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Document(s)

Witness to Innocence – from death row to freedom

By Witness to Innocence, on 8 September 2020


2020

Academic report

United States


More details See the document

Errors have been made repeatedly in death penalty cases because of: poor legal representation, racial prejudice, prosecutorial misconduct, the presentation of erroneous evidence, false confession, junk science, eyewitness error. Once convicted, a death row prisoner faces enormous obstacles in convincing any court that he or she is innocent.

  • Document type Academic report
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Capital Punishment in Context

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 8 September 2020


Campaigning


More details See the document

Capital Punishment in Context contains several cases of individuals who were sentenced to death in the United States. Each case presents a narrative account of the individual’s crime, trial and punishment, along with guidelines for analysis, discussion and further research on issues raised by the case. The narratives are supplemented by resources such as original police reports from the homicide investigation and transcripts of testimony from witnesses. After reading the case, you can further explore issues by following a series of links to new information. Each case, along with the related materials, delineates a path through the criminal justice system. At every stage of the process, questions are raised about how the system works. These questions can lead to an analysis of key topics, such as the quality of legal representation for criminal defendants, the risk of wrongful convictions, the role of capital jurors, judicial independence, and the role that race may play in the criminal justice system.

  • Document type Campaigning
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Host a Speaking Event

By Witness to Innocence, on 8 September 2020


Working with...


More details See the document

Are you stressing about finding that perfect speaker for your next event? Worried that the speaker be inspirational, educational, and entertaining all at the same time? Look no further. We are awaiting your call to help you organize an unforgettable and unique experience for your audience.

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

False Confessions and Recording of Custodial Interrogations

By The Innocence Project, on 8 September 2020


Working with...

es
More details See the document

Many of the nation’s 249 wrongful convictions overturned by DNA evidence involved some form of a false confession. Yet it’s virtually impossible to fathom wh a person would wrongly confess to a crime he or she did not commit. The causes behind false confessions is explored in this text.

Document(s)

Facts on Post-Conviction DNA Exonerations

By The Innocence Project, on 8 September 2020


Working with...


More details See the document

This fact sheet gives facts on post DNA exonerations and provides information on the main causes of wrongful conviction including eyewitness misidentification, false confessions and snitches.

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Overview of the Capital Trial Process

By Capital Punishment in Context, on 8 September 2020


Working with...


More details See the document

This document briefly goes through the steps involved in a death penalty case, from the point of arrest to judge sentences.

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Clemency Procedures in Death Penalty States

By Capital Punishment in Context, on 8 September 2020


Working with...


More details See the document

This file is relevant to the US, giving a list of states where governors can grant clemency, where the governor must have recommendations of clemency and where governors recieve a non-binding recommendation of clemency.

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Death Qualification

By Capital Punishment in Context, on 8 September 2020


Working with...


More details See the document

This document describes who is elgible for Death Qualification, Jury Selection, and what death qualification entails.

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Death Penalty Laws in states

By Capital Punishment in Context, on 8 September 2020


Working with...


More details See the document

This document provides state by state information in the United States regarding laws that govern the death penalty.

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Overview – Association of Southeast Asian Nations

By Association of Southeast Asian Nations, on 8 September 2020


Academic report


More details See the document

This document provides a quick overview of ASEAN, going through its aims and purposes, fundamental principles, its community and its charter.

  • Document type Academic report
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Instructions: Form for Filing Petitions alleging Human Rights Violations

By Organization of American States, on 8 September 2020


Working with...

esfren
More details See the document

The following form, prepared by the Commission’s Executive Secretariat, is intended to make it easier for victims of violations, their family members, organizations of civil society or other persons to file complaints alleging human rights violations by OAS member States.

Document(s)

Listing of verifiable executions worldwide reported this month.

By Capital Punishment U.K., on 8 September 2020


NGO report


More details See the document

Listing of verifiable executions worldwide reported per month.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Statistics,

Document(s)

A Matter of Life and Death: films, an assembly, lessons and information on the death penalty to inspire students aged 14+

By Amnesty International UK, on 8 September 2020


Campaigning


More details See the document

Through A Matter of Life and Death lessons, assembly and films, students aged 14+ can explore the issues surrounding the use of the death penalty, one of Amnesty’s oldest and most established campaigns.

  • Document type Campaigning
  • Themes list Public opinion,

Document(s)

Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions on a gender-sensitive approach to arbitrary killings

By United Nations, on 8 September 2020


International law - United Nations


More details See the document

In the report, the Special Rapporteur considers key elements of a gender-sensitive perspective to the mandate, in the interests of strengthening an inclusive application of critical norms and standards related to the right to life. These elements include consideration of the impact of gender identity and expression, intersecting with other identities, on the risks factors to killings or death, the degree of predictability of harm and States’ implementation of its due diligence obligations. Applying gender lenses to the notion of arbitrariness, the Special Rapporteur highlights that gender-based killings — when committed by non-State actors — may constitute arbitrary killings. It also shows that violations of the right to life stem not only from an intentional act of deprivation of life by the State or a non-State actor, but also from the deprivation of basic conditions that guarantee life, such as access to essential health care

  • Document type International law - United Nations
  • Themes list International law, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment, Torture, Arbitrariness, Death Row Conditions, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

Portuguese : Instruções: FORMULÁRIO PARA APRESENTAR PETIÇÃO SOBREVIOLAÇÕES DOS DIREITOS HUMANOS

By Organization of American States, on 8 September 2020


Academic report

esfren
More details See the document

O formulário que se segue foi preparado pela Secretaria Executiva da CIDH e se destina a facilitar a apresentação de petições referentes a violações dos direitos humanos praticadas por Estados membros da OEA, denunciadas pelas vítimas de tais violações, por seus familiares, organizações da sociedade civil ou outras pessoas.

