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Article(s)
7th World Day Against the Death Penalty: teaching abolition
By Aurélie Plaçais, on 27 July 2009
On 10 October 2009, World Day Against the Death Penalty, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty wishes to teach abolition to all citizens around the world, especially to teenagers aged 14 to 18.
2009
Public Opinion
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
19th World Day Against the Death Penalty – Women and the death penalty, an invisible reality
on 10 June 2021
On 10 October 2021, the World Day will be dedicated to women who risk being sentenced to death, who have received a death sentence, who have been executed, and to those who have had their death sentences commuted, exonerated, or pardoned.
2021
Women
Article(s)
“Ending the death penalty in Lebanon and worldwide”
on 5 November 2007
Over 75 people attended the conference focussing on the legal and social perspectives of the abolition of capital punishment in Beyrouth on October 17.
2007
Lebanon
Moratorium
Murder Victims' Families
Article(s)
Africa’s human rights body takes a stance against the death penalty
on 30 November 2008
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights calls for a moratorium on executions and the ratification of the UN Protocol for the abolition of the death penalty.
2008
Fair Trial
Article(s)
Two days to discuss abolition in Morocco
on 27 October 2008
Gathered in Rabat on World Day Against the Death Penalty, Moroccan and international politicians, religious leaders and campaigners held advanced discussions on this subject. The country has not carried out a single execution in the last fifteen years.
2008
Moratorium
Morocco
Article(s)
Sharing best practices on ratifying the UN treaty to abolish the death penalty
By Aurélie Plaçais, on 25 September 2011
Belgium and the United Nations’ human rights office have held a panel discussion to promote efforts in favour of the strongest international instrument against capital punishment.
2011
Belgium
Mongolia
Moratorium
Russian Federation
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)
Puerto Rico hosts a week of World Coalition events
on 16 February 2011
International abolitionists gathered on the Caribbean territory to promote their message and to show solidarity with the local authorities against capital punishment.
2011
Murder Victims' Families
Public Opinion
Puerto Rico
United States
Article(s)
Abolition of death penalty is now complete in Italy
on 4 March 2009
Italy became the 41st state to ratify the 13th Protocol to the European Convention for Human Rights on 3 March 2009.
2009
Italy
Article(s)
800 cities light up for life
on 17 November 2008
On November 30, monuments in nearly 800 cities across the globe will light up to celebrate “Cities for Life – Cities Against the Death Penalty”.
2008
Italy
Public Opinion
Article(s)
Algerian MPs want to abolish the death penalty
on 9 December 2008
A group of Algerian parliamentarians has filed a bill aimed at abolishing capital punishment. The World Coalition supports their campaign to have the proposed legislation passed.
2008
Algeria
Moratorium
Document(s)
Mercy By the Numbers: An Empirical Analysis of Clemency and Its Structure
By Michael Heise / Virginia Law Review, on 1 January 2003
2003
Article
United States
More details See the document
Clemency is an extrajudicial measure intended both to enhance fairness in the administration of justice, and allow for the correction of mistakes. Perhaps nowhere are these goals more important than in the death penalty context. The recent increased use of the death penalty and concurrent decline in the number of defendants removed from death row through clemency call for a better and deeper understanding of clemency authority and its application. Questions about whether clemency decisions are consistently and fairly distributed are particularly apt. This study uses 27 years of death penalty and clemency data to explore the influence of defendant characteristics, political factors, and clemency’s structure on clemency decisions. The results suggest that although a defendant’s race and ethnicity did not influence clemency, gender did play a role, as women were far more likely than their male counterparts to receive clemency. Analyses of political and structural factors point in different directions. Political factors such as the timing of gubernatorial and presidential elections and a governor’s lame-duck status did not systematically influence clemency. However, how states structure clemency authority did make a difference. Clemency grants were more likely in states that vest authority in administrative boards than in states that vest authority in the governor. Regionality and time were also important as clemency grants were less likely in southern states and declined after 1984. Overall, these mixed results contribute to a critique that clemency decisions are arbitrary and inconsistent. Thus, important questions regarding fairness that plague earlier aspects of the death penalty process persist to its final stage.
