, challenged governments and reached out to the general public in a collective effort to promote and advance the common goal of universal, worldwide abolition of the death penalty.

2018

Death Row Conditions

Article(s)

First symposium on the abolition of the death penalty in Niger

By Nigerien Coalition against the Death Penalty, on 17 October 2018

October 10 2018, Niamey, National Human Rights Commission CNDH NIGER. The Nigerien Coalition against the Death Penalty and the Nigerien abolitionist movement in Niger (SYNAFEN, NGO REPRODEVH NIGER, ACAT NIGER) organized the First National Symposium on the Contribution to the Abolition of the Death Penalty in Niger, following the theme “DIGNITY FOR ALL” and entitled: “Living Conditions of those under Life Imprisonment in Niger’s prisons and pleading in favour of Niger’s vote on the draft Additional Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Abolition of the Death Penalty in Africa…”, under the sponsorship of the President of the CNDH NIGER Professor KALID IKIRI.

2018

Death Row Conditions

Article(s)

Overcoming the isolation of the people sentenced to death and their relatives

By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 10 September 2018

One of the observations made by the World Coalition while doing the preliminary work for this year’s World Day, is the isolation in which the people sentenced to death might live.

2018

Death Row Conditions

Article(s)

Take Action for World Day 2018!

By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 10 September 2018

Check what you can do for 10 October. Browse the calendar of events and the map to prepare and promote the events planned around the world on the big day.

Death Row Conditions

Article(s)

The Sunny Center

By Jessica Corredor, on 30 July 2018

“Extraordinary things can happen to ordinary people and still be OK »The Sunny Center is a place like no other place in the world. Perched on the top of a hill, it is surrounded by lakes and hills that multiply as far as the eye can see. The landscape is breath-taking. But the landscape is nothing compared to the founders of the Sunny Center. Sunny Jacobs, 72, and Peter Pringle, soon 80, began welcoming innocent people into their homes in 2011.

2018

Death Row Conditions

Innocence

Ireland

Article(s)

Global Prison Trends 2018 4th Edition

By Penal Reform International, on 6 June 2018

Global Prison Trends 2018 is the fourth edition in PRI’s annual flagship Global Prison Trends series, which identifies topical developments and challenges in criminal justice and prison policy and practice. It is published in collaboration with the Thailand Institute of Justice, and features a foreword by the Rt Hon Helen Clark, Member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Former Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme.

2018

Death Row Conditions

Article(s)

World Coalition members share knowledge on UN advocacy

By Asil Abuassba (The Advocates for Human Rights), on 19 February 2015

Asil Abuassba, a Palestinian intern with World Coalition member organisation The Advocates for Human Rights, attended a training session to help global activists submit reports on the death penalty situation in their countries to UN bodies.

2015

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

Fair Trial

Innocence

Intellectual Disability

Juveniles

Mental Illness

Article(s)

Improved access to unique global death penalty library

By Thomas Hubert, on 10 July 2014

The World Coalition has redesigned its online library to help visitors find the documents they need in its multilingual database of resources and campaigning tools on capital punishment.

2014

Clemency

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

Drug Offenses

Fair Trial

Innocence

Intellectual Disability

Juveniles

Legal Representation

Mental Illness

Moratorium

Murder Victims' Families

Public Opinion

Terrorism

Women

Article(s)

Abolitionist community appalled at Bangladeshi court ruling

By Emile Carreau, on 8 November 2013

A Bangladeshi court has sentenced 152 people to death and 161 others to life in prison on 5 November for a mutiny in Dhaka in 2009 (photo). High profile abolitionists have berated the decision.

2013

Bangladesh

Death Row Conditions

Article(s)

Inside Tunisia’s death row

By Delphine Judith, on 4 June 2013

Following the launch of the investigative report Buried alive: a study of the death penalty in Tunisia is launched, ECPM’s Middle East and North Africa officer Nicolas Bray presents the research carried out in December 2012.

2013

Death Row Conditions

Tunisia

Article(s)

“Catastrophic” conditions on Lebanon’s death row

By Delphine Judith, on 31 May 2013

Ogarit Younan is a co-founder of the Lebanese Association for Civil Rights, which has just joined the World Coalition. She takes stock on the death penalty and abolitionist progress in Lebanon.

2013

Death Row Conditions

Lebanon

Article(s)

Taiwan visit tarnished by six executions

By Patrick Kamenka, on 25 April 2013

The meeting of the World Coalition Steering Committee on 12 and 13 April 2013 in Taipei, attended by twenty people, was tarnished the same week by the execution of six prisoners sentenced to death, even though high-level assurances had been given by the State with regard to reducing such barbarous acts.