Document(s)

Respect for Minimum Standards? Report on the Death Penalty in China

on 1 January 2020


2020

NGO report

China


More details See the document
  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list China

Document(s)

Human Rights Activists in Iran Annual Report on Executions in Iran 2019-2020

on 1 January 2020


NGO report


More details See the document
  • Document type NGO report

Document(s)

The Global Debate on the Death Penalty

By Sandra Babcock / Human Rights Magazine, on 1 January 2007


2007

Article

United States


More details See the document

Many human rights organizations and intergovernmental organizations, such as the European Union, see the death penalty as one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time and have taken an active role in persuading countries to halt executions. The debate over capital punishment in the United States—be it in the courts, in state legislatures, or on nationally televised talk shows—is always fraught with emotion. The themes have changed little over the last two or three hundred years. Does it deter crime? If not, is it necessary to satisfy society’s desire for retribution against those who commit unspeakably violent crimes? Is it worth the cost? Are murderers capable of redemption? Should states take the lives of their own citizens? Are current methods of execution humane? Is there too great a risk of executing the innocent?

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Deterrence ,

Document(s)

The death penalty in the Arab world: Study on the death penalty in some Arab countries

By Arab Penal Reform Organization APRO, on 1 January 2007


NGO report

ar
More details See the document

The essence of the death penalty is the eradication of life for the condemned. Death penalty was a common practice in ancient heavenly religions, especially in times dominated by the idea of religious revenge. Additionally, it was implemented in a brutal and cruel way accompanied by terrible methods of torture. The death penalty has not been controversial in the old legislation; it has been recognized by scholars without attempting to justify it, as governors and legislators apply it without resistance from thinkers and philosophers. In the modern era, controversy has arisen about the feasibility and legality of the death penalty as a form of social reaction to the offender. The eighteenth century is marked by philosophical ideas which attacked the prevailing penal systems, as studies and research have appeared on the social and anthropological causes of crime. Thus, two intellectual trends have appeared on the horizon: those in favor of retaining the death penalty, and those demanding its abolishment. Each trend has its reasons and pretexts supporting their thoughts concerning the death penalty. Hence, the study analyses and examines “The Death Penalty in the Arab World” through a series of distinctive research methods, addressing the death penalty in ten Arab countries. The following is presented according to a signal research plan that includes: crimes punishable by death, and procedural guarantees on the death penalty and its adequacy, as well as putting forward many proposals and recommendations on the abolishment of the death penalty. This study includes the death penalty in ten Arab countries: Bahrain – Egypt – Jordan – Iraq – Lebanon- Morocco- Palestine – Saudi Arabia – Syria- Yemen. —- Go to first document in English.

Document(s)

The Peculiar Forms of American Capital Punishment

By David Garland / Social Research: An International Quarterly, on 1 January 2007


Article

United States


More details See the document

There are two puzzles that confront observers of American capital punishment at the start of the 21st century. One concerns the legal and administrative arrangements through which it is enacted, which strike many commentators as irrational, or at least poorly adapted to the traditional ends of criminal justice. The other concerns the persistence of capital punishment in the USA in a period when comparable nations have decisively abandoned its use. In this essay, I will address both of these two questions, beginning with the first and offering conclusions that bear upon the second.The historical struggles around issues of capital punishment, structured as they have been by the American polity with its distinctive mix of federalism, sectionalism, and democratic populism, form the necessary basis for understanding the American present and for comparing America’s current practices with those of other western nations. Any explanation of American capital punishment ought to begin by focusing attention on these structures and these struggles.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Stop the Death Penalty: Worldwide Abolition Now

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2007


Arguments against the death penalty

arfres
More details See the document

This video by Amnesty International talks about how the administration of the death penalty is cruel, often sought after unfair trials and how innocent people have been wrongfully convicted. Voice over by Colin Firth.

Document(s)

Father Finds Peace in Forgiveness

By NPR Books , on 1 January 2008


2008

Working with...


More details See the document

Hector Black’s daughter was murdered after she surprised an intruder in her Atlanta home. In this powerful recording, Black discusses how he found peace in forgiving the man who murdered his child.

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Murder Victims' Families, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

Write a Letter to the Editor

By National Coalition Against the Death Penalty / Wisconsin Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 1 January 2007


2007

Working with...


More details See the document

Writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, or submitting a story to a local blog, is a great way to fight the continued use of the death penalty. This site gives helpful tips on how to write such a letter.

