Your search “Keep%20the%20Death%20Penalty%20Abolished%20fin%20the%20Philippfines%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20/page/www.deathpenaltyindia.com/img/pages/resources/2017Statistics.pdf ”

MYTH: Executions help victims’ families to heal. FACT: Whilst we cannot speak for all victims’ families, it is clear that not all families are healed after the execution. Rather, the death penalty creates more victims and more brutality.

• Document type Academic report
• Themes list Retribution, Murder Victims' Families,

MYTH: The death penalty is not political. FACT: The death penalty is often driven by politics rather than a desire to repair social problems and bring justice.

• Document type Academic report
• Themes list Fair Trial,

LA SITUAZIONE AD OGGI : L’evoluzione positiva verso l’abolizione della pena di morte in atto nel mondo da oltre dieci anni, si è confermata nel 2009 e anche nei primi sei mesi del 2010. I Paesi o i territori che hanno deciso di abolirla per legge o in pratica sono oggi 154. Di questi, i Paesi totalmente abolizionisti sono 96; gli abolizionisti per crimini ordinari sono 8; quelli che attuano una moratoria delle esecuzioni sono 6; i Paesi abolizionisti di fatto, che non eseguono sentenze capitali da oltre dieci anni o che si sono impegnati internazionalmente ad abolire la pena di morte, sono 44.

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTS OF 2009 (and the first six months of 2010)

La situazione ad oggi : L’evoluzione positiva verso l’abolizione della pena di morte in atto nel mondo da oltre dieci anni, si è confermata nel 2008 e anche nei primi sei mesi del 2009. I Paesi o i territori che hanno deciso di abolirla per legge o in pratica sono oggi 151. Di questi, i Paesi totalmente abolizionisti sono 96; gli abolizionisti per crimini ordinari sono 8; quelli che attuano una moratoria delle esecuzioni sono 5; i Paesi abolizionisti di fatto, che non eseguono sentenze capitali da oltre dieci anni o che si sono impegnati internazionalmente ad abolire la pena di morte, sono 42.

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTS OF 2008 (and the first six months of 2009)

Das OSZE- Demokratische Institutionen und Menschenrechte (ODIHR) ist weltweiteine der wichtigsten regionalen Menschrechts institutionen. Das ODIHR hat seinen Sitz in Warschau (Polen) und ist in Europa, im Kaukasus, in Zentralasien und in Nordamerika. Das Bro fordert demokratische Wahlen, Respekt Menschenrechte, Toleranz und Nicht diskriminierung, sowie Rechtstaatlichkeit. Das ODIHR ist die Menschenrechts institution der Organisation Sicherheit und Zusammenarbeit in Europa (OSZE). Die OSZE ist eine zw ischenstaatliche Organisation, die Stabilitt, Prosperit und Demokratie in ihren 56 Teilnehm erstaaten arbeitet. Die OSZE um fasst eine Region, die sich von Vancouver im Westen bis Wladiwostok im Osten erstreckt, und ist damit weltweit die grûte regionale Sicherheits organisation. Menschenrechte und Demokratie sind Grundpfeiler des um fassenden Sicherheitskonzeptes der OSZE.

• Document type Academic report
• Themes list Networks,
• Available languages Polish : Czym jest ODIHR?Greek : Τι είναι το ODIHR;What is the ODIHRЧто такое БДИПЧ?Qu’est-ce que le BIDDH?

Biuro Instytucji Demokratycznych i Praw Człowieka (ODIHR) jest jedną z głównych organizacji praw człowieka na świecie. ODIHR prowadzi aktywną działalność w Europie, na Kaukazie, w Azji Centralnej i Ameryce Północnej. Siedziba ODIHR mieści się w Warszawie. Biuro działa na rzecz wspierania idei demokratycznych wyborów, poszanowania praw człowieka, praworządności, tolerancji i przeciwdziałania dyskryminacji. ODIHR jest instytucją praw człowieka należącą do Organizacji Bezpieczeństwa i Współpracy w Europie (OBWE).

• Document type Academic report
• Themes list Networks,
• Available languages Greek : Τι είναι το ODIHR;German : Was ist das ODIHR?What is the ODIHRЧто такое БДИПЧ?Qu’est-ce que le BIDDH?