2013

Death Row Conditions

Public Opinion

Taiwan

Taiwan

Article(s)

Only one in 10 countries carried out executions in 2012

By Tiziana Trotta, on 10 April 2013

At least 682 people were executed last year aside from China, according to Amnesty International.

2013

Afghanistan

Bahrain

Barbados

Belarus

Burkina Faso

China

Death Row Conditions

Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Egypt

Gambia

Ghana

Guyana

India

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Iraq

Malawi

Moratorium

Pakistan

Saudi Arabia

Sierra Leone

Singapore

Syrian Arab Republic

Taiwan

Trinidad and Tobago

Viet Nam

Yemen

Article(s)

Japan’s death penalty under scrutiny

By The Advocates for Human Rights, on 5 November 2012

2012

Clemency

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

Fair Trial

Intellectual Disability

Japan

Legal Representation

Mental Illness

Article(s)

The great abolitionist event comes to the UN

By Aurélie Plaçais, on 17 October 2011

For the first time in nine years, the United Nations has participated in festivities marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty.

2011

Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment

Death Row Conditions

Switzerland

Article(s)

Progressing towards abolition in East Africa

on 7 August 2011

On 24-27 July, 2011, World Coalition members Penal Reform International (PRI), Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) and the International Commission of Jurists-Kenya section (ICJ), jointly hosted a regional roundtable on “Death Penalty in East Africa: Challenges, Strategies and Comparative Jurisprudence”, with the Judicial Studies Institute (JSI) in Nairobi, Kenya.

2011

Death Row Conditions

Fair Trial

Kenya

Article(s)

Former death row warden turns frontline abolitionist

on 6 June 2011

Jeanne Woodford, who used to oversee excutions in California, has become the executive director of the prominent anti-capital punishment organisation Death Penalty Focus.

2011

Death Row Conditions

Public Opinion

United States

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

Article(s)

An uncertain future for the infamous San Quentin prison

on 26 March 2011

The death row facility of California at San Quentin finds itself at the center of a fierce debate over the future of a hugely expensive and increasingly unpopular death penalty system.

2011

Death Row Conditions

Public Opinion

United States

Article(s)

Taiwan abolitionists remind their government of its promise

on 13 March 2011

After fresh executions, the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty has been campaigning to save the lives of five condemned prisoners, recalling the government to its commitments to human rights.

2011

Clemency

Death Row Conditions

Taiwan

Taiwan

Article(s)

CURE Conference weighs in on Nigeria death penalty debate

on 8 March 2011

World Coalition member International Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE) held its 5th International Conference from 21-24 February, 2011, in Abuja, Nigeria.

2011

Death Row Conditions

Juveniles

Legal Representation

Nigeria

Nigeria

Article(s)

From death row to elusive freedom

By Ron Keine, on 26 October 2010

Ron Keine, an exonerated former prisoner turned activist, shares his story so that the United States may one day join the rest of the civilized world in abolishing the death penalty.

2010

Death Row Conditions

Innocence

United States

Article(s)

World Coalition takes part in UN death penalty report launch

on 30 May 2010

The World Coalition held a side event to accompany the presentation of the 8th Quinquennial Report of the UN Secretary General on capital punishment in Vienna on May 19.

2010

Death Row Conditions

Innocence

Juveniles

Legal Representation

Article(s)

Universal abolition will happen when four key countries change sides

on 28 February 2010

The US, Iran, China and Japan hold a strategic cultural or geographic position, but the road to abolition remains blocked in those countries.

2010

China

Death Row Conditions

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Japan

Juveniles

Switzerland

United States

Article(s)

Japan executes mentally ill people and pushes prisoners over the edge

on 11 September 2009

The Japanese government continues to execute prisoners with psychiatric illnesses and the conditions on death row provoke mental disorders among inmates, according to a new Amnesty International report.

2009

Death Row Conditions

Japan

Mental Illness

Article(s)

Paris activists lie down against US federal executions

on 10 July 2009

ACAT-France and Amnesty International France staged their 9th “die-in” against the death penalty in the United States.

2009

Death Row Conditions

France

France

Innocence

United States

Article(s)

Debate on California executions turned into abolitionist rally

on 4 July 2009

Hundreds of activists descended on Sacramento for a public review of the state’s lethal injection protocol, arguing that «the death penalty is killing California’s budget».

2009

Death Row Conditions

United States

Article(s)

Filming in the darkness of China’s death row

on 17 September 2008

Night Train, a Chinese film featuring a couple faced with the absurdity of the death penalty, is coming out in DVD.

2008

China

Death Row Conditions

Article(s)

From Italian prisons to Texas death row

on 27 March 2008

A conference held near Naples, Italy last month helped around 200 attendees, most of them secondary school students, understand the death penalty situation in the US and relate it to prison issues in their own country.

2008

Death Row Conditions

Italy

United States