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

When Law and Ethics Collide — Why Physicians Participate in Executions

By Atul Gawande / New England Journal of Medecine 354(12), 1-13., on 1 January 2006


2006

Article

United States


More details See the document

Evidence from execution logs showed that six of the last eight prisoners executed in California had not stopped breathing before technicians gave the paralytic agent, raising a serious possibility that prisoners experienced suffocation from the paralytic, a feeling much like being buried alive, and felt intense pain from the potassium bolus. This experience would be unacceptable under the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment. So the judge ordered the state to have an anesthesiologist present in the death chamber to determine when the prisoner was unconscious enough for the second and third injections to be given — or to perform the execution with sodium thiopental alone.The California Medical Association, the American Medical Association (AMA), and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) immediately and loudly opposed such physician participation as a clear violation of medical ethics codes. “Physicians are healers, not executioners,” the ASA’s president told reporters. Nonetheless, in just two days, prison officials announced that they had found two willing anesthesiologists. The court agreed to maintain their anonymity and to allow them to shield their identities from witnesses. Both withdrew the day before the execution, however, after the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit added a further stipulation requiring them personally to administer additional medication if the prisoner remained conscious or was in pain. This they would not accept. The execution was then postponed until at least May, but the court has continued to require that medical professionals assist with the administration of any lethal injection given to Morales. This turn of events is the culmination of a steady evolution in methods of execution in the United States.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Lethal Injection,

Document(s)

African Court on Human and Peoples Rights Quick Facts

By African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, on 1 January 2006


Working with...

enfr
More details See the document

The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights was established by the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Court’s Protocol). The Court’s mission is to complement and reinforce the functions of the Commission in promoting and protecting human and peoples’ rights, freedoms and duties in African Union Member States.

Document(s)

Poster World Day 2007

By World coalition against the death penalty , on 10 October 2007


2007

Campaigning

Trend Towards Abolition

arfr
More details Download [ pdf - 228 Ko ]

Take action
against the death penalty:
Join the hundreds
of initiatives worldwide
Sign the petition
calling for a universal
moratorium on executions

Document(s)

No to the Death Penalty

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2008


2008

Multimedia content

Kazakhstan


More details See the document

This film is based on the death penalty in Kazakhstan. The death penalty was formerly a common charge for the most obscene crimes, and was at its greatest prominence in 1995, when 101 males on charges of death sentences were executed by the firing squad.

  • Document type Multimedia content
  • Countries list Kazakhstan
  • Themes list Most Serious Crimes, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Execution in Saudi Arabia 2023: Ongoing Bloodshed with Unusual Sentences

By The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR), on 23 January 2024


2024

NGO report

Saudi Arabia


More details See the document

Published on 22 January، 2024.

The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights views 2023 as a year that demonstrated Saudi Arabia’s inconsistency in using the death penalty. Besides the unexplained shift in the types of executed sentences, the implementation of death sentences for drug-related charges, and the disregard for international legal opinions, the high numbers indicate Saudi Arabia’s determination to use the death penalty without restraint.

In Saudi Arabia in 2023, 172 executions were carried out according to data from the Ministry of Interior published by the official news agency. The number of executions increased by 15% compared to the figure announced by the Ministry of Interior in 2022, where 147 sentences were reported, despite the mass execution of 81 individuals in 2022.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list Saudi Arabia

Document(s)

Akmal Shaikh

By Reprieve, on 1 January 2009


2009

Legal Representation


More details See the document

It was during this time Akmal met a man who claimed to be in the music industry; he told Akmal he could help him realise his dream of becoming a pop, When Akmal landed in China on 12 September 2007 the police stopped him, searched his bag, where they alleged they found around 4 kg of heroin, and arrested him on drug charges sensation and sent him to Kyrgyzstan to meet with his “colleagues”. In Kyrgyzstan Akmal was asked to accompany one of the men to China. The man claimed to own a nightclub there and said he wanted Akmal to sing in his club. Excited at the prospect, Akmal agreed to travel to China with him; Before boarding the plane Akmal was asked to carry this mans suitcase, he did so without knowing that there were drugs in it.

  • Document type Legal Representation
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Poster World Day 2009

By World Coalition against the death penalty , on 10 October 2009


2009

Campaigning

Trend Towards Abolition

fr
More details Download [ pdf - 11475 Ko ]

Poster world day against the death penalty 2009

Document(s)

Death Penalty Lessons from Asia

By David T. Johnson / Franklin E. Zimring / Asia-Pacific Journal, on 1 January 2009


2009

Article

China


More details See the document

Part one of this article summarizes death penalty policy and practice in the region that accounts for 60 percent of the world’s population and more than 90 percent of the world’s executions. The lessons from Asia are then organized into three parts. Part two describes features of death penalty policy in Asia that are consistent with the experiences recorded in Europe and with the theories developed to explain Western changes. Part three identifies some of the most significant diversities within the Asian region – in rates of execution, trends over time, and patterns of change – that contrast with the recent history of capital punishment in non-Asian locations and therefore challenge conventional interpretations of death penalty policy and change. Part four discusses three ways that the politics of capital punishment in Asia are distinctive: the limited role of international standards and transnational influences in most Asian jurisdictions; the presence of single-party domination in several Asian political systems; and the persistence of communist versions of capital punishment in the Asia region.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list China
  • Themes list Death Penalty,

Document(s)

Working with Victims: A Guide for Activist

By Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights, on 1 January 2009


Working with...


More details See the document

The common assumption is that all victims’ family members support the death penalty. We cannot expect to abolish the death penalty without presenting an alternative view. Victims’ voices have a powerful effect – lawmakers have voted against the death penalty as a result of hearing victims’ testify for abolition. Including victims’ stories when working for abolition is strategically wise and is essential to bringing new people into the abolition movement. Here are a few suggestions. We encourage activists to consult with MVFHR for further guidance.

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Awaiting Death

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2008


2008

Multimedia content

Kyrgyzstan


More details See the document

This film gives an insight into prison life for 174 men convicted and sentenced to death or to life imprisonment in Kyrgyzstan.