- Document type Article
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Clemency,
Document(s)
Public Opinion and the Death Penalty Guide
By The Death Penalty Project, on 1 November 2022
2022
NGO report
Public Opinion
More details See the document
When faced with calls to join the majority of states worldwide that have now abolished capital punishment, a key justification, typically relied upon by retentionist states, is that their citizens are not yet ready for abolition, and that political leaders must represent ‘the will of the people.’ The Death Penalty Project produced this resource on public opinion and the death penalty.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Public Opinion
Document(s)
22nd World Day Against the Death Penalty – FACTS AND FIGURES
By World coalition against the death penalty, on 8 July 2024
2024
Campaigning
World Coalition
frMore details Download [ pdf - 206 Ko ]
- Document type Campaigning / World Coalition
- Available languages 22e Journée mondiale contre la peine de mort - Faits et chiffres
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)
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)
Hank Skinner’s execution stayed amid international action
on 25 March 2010
The American death row inmate heard the news less than one hour before he was scheduled to die. From Huntsville to Paris, activists demand that new evidence be examined.
2010
Innocence
United States
Article(s)
Activists from Burundi, Rwanda and DR Congo join forces
on 3 December 2008
The Great Lakes Regional Coalition Against the Death Penalty held its first meeting on November 17 in Kinshasa. Its lobbying efforts have accelerated Burundi’s legislative process.
2008
Burundi
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Moratorium
Rwanda
Article(s)
Closing ceremony of the project « My pencil for abolition » at the French Ministry of foreign affairs
By Marion Gauer, on 27 May 2016
On May 23rd, 2016, the closing ceremony of the project “My pencil for abolition” took place at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This project was organized by the team of “Educating and Raising Awareness on Abolition” in the association Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM): it consisted in involving a few middle and high school’s classes, from Lorraine, Belfort and the Parisian region, in the elaboration of articles and cartoons in order to create a magazine committed to the abolition of the death penalty, known as the Abolition Mag.
2016
Public Opinion
Article(s)
ECPM takes social media campaign to the fair ground
By Bronwyn Dudley, on 16 September 2014
World Coalition member organisation Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM) was at September’s Fête de l’Humanité in Paris to spread awareness of the 12th World Day Against the Death Penalty on October 10.
2014
France
Intellectual Disability
Mental Illness
Page(s)
Life of the Network
on 22 June 2020
Abolitionists around the world are mobilizing to end the death penalty. World Day, World Congress, important events for the life of the World Coalition such as the steering committees, but also meetings, events and actions carried out by our members around the world: do not miss any event related to the fight against the death […]
2020
Page(s)
Become a member
on 22 June 2020
Only legal entities can join the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty In accordance with article 5.1. of its Bylaws, the World Coalition welcomes organizations that share the aim of the universal abolition of the death penalty. What the World Coalition offers its members What the World Coalition does not offer its members How members […]
Article(s)
World Coalition welcomes the success of the Regional Congress in Africa
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 12 April 2018
The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty held its Steering Committee meeting on 11/04/2018 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, following the Regional Congress held on 09-10 April 2018.
2018
Article(s)
The World Coalition plays a pivotal role at the 3rd World Congress Against the Death Penalty
on 1 May 2007
The 3rd World Congress Against the Death Penalty came to an end in Paris on 3 February 2007. It was an opportunity for abolitionists from all around the world to come together in greater numbers than ever to exchange experiences and prospects for the future.
2007
France
Document(s)
Judging Innocence
By Brandon Garrett / Columbia School of Law, on 1 January 2008
2008
Article
United States
More details See the document
This empirical study examines for the first time how the criminal system in the United States handled the cases of people who were subsequently found innocent through postconviction DNA testing. The data collected tell the story of this unique group of exonerees, starting with their criminal trials, moving through levels of direct appeals and habeas corpus review, and ending with their eventual exonerations. Beginning with the trials of these exonerees, this study examines the leading types of evidence supporting their wrongful convictions, which were erroneous eyewitness identifications, forensic evidence, informant testimony, and false confessions. Yet our system of criminal appeals and postconviction review poorly addressed factual deficiencies in these trials. Few exonerees brought claims regarding those facts or claims alleging their innocence. For those who did, hardly any claims were granted by courts. Far from recognizing innocence, courts often denied relief by finding errors to be harmless.
- Document type Article
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Innocence,
Document(s)
Grace and Justice on Death Row
By Brian W. Stolarz / Skyhorse Publishing, on 1 January 2016
2016
Book
United States
More details See the document
This book tells the story of Alfred Dewayne Brown, a man who spent over twelve years in prison (ten of them on Texas’ infamous Death Row) for a high-profile crime he did not commit, and his lawyer, Brian Stolarz, who dedicated his career and life to secure his freedom. The book chronicles Brown’s extraordinary journey to freedom against very long odds, overcoming unscrupulous prosecutors, corrupt police, inadequate defense counsel, and a broken criminal justice system. The book examines how a lawyer-client relationship turned into one of brotherhood.Grace And Justice On Death Row also addresses many issues facing the criminal justice system and the death penalty – race, class, adequate defense counsel, and intellectual disability, and proposes reforms.Told from Stolarz’s perspective, this raw, fast-paced look into what it took to save one man’s life will leave you questioning the criminal justice system in this country. It is a story of injustice and redemption that must be told.