  • Document type Multimedia content
  • Countries list Kyrgyzstan
  • Themes list Retribution, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

What is the ODIHR

By Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), on 1 January 2009


2009

Working with...

enenenrufr
More details See the document

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is one of the world’s principal regional human rights bodies.It promotes democratic elections, respect for human rights, tolerance and non-discrimination, and the rule of law. ODIHR is the human rights institution of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), an intergovernmental body working for stability, prosperity and democracy in its 56 participating States.

Document(s)

The death penalty in China today: Kill fewer, kill cautiously

By Susan Trevaskes / Asian Survey, on 1 January 2008


2008

Article

China


More details See the document

While the PRC death penalty debate has been an ongoing and highly contentious issue in the international human rights arena, death sentence policy and practice in China has remained relatively static since the early 1980s. Events in late 2006 and early 2007 have now dramatically changed the landscape of capital punishment in China. This paper analyses the recent debate on the death penalty in terms of the shifting power relationships in China today. The Supreme People’s Court wants to strictly limit the death penalty to only the ‘most heinous’ criminals while the politburo on the other hand, wants to maintain the two-decade old ‘strike hard’ policy which encourages severe punishment to be meted out to a wider range of serious criminals.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list China
  • Themes list Public debate,

Document(s)

Freedom Inside The Walls

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2005


2005

Arguments against the death penalty


More details See the document

Shot in Benin, Kenya and Malawi ‘Freedom Inside These Walls’ provides disturbing footage of prison conditions inside these countries, which are common to many other prisons in Africa. It highlights the challenges in accessing justice faced by poor people in conflict with the law.

  • Document type Arguments against the death penalty
  • Themes list Death Row Conditions, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

‘A “Most Serious Crime”? – The Death Penalty for Drug Offences and International Human Rights Law’

By Rick Lines / Amicus Journal, on 1 January 2010


2010

Article


More details See the document

An in-depth analysis of the international law ramifications of applying the death penalty for drug offences. It reviews the the ‘most serious crimes’ threshold for the lawful application of capital punishment as established in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It then explores the question of whether drug offences meet this threshold by examining the issue through the lenses of international human rights law, the domestic legislation in retentionist states, international narcotics control law, international refugee law and international criminal law. The article concludes that drug offences do not constitute ‘most serious crimes’, and that executions of people for drug offences violates international human rights law.

  • Document type Article
  • Themes list Drug Offences, Most Serious Crimes,

Document(s)

AMERICAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS “PACT OF SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA”

By Organization of American States, on 8 September 1969


1969

United Nations report

es
More details See the document

Article 4. Right to Life1. Every person has the right to have his life respected. This right shall be protected by law and, in general, from the moment of conception. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life.

Document(s)

Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty

By United Nations, on 1 January 1989


1989

United Nations report

arrufrzh-hantes
More details See the document

The States Parties to the present Protocol,Believing that abolition of the death penalty contributes to enhancement of human dignity and progressive development of human rights,Recalling article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted on 10 December 1948, and article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted on 16 December 1966,Noting that article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights refers to abolition of the death penalty in terms that strongly suggest that abolition is desirable,Convinced that all measures of abolition of the death penalty should be considered as progress in the enjoyment of the right to life,Desirous to undertake hereby an international commitment to abolish the death penalty,Have agreed as follows:Article 11. No one within the jurisdiction of a State Party to the present Protocol shall be executed.2. Each State Party shall take all necessary measures to abolish the death penalty within its jurisdiction.

Document(s)

Convention on the Rights of the Child

By United Nations, on 1 January 1989


United Nations report

arrufrzh-hantes
More details See the document

Article 37States Parties shall ensure that:(a) No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offences committed by persons below eighteen years of age.

Document(s)

AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS

By African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, on 8 September 1981


1981

United Nations report

fr
More details See the document

ARTICLE 4Human beings are inviolable. Every human being shall be entitled to respect for his life and the integrity of his person. No one may be arbitrarily deprived of this right.ARTICLE 5Every individual shall have the right to the respect of the dignity inherent in a human being and to the recognition of his legal status. All forms of exploitation and degradation of man, particularly slavery, slave trade, torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment and treatment shall be prohibited.

Document(s)

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

By United Nations, on 1 January 1948


1948

United Nations report

arrufrzh-hantes
More details See the document

On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following pages. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and “to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories.” Article 3 – Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Document(s)

The Political Sociology of the Death Penalty: A Pooled Time-Series Analysis

By Jason T. Carmichael / David Jacobs / American Sociological Review, on 1 January 2002


2002

Article

United States


More details See the document

Despite the interest in the death penalty, no statistical studies have isolated the social and political forces that account for the legality of this punishment. Racial or ethnic threat theories suggest that the death penalty will more likely be legal in jurisdictions with relatively large black or Hispanic populations. Economic threat explanations suggest that this punishment will be present in unequal areas. Jurisdictions with a more conservative public or a stronger law and order Republican party should be more likely to legalize the death penalty as well. After controlling for social disorganization, region, period, and voilent crime, panel analyses suggest that minority presence and economic inequality enhance the likelihood of a legal death penalty. Conservative values and Republican strength in the legislature have equivalent effects; A supplement time-to-event analysis supports these conclusions. The results suggest that a political approach has explanatory power because threat effects expressed through politics and effects that are directly political invariable account for decisions about the legality of capital punishment.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Innocence and the Crisis in the American Death Penalty

By Death Penalty Information Center / Richard C. Dieter, on 1 January 2004


2004

NGO report


More details See the document

This report catalogs the emergence of innocence as the most important issue in the long-simmering death penalty debate. The sheer number of cases and the pervasive awareness of this trend in the public’s consciousness have changed the way capital punishment is perceived around the country. The steady evolution of this issue since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976 has been accelerated in recent years by the development of DNA technology, the new gold standard of forensic investigation. This science, along with a vigorous re-investigation of many cases, has led to the discovery of a growing number of tragic mistakes and freed inmates. The evidence in this report presents a compelling case for many Americans that the risks associated with capital punishment exceed acceptable bounds. One hundred and sixteen people have been freed from death row after being cleared of their charges, including 16 people in the past 20 months. These inmates cumulatively spent over 1,000 years awaiting their freedom. The pace of exonerations has sharply increased, raising doubts about the reliability of the whole system.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Innocence,

Document(s)

REPORT ON THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

By Bar Human Rights Committee, on 1 January 2003


2003

NGO report


More details See the document

The purpose of the Report is to assist the Honourable Court by describing the criminal justice process in Trinidad as it applies to those accused of murder. As a criminal defence and constitutional law attorneys in Trinidad, we have been asked to address, in particular, some of the shortcomings apparent in the Trinidadian criminal justice system and certain related constitutional issues. The Report deals with the following issues: a. The constitutional history and sources of law in Trinidad; b. The law of murder in Trinidad; c. An overview of criminal procedure; d. The stages of the criminal process in murder cases; e. The mandatory death penalty; f. The prerogative of mercy.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Poster World day against the death penalty 2024 – 2025 – Portuguese

By World coalition against the death penalty, on 8 July 2024


2024

Campaigning

World Coalition


More details Download [ pdf - 1590 Ko ]
  • Document type Campaigning / World Coalition

Document(s)

Beyond Reason: The Death Penalty and Offenders with Mental Retardation

By Human Rights Watch, on 1 January 2001


2001

NGO report


More details See the document

Twenty-five U.S. states still permit the execution of offenders with mental retardation and should pass laws to ban the practice without delay. The United States appears to be the only democracy whose laws expressly permit the execution of persons with this severe mental disability.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Intellectual Disability,

Document(s)

Choosing Mercy: A Mother of Murder Victims Pleads to End the Death Penalty

By Antoinette Bosco, on 1 January 2001


Working with...


More details See the document

Written in the spirit of “Dead Man Walking,” this book by Antoinette Bosco conveys both the powerful personal experience of a mother whose son was murdered and a wealth of information about the criminal justice system in America. (Orbis Books, 2001)

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Public opinion, Murder Victims' Families, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

China: Death penalty log in 1999

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2000


2000

NGO report


More details See the document

The attached Log gives available details of death sentences and executions occurring in China throughout 1999.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Statistics,

Document(s)

International Perspectives on the Death Penalty: A Costly Isolation for the U.S.

By Death Penalty Information Center / Richard C. Dieter, on 1 January 1999


1999

NGO report


More details See the document

This report examines the sequence of recent events that has increasingly placed the death penalty in the international spotlight. Some of these events are direct challenges to the practice of capital punishment in the U.S. Others are changes in the balance of death penalty practices and attitudes around the world. The report looks at the ways in which the international community has sought to limit the application of the death penalty, and the U.S.’s response to these initiatives. It also explores the world-wide trend towards complete abolition of the death penalty and the U.S. reaction. Although much of the official U.S. response to international criticism has been denial, the report looks at some local and unofficial actions, which indicate a different direction. Finally, the report notes the present and potential costs the U.S. is facing for adhering to the death penalty.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

PROTOCOL TO THE AMERICAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY

By Organization of American States, on 1 January 1990


1990

Regional body report

es
More details See the document

Article 1The States Parties to this Protocol shall not apply the death penalty in their territory to any person subject to their jurisdiction.

Document(s)

Executions per Death Sentence

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2010


2010

NGO report


More details See the document

Executions per Death Sentence, with cumulative death sentences (1977 through 2010), cumulative executions (1977 through 2010) and executions per death sentence, per State.

  • Document type NGO report

Document(s)

World Report 2010

By Human Rights Watch, on 1 January 2010


NGO report


More details See the document

This report is does not specificly concern the death penalty but examines the use of the death penalty on juveniles and those with mental illness in many retentionist countries. It contains information gathered in 2009.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Juveniles, Mental Illness,

Document(s)

Death Penalty Trends in Asia Have Possible Implications for China

By Dui Hua Human Rights Journal , on 1 January 2011


2011

Article


More details See the document

This article analyses the latest controversy over the use of the death penalty that erupted not in mainland China but across the strait in Taiwan. In January, the defense ministry there was forced to issue a public apology for a wrongful execution in 1997, followed in early March by the execution of five prisoners without notifying their families.

  • Document type Article
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Innocence Database

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2011


NGO report


More details See the document

This database can be searched using any combination of the search filters below. All columns are sortable by clicking the title at the top of the column. To find out more about a case in the list, click on the name of the individual.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Innocence,

Document(s)

Forgotten

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2012


2012

Arguments against the death penalty


More details See the document

This 2011 film ‘Forgotten’ was produced under the EU funded project ‘Progressive Abolition of the Death Penalty and Alternatives that Respect International Human Rights Standards’. The film reflects the conditions for those sentenced to life imprisonment in the countries of Central Asia.

  • Document type Arguments against the death penalty
  • Themes list Death Row Conditions, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

The Final Request

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2012


Multimedia content


More details See the document

This 2012 animation “The Final Request” was produced under the EU funded project ‘Progressive Abolition of the Death Penalty and Alternatives that Respect International Human Rights Standards’. The three-minute animation provides a basic overview of the application of the death penalty in the Middle East and North African region.