- Document type Book
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Innocence, Death Row Conditions, Death Penalty,
Document(s)
Women and the Death Penalty in Iran
By Iran Human Rights, on 8 October 2021
2021
NGO report
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Women
More details See the document
In observation of the 2021 World Day Against the Death Penalty dedicated to women, Iran Human Rights is providing a report on the women executed in Iran over the last 12 years (2010-2021). The executions in this period are by no means representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s complete history of executing women; the number of female political prisoners executed in the 1980s must be acknowledged due to their sheer volume and abhorrent nature. But even today, there is ample evidence of their cruel and inhuman treatment of female prisoners, which will be highlighted in this report.
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list Iran (Islamic Republic of)
- Themes list Women
Article(s)
Linking the death penalty and torture to achieve abolition
By Thomas Hubert, on 20 June 2013
Recognising the process from sentencing to execution as a form of torture would ensure progress towards abolition in international law as well as in the US.
2013
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Article(s)
Executions in Jordan and Pakistan show need to go beyond moratorium
By Thomas Hubert, on 16 January 2015
The World Coalition and its members have criticised decisions by the governments of Jordan and Pakistan to reverse their policy of suspending executions despite a historic vote in favour of a moratorium on the use of the death penalty at the UN General Assembly.
2015
Jordan
Moratorium
Pakistan
Article(s)
Nie Shubin: a victim of the arbitrary in China
on 21 January 2008
In the lead up to the Beijing Olympics, the French coalition Collectif Chine JO 2008 highlights cases of human rights abuse in China on a weekly basis. This week, they focus on Nie Shubin, who was executed by mistake in 1995.
2008
China
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Women
Article(s)
Recent US Federal Executions Raise Ethical and Political Issues
By Louis Linel, on 2 September 2020
Two more federal executions were carried out at the end of August in the United States of America. The abolitionist movement in the United States denounces human rights violations, challenges the cost of the death penalty in this time of crisis and even opposes its disrespect for tribal sovereignity.
2020
Fair Trial
Intellectual Disability
Public Opinion
United States
Article(s)
EU regrets difficulties in dialogue with Belarus
By Tiziana Trotta, on 16 June 2013
European Union officials and Belarusian activists denounce Minsk’s lack of political will to tackle the death penalty.
2013
Belarus
Belarus
Public Opinion
Article(s)
Texas maintains distance from abolitionist trend after 500th execution
By Léa Macarez, on 4 July 2013
52 year-old black woman Kimberly McCarthy was executed on 26 June and became the 500th prisoner put to death since Texas restored the death penalty in 1982.
2013
United States
Women
Article(s)
Trinidad and Tobago narrowly avoids resumption of executions
on 8 March 2011
A bill which aimed to facilitate executions in the Caribbean nation was defeated in Parliament on February 28.
2011
Public Opinion
Trinidad and Tobago
Article(s)
New Jersey sets an example for US states
on 8 January 2008
The abolition of the death penalty in New Jersey on December 17 could pave the way for other US states. Death Penalty Focus’s Speedy Rice explains how some of them may make the move.
2008
Public Opinion
United States
Article(s)
While we wait for the Supreme Court
on 17 January 2008
After the Supreme Court held a hearing much awaited by the abolitionist community on January 7th, we all need to reassess our strategy for abolition in America, writes Sandrine Ageorges.
2008
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Public Opinion
United States
Article(s)
Call for world lawyers to unite against the death penalty
By Thomas Hubert, on 15 June 2013
The Paris Bar Association (a World Coalition member) and its Beirut counterpart have called on lawyers worldwide to increase efforts to defend those facing the death penalty and to push for its abolition.
2013
Legal Representation
Moratorium
Spain
Article(s)
Abolitionist Challenges for 2013 in Puerto Rico
By Puerto Rican Coalition against the Death Penalty, on 7 March 2013
This annual report covers the situation of death penalty cases involving Puerto Ricans who face death penalty proceedings in the federal jurisdiction, as well as in those states of the US where such punishment is strictly upheld, and one case of petition for extradition.