  • Document type Multimedia content
  • Themes list Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment,

Document(s)

Extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions

By United Nations, on 1 January 2012


International law - United Nations

rufrzh-hantesar
More details See the document

In States in which the death penalty continues to be used, international law imposes stringent requirements that must be met for it not to be regarded as unlawful. In the present report, the Special Rapporteur considers the problem of error and the use of military tribunals in the context of fair trial requirements. He also examines the constraint that the death penalty may be imposed only for the most serious crimes: those involving intentional killing. Lastly, he considers the issues of collaboration and complicity, in addition to transparency in respect of the use of the death penalty.

Document(s)

Getting It Right Project

By Brandon Garret / The Innocence Project, on 1 January 2011


2011

Legal Representation


More details See the document

Getting it right is a project to learn more about the central causes of wrongful convictions and suggested reforms to prevent future injustice. It analyses the role of eyewitness, forensics, confessions, informants, representation and law enforcement.

  • Document type Legal Representation
  • Themes list Innocence,

Document(s)

Anthony Graves: The TT Interview

By Brandi Grissom / The Texas Tribune, on 1 January 2011


2011

Legal Representation


More details See the document

The state of Texas incarcerated him for nearly two decades — and nearly executed him twice — for murders he didn’t commit. And now, the state is balking at giving him the $1.4 million he’s owed for all the years he spent wrongfully imprisoned.

  • Document type Legal Representation
  • Themes list Innocence,

Document(s)

The Night I Forgave My Daughter’s Killer

By Marietta Jaeger-Lane / Yes! Magazine / Lynsi Burton, on 1 January 2011


Legal Representation


More details See the document

How a grieving mother put compassion before vengeance, and found closure along the way.

  • Document type Legal Representation
  • Themes list Murder Victims' Families,

Document(s)

Elimination of all forms of religious intolerance

By United Nations, on 1 January 2012


2012

International law - United Nations

arrufrzh-hantes
More details See the document

In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Heiner Bielefeldt, provides an overview of his mandate activities since the submission of the previous report to the General Assembly (A/66/156), including his country visits, communications and other activities.

Document(s)

Infographic: Death Sentences in the USA in 2012

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2012


NGO report


More details See the document

DPIC collects information on the number of death sentences in the United States. We only count the number of “new sentences,” i.e., we do not recount individuals who were sentenced to death in a previous year, had their sentenced overturned, and were resentenced in the current year.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Statistics, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Child Rights and the League of Arab States

By Childrens Rights Information Network, on 1 January 2011


2011

Working with...


More details See the document

This document provides a list of the members of the Arab League and the origins of the organisation. It also describes its composition and provides contact information.

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

The situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran : note by the Secretary-General

By United Nations, on 1 January 2011


NGO report

rufrzh-hantes
More details See the document

Document(s)

Entrenchment and/or Destabilization? Reflections on (Another) Two Decades of Constitutional Regulation of Capital Punishment

By Death Penalty Information Center / Carol S. Steiker / Jordan M. Steiker, on 1 January 2012


2012

Article

United States


More details See the document

A recent law review article by Professors Carol and Jordan Steiker examines two decades of attempts to regulate capital punishment and concludes that this process may have paved the way to a finding that the death penalty is unconstitutional

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

So You Want to Start an Innocence Project

By Sheila Martin Berry / Truth in Justice, on 1 January 2011


2011

Campaigning


More details See the document

This document gives advice and help to those wishing to create an innocence project. The topics covered are varied and detail what is required in terms of office space, professional skills, etc.

  • Document type Campaigning
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Evidence Does Not Support Death Penalty As Deterrent

By Sacramento Bee, on 1 January 2012


2012

Article

United States


More details See the document

Ever since California added the death penalty to its penal code in the 1870s, supporters have argued that the threat of executions would make potential murderers think twice before committing heinous crimes.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Trend Towards Abolition, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Index of Paralegal Services in Africa

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2012


Book


More details See the document

This Index of Paralegal Services in Africa is the latest resource in PRI’s paralegal series. It lists paralegal services, paralegal networks and university legal clinics in 21 African countries and, where the information was available, provides contact details, a summary of the main services offered, a list of donors and examples of important results achieved.

  • Document type Book
  • Themes list Fair Trial,

Document(s)

The State of Criminal Justice 2012

By American Bar Association / Ronald Tabak, on 1 January 2012


NGO report


More details See the document

The American Bar Association recently published The State of Criminal Justice 2012, an annual report that examines major issues, trends and significant changes in America’s criminal justice system.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Promises Unfulfilled: An Assessment of China’s National Human Rights Action Plan

By Human Rights Watch, on 1 January 2011


2011

NGO report


More details See the document

In August 2010, the Chinese government announced a draft amendment to China’s criminal law which would eliminate the death penalty for a total of 13 “economy-related nonviolent offenses,” including the smuggling of precious metals and cultural relics out of the country. However, the government has provided no indication regarding if or when the draft amendment might be approved, and, in September 2010, Chen Sixi, member of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee and vice chairman of the NPC’s Committee for Internal and Judicial Affairs, announced that the government would not in fact pursue these reforms.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

World Report 2011

By Human Rights Watch, on 1 January 2011


NGO report


More details See the document

This report is does not specificly concern the death penalty but examines the use of the death penalty on juveniles and those with mental illness in many retentionist countries. It contains information gathered in 2009.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Juveniles, Mental Illness,

Document(s)

Life after death: What replaces the death penalty?