2013
United States
Article(s)
A challenge to the abolitionist movement
By Sandra Babcock, on 16 December 2011
Over the last few decades, we have made great strides toward the universal abolition of the death penalty. Nevertheless, despite the progress we have made, the death penalty remains entrenched in a significant number of states. And even in those nations that have refrained from carrying out executions in a sort of de facto moratorium, […]
2011
Intellectual Disability
Malawi
Mental Illness
Mexico
Moratorium
United States
Article(s)
Belize PM aims to amend constitution to resume executions
on 9 June 2011
The Government of the small Caribbean nation has recently introduced a Constitution Amendment Bill, which seeks to make it clear that the death penalty is not unconstitutional.
2011
Belize
Belize
Legal Representation
Trinidad and Tobago
Member(s)
International Academic Network for the Abolition of Capital Punishment (REPECAP)
on 30 April 2020
REPECAP was founded in 2009 with the aim of supporting preparations for the creation of the International Commission against the Death Penalty that was created a year later. We represent a non-governmental organization whose purpose is of academic nature for the dissemination of scientific knowledge impartially through its many nodes present at prestigious Universities around […]
2020
Spain
Article(s)
Community of Sant’Egidio meets the president of Mongolia
on 7 October 2010
A delegation of the Community of Sant’Egidio has been invited from 6 to 11 September in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, and received by the President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdor.
2010
Mongolia
Article(s)
World Forum an opportunity to gather abolitionists
on 4 July 2008
As the World Coalition held its general meeting in Nantes at the end of June, discussions focussed on the involvement of corporations and local authorities.
2008
Article(s)
Pakistani authorities urged to renew moratorium
By Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, on 8 July 2013
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a World Coalition member, has called on the government formed following recent elections to suspend executions. A previous moratorium order has expired and many prisoners are at risk of being hanged.While the 2008 moratorium was introduced under the rule of the Pakistan People Party, whose former leader Benazir Bhutto was a well-known abolitionist, it expired shortly after Nawaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League became Prime minister.
Pakistan had already broken the moratorium when it executed a soldier in November 2012.
2013
Moratorium
Pakistan
Pakistan
Article(s)
Gambia commits to full abolition of the death penalty
By Nicolas Chua, on 26 October 2018
On 28 September 2018, during the UN Treaty Event in New York, Gambia ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, aiming at the irreversible abolition of the death penalty, alongside the Convention Against Torture.
2018
Gambia
Article(s)
The Death Penalty in Human Rights Watch “World Report 2020”
By Majdoulin Sendadi, on 6 February 2020
HRW, a member organization of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, focused its report on human rights practices in almost 100 countries, including on abuses in civil and political rights.
2020
Article(s)
After the debates, the victims’ emotions
on 28 February 2010
A large crowd gathered at Geneva’s Bâtiment des Forces Motrices Thursday evening to listen to the poignant stories of thirteen victims allied by their commitment to abolition.
2010
Article(s)
Is the death penalty a cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment under international law?
on 20 March 2009
Special Rapporteur Manfred Nowak raised the issue at the UN’s Human Rights Council, triggering a debate in which World Coalition member organisations had their say.
2009
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Article(s)
Burundi abolishes the death penalty
on 29 April 2009
Burundi’s new penal code, which abolishes the death penalty, was signed into law on April 22. ACAT-Burundi chairman Merius Rusumo recounts the campaign’s success.
2009
Burundi
Burundi
Article(s)
Democratic Republic of the Congo: the abolitionists organize workshops for journalists
By Thalia Gerzso, on 25 September 2017
Concerned by the population’s view on the death penalty, the Human Rights Defenders and Abolitionist Advocates in Democratic Republic of the Congo Network [Réseau des associations de défense des droits de l’homme et militants abolitionnistes de la peine de mort en République Démocratique du Congo (RADHOMA)] organized several training courses for journalists in the past few months.
2017
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Public Opinion
Article(s)
Between hope and disillusion: the Iranian death penalty reform
By Thalia Gerzso, on 13 September 2017
On August 13, 2017, the Iranian parliament finally approved an amendment aiming at raising the bar for a mandatory death sentence in cases involving drug related offenses. Despite this first step, abolitionists deplore the limited effect of this new legislation.
2017
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Article(s)
Greater Caribbean for Life responds to the call for the resumption of the death penalty in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
By Greater Caribbean for Life and Emmanuel Trépied, on 21 July 2017
Emotions are running high in Trinidad and Tobago because of “runaway crime,” and once again the country finds itself in the throes of looking for ways in which to resume hanging. The Greater Caribbean for Life (GCL) urges Trinidad and Tobago’s government to focus on human development and crime prevention rather than expend time and energy in seeking to resume hanging.
2017
Trinidad and Tobago
Article(s)
Responsible Business Initiative on the Death Penalty
By Louis Linel, on 19 July 2019
On the occasion of the meeting of its Steering Committee on Friday 28 June and Saturday 29 June 2019, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty has invited the director of Responsible Business Initiative Against the Death Penalty, Ms. Celia Ouellette, to present the involvement of companies against the capital punishment alongside with traditional activists.
2019
Article(s)
The unprecedent shift in attitudes towards abolition in the US
By World coalition against the death penaly, on 22 March 2024
The Death Penalty Information Center’s 2023 report highlights a rising trend towards abolition in the US, evidenced by a decrease in states conducting executions and heightened backing for individuals asserting innocence. In 2023, the United States witnessed 24 executions, 21 death sentences, and three exonerations, reflecting this evolving trend.
2024
Trend Towards Abolition
United States
Document(s)
Women and Death Penalty Factsheet – World Day 2023
By World coalition against the death penalty, on 15 August 2023
2023
World Coalition
Gender
frMore details Download [ pdf - 424 Ko ]
- Document type World Coalition
- Themes list Gender
- Available languages Faits et chiffres Les femmes et la peine de mort - 21e journée mondiale contre la peine de mort
Article(s)
Death penalty and mental illness: “Double Tragedies”
on 7 July 2009
Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights and the National Alliance on Mental Illness slam the use of capital punishment against mentally ill people in the United States.
2009
Mental Illness
Murder Victims' Families
United States
Article(s)
The Flaws of Deterrence Theory for Capital Punishment
By Fiacat, on 23 February 2021
Joint Oral Statement delivered during the United Nations 46th Human Rights Council Biennial high-level panel discussion on the question of the death penalty.
2021
Public Opinion
Article(s)
Pardons and commutations in Nigeria
on 29 August 2009
Shortly after Kenya commuted thousands of death sentences, the Nigerian state of Lagos took similar steps and moved closer to abolition.
2009
Clemency
Nigeria
Nigeria
Article(s)
Final Declaration 4th World Congress Against the Death Penalty
on 26 February 2010
The participants to the World Congress Against the Death Penalty have handed over their final declaration to the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay.
2010
Moratorium
Article(s)
California Democratic Party endorses abolition of the death penalty
on 12 May 2010
One of the two main political parties in the largest US State has taken a formal stance against capital punishment – with help from local abolitionist organisations.
2010
Public Opinion
United States
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
Article(s)
The 6th International Conference on Human Rights issues a warning on the alarming situation in Bahrain
By Emmanuel Trépied and Coalition marocaine contre la peine de mort, on 10 March 2017
The World Coalition was invited to take part in the 6th international Conference on Human Rights, on February 22nd, 2017 in Beirut. addressing the very worrying situation in Bahrain, the event resulted in a series of calls and recommendations.
2017
Bahrain
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Fair Trial
Moratorium
Terrorism
Article(s)
LEDAP condemns the killing of three death row prisoners in Nigeria
By Chino Obiagwu - LEDAP National Coordinator, on 28 December 2016
Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) condemns the killing on December 23 2016 of three death row prisoners in Benin City prison on death warrants signed by the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki. Those executed were Ogbomoro Omoregie, Apostle Igene and Mark Omosowhota. They were all convicted and sentenced to death nearly 20 years ago by military tribunals under the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Decree as amended.
2016
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Nigeria
Article(s)
Abolition of the death penalty in Nauru
By Marion Gauer, on 3 June 2016
Nauru recently ended its de facto moratorium by abolishing the death penalty in law.
2016
Nauru
Article(s)
Iranian death sentence for Facebook postings violates international law
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 28 November 2014
Statement of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty on Soheil Arabi’s Death Sentence in Iran: Exercising freedom of expression is not a crime.
2014
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Article(s)
Joint statement from 48 coalitions, networks and human rights organizations from 12 Arab countries
By The Arab Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 6 January 2016
The statement strongly condemns the execution of Nimr Baqir al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia and renewed its demand for Saudi Arabia to support the United Nations resolution on a global moratorium on the death penalty and to abolish the death penalty in national legislation.
2016
Saudi Arabia
Article(s)
Widespread and systematic violations of human rights in Iran
By Impact Iran, on 12 March 2021
Joint letter sent to Member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council on 12 March 2021
2021
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Article(s)
68th Ordinary Session African Commission on Human & Peoples’ Rights- Anti-Death Penalty Advocacy Continues
By Bronwyn Dudley, on 11 June 2021
The ACHPR (the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights) met virtually for its 68th Ordinary Session from 14 April – 4 May 2021.