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2012


2012

NGO report


More details See the document

Report from PRI that analyzes how there has been a global trend towards the universal abolition of the death penalty and a restriction in the scope and use of capital punishment over the last fifty years.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Trend Towards Abolition,

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area 2012

By Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), on 1 January 2012


International law - Regional body


More details See the document

This paper updates The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area: Background Paper 2011. It is intended to provide a concise update to highlight changes in the status of the death penalty in OSCE participating States since the previous publication and to promote constructive discussion of this issue.

  • Document type International law - Regional body
  • Themes list Trend Towards Abolition,

Document(s)

Death Penalty: Trials and Tribulations

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2012


Multimedia content

Uganda


More details See the document

In Uganda, 28 crimes can attract the death penalty – including robbery, smuggling, acts of treason and terrorism, and non-lethal military sentences, and death sentences continue to be handed out after judicial proceedings which fail to meet international standards for a fair trial. This film produced by PRI’s Ugandan partner the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative provides a moving insight into the situation of prisoners on death row and others serving life sentences in the country.

  • Document type Multimedia content
  • Countries list Uganda
  • Themes list Most Serious Crimes, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Searchable Execution Database

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2011


2011

NGO report


More details See the document

This new database search includes the county of conviction, as well as gender of victim. All results will display in chronological order by default. To sort by other criteria, click on the headings for those fields in the search results.

  • Document type NGO report

Document(s)

Poster World Day 2010

By World Coalition against the death penalty , on 10 October 2010


2010

Campaigning

Trend Towards Abolition

esfr
More details Download [ pdf - 82 Ko ]

Poster World Day against the death penalty 2010

Document(s)

Iran must halt execution of web programmer

By Amnesty International - Canada, on 1 January 2012


2012

Legal Representation


More details See the document

Saeed Malekpour was sentenced to death in December 2010 following what appears to have been an unfair trial, without access to his lawyer, and amid allegations that he was tortured and forced to confess to crimes which he did not commit. Iran must not execute this web programmer sentenced to death after one of his web programs was used to post pornographic images without his knowledge, Amnesty International said today, as the Iranian authorities continue their crackdown on bloggers and other users of the internet.

  • Document type Legal Representation
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Summaries of Key Supreme Court Cases Related to the Death Penalty

By Capital Punishment in Context, on 1 January 2012


Legal Representation


More details See the document

Summary of key supreme court cases in the United States, these cases deal with juror problems, the constitutionality of the death penalty and juveniles amongst key cases discussed.

  • Document type Legal Representation
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Compensating the Wrongfully Convicted

By The Innocence Project, on 1 January 2012


Working with...


More details See the document

Those proven to have been wrongfully convicted through postconviction DNA testing spend, on average, 12 years behind bars. The agony of prison life and the complete loss of freedom are only compounded by the feelings of what might have been, but for the wrongful conviction. Deprived for years of family and friends and the ability to establish oneself professionally, the nightmare does not end upon release. With no money, housing, transportation, health services or insurance, and a criminal record that is rarely cleared despite innocence, the punishment lingers long after innocence has been proven. States have a responsibility to restore the lives of the wrongfully convicted to the best of their abilities. This document describes how a state can try to recompensate an exonerated person.

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Die Free: A True Story of Murder, Betrayal and Miscarried Justice

By K. Cantrell / Amazon Digital Services, on 1 January 2012


Book

United States


More details See the document

A new electronic book by former journalist Peter Rooney offers an in-depth look at the case of Joseph Burrows, who was exonerated from Illinois’s death row in 1996. In Die Free: A True Story of Murder, Betrayal and Miscarried Justice, Rooney explains how Burrows was sentenced to death for the murder of William Dulin based on snitch testimony.

  • Document type Book
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Innocence,

Document(s)

Killing McVeigh: The Death Penalty and the Myth of Closure

By Jody Lyneé Madeira / New York University (NYU), on 1 January 2012


Book


More details See the document

Professor Jody Lynee’ Madeira of the Indiana University School of Law follows the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing to explore whether the families of murder victims obtain closure from an execution. In Killing McVeigh: The Death Penalty and the Myth of Closure, Prof. Madeira recounts her wide range of interviews with those who experienced this tragedy first-hand.

  • Document type Book
  • Themes list Murder Victims' Families,

Document(s)

The Death Penalty Failed Experiment: From Gary Graham to Troy Davis in Context

By Diann Rust-Tierney / McKinney & Associates, on 1 January 2012


Book

United States


More details See the document

A new book published in electronic format, The Death Penalty Failed Experiment: From Gary Graham to Troy Davis in Context by Diann Rust-Tierney, examines the problem of arbitrariness in the death penalty since its reinstatement in 1976. Through an analysis of the cases of Gary Graham and Troy Davis, the author argues that race, wealth and geography play a more significant role in determining who faces capital punishment than the facts of the crime itself.

  • Document type Book
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Arbitrariness,

Document(s)

The Inferno: A Southern Morality Tale

By Joseph Ingle / Westview Publishing, on 1 January 2012


Book

United States


More details See the document

chronicles the compelling story of Philip Workman, who was executed in Tennessee in 2007. The author, a minister of the United Church of Christ who has spent decades working with those on death row, served as Mr. Workman’s pastor and tells the story from his own viewpoint, as well as those of others familiar with the case.

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

Document(s)

Most Deserving of Death? An Analysis of the Supreme Court’s Death Penalty Jurisprudence

By Kenneth Williams / Ashgate Publishing, on 1 January 2012


Book

United States


More details See the document

The book looks at issues such as jury selection, ineffective assistance of counsel, innocence, and race, and how these issues reflect on who is sentenced to death. Prof. Williams concludes that that application of the death penalty is inconsistent and incoherent, partly because of the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence, and this leads to a lack of public confidence in the system.

  • Document type Book
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Due Process , Fair Trial, Capital offences,

Document(s)

Executions by County in the United States

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2011


2011

NGO report


More details See the document

Although counties do not carry out executions, in almost all states the decision to seek the death penalty is made by the county district attorney. A small number of counties are responsible for a disproportionate number of the executions in the United States. Search results can be sorted by county.

  • Document type NGO report

Document(s)

Cruel and Unusual: The American Death Penalty and the Founders’ Eighth Amendment

By John D. Bessler / Northeastern University Press, on 1 January 2012


2012

Book

United States


More details See the document

Bessler examines the Supreme Court’s Eighth Amendment case law and concludes that the death penalty may well be declared unconstitutional in time. Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, called the book, “A searing indictment of capital punishment, this pioneering history of the Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause is destined to reframe America’s death penalty debate.

  • Document type Book
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list International law, Public debate,

Document(s)

Early Supreme Court Cases on the Death Penalty

By Robert Bohm / Carolina Academic Press, on 1 January 2012


Book

United States


More details See the document

A new book by Professor Robert Bohm of the University of Central Florida looks at death-penalty decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court prior to the modern era of capital punishment that began in 1968. In The Past As Prologue, Bohm examines 39 Court decisions, covering issues such as clemency, jury selection, coerced confessions, and effective representation.

  • Document type Book
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list International law, Trend Towards Abolition,

Document(s)

Travelling abroad? Beware the death penalty

By Reprieve / Emmanuelle Purdon , on 1 January 2011


2011

Campaigning


More details See the document

Many Britons abroad think that the local death penalty cannot be applied to them. Most would not know what to do if they got arrested. Yet well-meaning Britons can indeed find themselves facing execution, even if they are innocent.

  • Document type Campaigning
  • Themes list Foreign Nationals,

Document(s)

Ten myths and facts about the death penalty

By Reprieve / Clive Stafford Smith , on 1 January 2011


Campaigning


More details See the document

Every 3 hours someone is put to death by their government. Is this justice? Watch first-hand testimonies by Reprieve lawyers and clients. Read ten hard facts about the death penalty. Decide for yourself.

  • Document type Campaigning
  • Themes list Public debate, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

Survivor on Death Row

By Amazon Digital Services / Clare Nonhebel, on 1 January 2012


2012

Book

United States


More details See the document

Survivor on Death Row, a new e-book co-authored by death row inmate Romell Broom and Clare Nonhebel, tells the story of Ohio’s botched attempt to execute Broom by lethal injection in 2009. In September of that year, Broom was readied for execution and placed on the gurney, but the procedure was terminated after corrections officials spent over two hours attempting to find a suitable vein for the lethal injection.

  • Document type Book
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment,

Document(s)

The Death of the American Death Penalty

By L. Koch / Northeastern University Press / J. Galliher, on 1 January 2012


Book

United States


More details See the document

A new book by Larry Koch, Colin Wark and John Galliher discusses the status of the death penalty in the U.S. in light of recent legislative activity and court decisions. In The Death of the American Death Penalty, the authors examine the impact of factors such as economic conditions, public sentiment, the role of elites, the media, and population diversity on the death penalty debate.

  • Document type Book
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Public opinion, Public debate,

Document(s)

Cameron Todd Willingham: Wrongfully Convicted and Executed in Texas

By The Innocence Project, on 1 January 2011


2011

Legal Representation


More details See the document

Tool containing all the documents on Cameron Todd’s case.

  • Document type Legal Representation
  • Themes list Innocence, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

A-53: SIGNATORIES AND RATIFICATION OF THE PROTOCOL TO THE AMERICAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY

By Organization of American States / Department of International Law, on 1 January 2011


Regional body report

es
More details See the document

Estado de Firmas y Ratificaciones del protocolo a la convention americana sobre derechos humanos relativo a la abolicion de la pena de muerte

Document(s)

The Innocence Network Exonerations 2011

By The Innocence Network, on 1 January 2011


Working with...


More details See the document

21 people were exonerated by the Innocence Network in 2011. Proving their innocence took years of work by dedicated teams of lawyers and staffers. These 21 represent a small fraction of the thousands of people who are behind bard for crimes they didn’t commit.

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Innocence,

Document(s)

Public Executions in Virginia

By Harry M. Ward / McFarland Publishing, on 1 January 2012


2012

Book

United States


More details See the document

A new book by Professor Harry M. Ward of the University of Richmond examines the death penalty in Virginia at a time when executions were carried out for all to see.

  • Document type Book
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Life After Death Row: Exonerees’ Search for Community and Identity

By Kimberly J Cook / Saundra D Westervelt / Rutgers University Press, on 1 January 2012


Book

United States


More details See the document

n Life After Death Row: Exonerees’ Search for Community and Identity, the authors focus on three central areas affecting those who had to begin a new life after leaving years of severe confinement: the seeming invisibility of these individuals after their release; the complicity of the justice system in allowing that invisibility; and the need for each of them to confront their personal trauma

  • Document type Book
  • Countries list United States