2021
Terrorism
Women
Article(s)
Saudi Arabia: “Killing in the Name of Justice”
By Elisa Belotti, on 7 October 2015
When it comes to the execution of death penalties, Saudi Arabia is one of the most prolific country in the world. This is what emerges from a new report published by Amnesty International in August 2015.
2015
Saudi Arabia
Article(s)
The strategic path to abolition in Nigeria
By Emile Carreau, on 2 December 2014
Two World Coalition members, Avocats Sans Frontières France and the Paris Bar Association, held a conference on the death penalty in Nigeria in Paris on the 27th of November.
2014
Nigeria
Nigeria
Article(s)
PRESS RELEASE – Indignation after 30 death sentences in Kinshasa
By Michel Kalemba, Suzanne Mangomba, Xavière Prugnard and Bertin Leblanc, on 4 August 2021
Kinshasa, Paris, May 27, 2021 Our organizations denounce the recent death sentences handed down by the High Court of Gombe, in the center of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, following violence against the forces of order.
2021
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Fair Trial
Legal Representation
Moratorium
Document(s)
Advisory on the Increased Vulnerabilty of Women Migrant Workers on Death Row
By Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines, on 3 December 2021
2021
Government body report
Drug Offenses
Legal Representation
Philippines
Women
frMore details Download [ pdf - 1457 Ko ]
The Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines issues this advisory to bring the Philippines’ attention to the heightened vulnerabilities of women Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
- Document type Government body report
- Countries list Philippines
- Themes list Drug Offenses / Legal Representation / Women
- Available languages Avis sur la vulnérabilité accrue des travailleuses migrantes dans le couloir de la mort
Article(s)
Greater Caribbean for Life addresses Inter-American Commission on death penalty in their region
on 19 March 2015
On Monday, 16 March 2015, the Greater Caribbean for Life (GCL) addressed the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on issues relating to the death penalty in the Greater Caribbean, during a dedicated thematic hearing held at the Organisation of American States (OAS) headquarters in Washington, D.C., USA.
2015
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Grenada
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
United States
Uruguay
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
Article(s)
Strong mobilization in Sub-Saharan Africa on World Day
By Thalia Gerzso, on 19 October 2017
On October 10, 2017, all the abolitionists all around the world joined their forces to celebrate the 15th World Day Against the Death Penalty. The mobilization was particularly strong in Sub-Saharan Africa where many events were organized. Thus, the pugnacity of African abolitionists put the abolition of the death penalty at the heart of every discussion.
2017
Public Opinion
Article(s)
“Frightening” increase of executions in Iran
By World coalition against the death penalty, on 20 June 2024
Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) reports that at least 243 people, including 10 women, have been executed in 2024, as of 15 June. In 2023, the number of people executed has increased from 582 to 834. At least 471 people were executed for drug-related offenses. This represent a 84% increase compared to 2022 (256).
2024
Drug Offenses
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Article(s)
Global overview of women facing the death penalty
By Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide and World Coalition, on 10 October 2018
Launch of a groundbreaking report entitled “Judged for more than her crime: A Global Study on Women Facing the Death Penalty”
2018
Women
Article(s)
New study shows Taiwan death penalty violates human rights standards
By The Death Penalty Project, on 8 June 2014
Collaboration between World Coalition member organisations The Death Penalty Project and Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty follows acceleration of executions in the country.
2014
Taiwan
Article(s)
Ivory Coast invited to ratify the UN Protocol on the death penalty
By Guillaume Colin (FIACAT), on 27 November 2013
World Coalition member organization FIACAT has taken part in a follow up mission to the Ivory Coast after the African human rights body issued the country with recommendations including ratifying the treaty that copperfastens abolition.
2013
Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
Article(s)
Lawyers’ manual published in traditional Chinese
By Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty, on 30 November 2013
On the occasion of Cities for Life Day on November 30, the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP) and the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty are proud to announce the online publication of the Chinese version of Representing Individuals Facing the Death Penalty: A Best Practices Manual. This publication is intended for lawyers who defend people facing the death penalty around the world.
2013
China
Legal Representation
Taiwan
Taiwan
Article(s)
EU diplomats team up with US activists to co-ordinate efforts against the death penalty
on 18 December 2008
The French presidency of the European Union organised a meeting between EU diplomats and US abolitionists in November to strengthen a discreet but long-standing partnership.
2008
Innocence
Public Opinion
United States
Article(s)
Dialogue should make death penalty “a sentence of the past” – foreign ministers
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 9 October 2014
Twelve governments from countries with and without capital punishment release a joint declaration calling for a world that “respects human dignity” on World Day Against the Death Penalty.
2014
Argentina
Australia
Benin
Burkina Faso
Haiti
Intellectual Disability
Mental Illness
Mexico
Mongolia
Norway
Philippines
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom
Article(s)
Director (Research)
By Project 39A, on 14 June 2018
The National Law University, Delhi (“University”) is seeking to engage on a contractual basis, one Director (Research) for Project 39A.
2018
India
Article(s)
The death penalty at the heart of the debates of the 62nd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
By Guillaume Colin - Jessica Corredor, on 15 May 2018
The 62nd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), the African Union body responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights in Africa, was held from April 25th to May 9th, 2018 in Nouakchott, Mauritania.The death penalty was at the heart of the debates throughout this Session, during panel discussions, side-events or during the review of the State’s periodic reports.
2018
Mauritania
Public Opinion
Article(s)
The State of Palestine commits to abolishing the death penalty
By Louis Linel, Aurélie Plaçais, on 10 April 2019
On 18 March 2019, the State of Palestine acceded to the United Nations Treaty aiming to abolish the death penalty, becoming the 87th State Party to the OP2-PIDCP.
2019
State of Palestine
Article(s)
Increased use of the death penalty in Egypt since 2013
By Abdoul Razak Ahmadou Youssoufou, on 13 June 2019
Since the fall of the Morsi regime in 2013, the use of the death penalty has increased considerably in Egypt with a death sentence rate estimated at 2443 people between 2013 and 2018 according to Reprieve.
2019
Egypt
Article(s)
China rejects all UN recommendations on death penalty use
By Aurélie Plaçais, on 24 March 2014
“China’s position is to retain the death penalty, but strictly and prudently limit its application according to law,” said the world’s top executioner after it rejected all 20 UPR recommendations to curb capital punishment.
2014
China
Article(s)
3rd Regional Congress Against the Death Penalty
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 13 March 2018
The African Congress will be held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on 9-10 April 2018. Over 300 participants are expected.
2018
Article(s)
Civil society instrumental in UN monitoring of progress towards abolition
By Thomas Hubert, on 22 September 2014
The World Coalition and its members are present at every step in the international human rights law process – from the signature of human rights treaties to the verification of their implementation. Their contribution is yielding more and more concrete results.
2014
Indonesia
United States
Article(s)
Children of people sentenced to death attract the UN’s attention
By Léa Macarez, on 19 September 2013
The UN Human Rights Council brought together representatives from civil society, States and the UN itself to discuss the rights of children whose parents are sentenced to death or executed.
2013
Juveniles
Article(s)
Saudi Arabia slammed over child executions, discrimination
on 21 February 2009
United Nations agencies, governments and NGOs criticised Saudi Arabia’s death penalty record at the UN’s universal periodic review of human rights.
2009
Juveniles
Saudi Arabia
Document(s)
Officials’ Estimates of the Incidence of ‘Actual Innocence’ Convictions
By Angie Kiger / Brad Smith / Marvin Zalman / Justice Quarterly, on 1 January 2008
2008
Article
United States
More details See the document
Evidence indicates that the conviction and imprisonment of factually innocent persons occur with some regularity. Most research focuses on causes, but the incidence of wrongful convictions is an important scientific and policy issue, especially as no official body gathers data on miscarriages of justice. Two methods are available for discovering the incidence of wrongful conviction: (1) enumerating specific cases and (2) having criminal justice experts estimate its incidence. Counts or catalogues of wrongful conviction necessarily undercount its incidence and are subject to accuracy challenges. We surveyed Michigan criminal justice officials, replicating a recent Ohio survey, to obtain an expert estimate of the incidence of wrongful conviction. All groups combined estimated that wrongful convictions occurred at a rate of less than 1/2 percent in their own jurisdiction and at a rate of 1-3 percent in the United States. Defense lawyers estimate higher rates of wrongful conviction than judges, who estimate higher rates than police officials and prosecutors. These differences may be explained by professional socialization. An overall wrongful conviction estimate of 1/2 percent extrapolates to about 5,000 wrongful felony convictions and the imprisonment of more than 2,000 innocent persons in the United States every year.
- Document type Article
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Innocence,
Document(s)
Chinese Netizens’ Opinions on Death Sentences
By Bin Liang and Jianhong Liu, The University of Michigan Press, on 4 November 2021
2021
Academic report
China
Public Opinion
More details See the document
The People’s Republic of China no doubt leads the world in both numbers of death sentences and executions. Despite being the largest user of the death penalty, China has never conducted a national poll on citizens’ opinions toward capital punishment, while claiming “overwhelming public support” as a major justification for its retention and use. Based on a content analysis of 38,512 comments collected from 63 cases in 2015, this study examines the diversity and rationales of netizens’ opinions of and interactions with China’s criminal justice system. In addition, the book discusses China’s social, systemic, and structural problems and critically examines the rationality of netizens’ opinions based on Habermas’s communicative rationality framework. Readers will be able to contextualize Chinese netizens’ discussions and draw conclusions about commonalities and uniqueness of China’s death penalty practice.
- Document type Academic report
- Countries list China
- Themes list Public Opinion
Document(s)
Support for the Death Penalty in Developed Democracies: A Binational Comparative Case Study
By Kevin Buckler / Willian Reed Benedict / Ben Brown / International Criminal Justice Review, on 1 January 2010
2010
Article
Mexico
More details See the document
To assess support for the death penalty in Mexico and South Korea, surveys were administered to students at institutions of higher education. The majority of respondents in Mexico (52.3%) and South Korea (60.8%) supported the death penalty. Given that the Mexican and South Korean governments have histories of using criminal justice agencies to suppress democratic reform, the high level of support for the death penalty indicates that a history of authoritarian governance may not inculcate widespread opposition to the punishment. Concomitantly, regression analyses of the data indicate that beliefs about the treatment afforded to criminal suspects do not significantly affect support for capital punishment. Contrary to research conducted in the United States, which has consistently shown support for capital punishment is lower among females than among males, regression analyses of the data show that gender has no impact on support for the death penalty; findings that call for a reexamination of the thesis that the gender gap in support for the death penalty in the United States is the result of a patriarchal social structure.
- Document type Article
- Countries list Mexico
- Themes list Public opinion, Public debate,
Document(s)
Practice guide for defense counsel representing individuals facing the death penalty in Uganda
By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2019
2019
Working with...
More details See the document
This Practice guide offers guidance to defense counsel in Uganda for the accused person facing a criminal trial of a capital offence involving a death penalty. The best practices are intended to ensure effective legal representation in order to mitigate the potential of imposition of the death penalty. The best practices detailed in the Practice guide intend to enhance the performance of criminal defense counsel in all stages of the criminal trial proceeding to mitigate the adverse effect of an erroneous conviction and sentencing of the accused person to death.The Practice guide was developed in recognition of the unique nature and effect of the death penalty compared to other criminal penalties, and therefore defense counsel in a capital case should take extraordinary efforts on behalf of the accused to review and ensure compliance with these best practices throughout the proceedings.
- Document type Working with...
- Themes list Legal Representation,
Document(s)
Texas Death Penalty Developments in 2022: The Year in Review
By Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, on 16 December 2022
2022
NGO report
United States
More details See the document
Use of the death penalty in Texas remained near historic low levels in 2022, with juries sentencing two people to death and the State executing five people. Three other scheduled executions were stayed by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA). Overall, the eight execution dates set for 2022 were the fewest in Texas since 1996.
Despite their low number, the executions set and carried out in 2022 raise troubling issues about the fairness and utility of the death penalty. Four of the men put to death, including 78-year-old Carl Wayne Buntion, suffered from physical or mental impairments or histories of childhood trauma, while two maintained their innocence of the crimes for which they were convicted.
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list United States
Article(s)
Philippines: Do not revive the Death Penalty
By Ngeow Chow Ying, for the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN), on 15 January 2017
ADPAN strongly urges all members of the Philippine House of Representative and Senate to reject the reinstatement of the death penalty and uphold the rights to life as enshrined in the Constitution.
2017
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Article(s)
COVID-19: Calling for a Worldwide Moratorium on the Death Penalty During the Pandemic
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 18 June 2020
“When the whole world is trying hard to save lives from COVID-19, an execution by the state is contradictory and perverse” said Kevin Miguel Rivera Medina, President of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.
2020
Moratorium
Article(s)
Federal Justice orders the prison administration to immediately provide African-American journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal with treatment
By French Collective "Free Mumia", on 18 January 2017
On the 3rd January of this year, a Federal judge ordered Pennsylvania’s prison administration to immediately provide Mumia Abu-Jamal with medication to treat his hepatitis C infection, justifying his decision in these terms: “budgetary constraints cannot outweigh the Eighth Amendment’s constitutional guarantee of adequate medical care.”
2017
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
United States
Article(s)
Greater Caribbean for Life – Project Manager
By Greater Caribbean for Life, on 7 June 2018
The Greater Caribbean for Life (GCL) is currently seeking to appoint a part-time Project Manager, to assist with the management, administration, and implementation of a project seeking to restrict and reform the use of the death penalty in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean States.
2018