La Moratoria Onu delle esecuzioni : Il 18 dicembre 2007, la 62ª Assemblea Generale delle Nazioni Unite ha approvato con 104 voti a favore, 54 contrari e 29 astensioni una Risoluzione che chiede agli Stati membri di “stabilire una moratoria delle esecuzioni, in vista dell’abolizione della pena di morte.”

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTS OF 2007 (and the first six months of 2008)

Poster for tomorrow is an independent, non-profit international project whose goal is to encourage people, both in and outside the design community, to make posters to stimulate debate on issues that affect us all.

• Document type Academic report
• Themes list Networks,

Troy Anthony Davis has been on death row in Georgia for more than 15 years for the murder of a police officer he maintains he did not commit. Given that all but three of the witnesses who testified against Troy Davis at his trial have since recanted or contradicted their testimony amidst allegations that some of it had been made under police duress, there are serious and as yet unanswered questions surrounding the reliability of his conviction and the state’s conduct in obtaining it. As the case currently stands, the government’s pursuit of the death penalty contravenes international safeguards which prohibit the execution of anyone whose guilt is not based on “clear and convincing evidence leaving no room for an alternative explanation of the facts”. Amnesty International does not know if Troy Davis is guilty or innocent of the crime for which he is facing execution. As an abolitionist organization, it opposes his death sentence either way. It nevertheless believes that this is one in a long line of cases in the USA that should give even ardent supporters of the death penalty pause for thought. For it provides further evidence of the danger, inherent in the death penalty, of irrevocable error. As the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court wrote in 1993, “It is an unalterable fact that our judicial system, like the human beings who administer it, is fallible. Or as a US federal judge said in 2006, “The assessment of the death penalty, however well designed the system for doing so, remains a human endeavour with a consequent risk of error that may not be remediable.”

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

La situazione ad oggi : L’evoluzione positiva verso l’abolizione della pena di morte in atto nel mondo da oltre dieci anni, si è confermata anche nel 2006 e nei primi sette mesi del 2007. I paesi o i territori che hanno deciso di abolirla per legge o in pratica sono oggi 146. Di questi, i paesi totalmente abolizionisti sono 93; gli abolizionisti per crimini ordinari sono 9; 1 paese, la Russia, in quanto membro del Consiglio d’Europa è impegnato ad abolirla e, nel frattempo, attua una moratoria delle esecuzioni; quelli che hanno introdotto una moratoria delle esecuzioni sono 4; i paesi abolizionisti di fatto, che non eseguono cioè sentenze capitali da oltre dieci anni, sono 39.

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTS OF 2006 (and the first seven months of 2007)

L’articolo prende in considerazione la condanna a morte di Saddam Hussein e sottolinea come il principio di compensazione che sta alla base di numerosi ragionamenti a favore della pena di morte sia del tutto inapplicabile nel caso di violazioni dei diritti umani quali quelle compiute dal dittatore iracheno. Partendo da questa constatazione l’autore passa poi a descrivere come il valore di una persona non sia legato solamente alle proprie gesta e conclude che la pena di morte vada rifiutata proprio a causa dell’impossibilità di misurare la distanza tra il valore della vita di una persona e le sue azioni.

• Document type Article
• Countries list Iraq
• Themes list Networks,

La situazione ad oggi : L’evoluzione positiva verso l’abolizione della pena di morte in atto nel mondo da almeno dieci anni, si è confermata anche nel 2005 e nei primi sei mesi del 2006. I paesi o i territori che hanno deciso di abolirla per legge o in pratica sono oggi 142. Di questi, i paesi totalmente abolizionisti sono 90; gli abolizionisti per crimini ordinari sono 10; 1 paese, la Russia, in quanto membro del Consiglio d’Europa è impegnato ad abolirla e, nel frattempo, attua una moratoria delle esecuzioni; quelli che hanno introdotto una moratoria delle esecuzioni sono 5; i paesi abolizionisti di fatto, che non eseguono cioè sentenze capitali da oltre dieci anni, sono 37.

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTS OF 2005 (AND THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 2006)

欧州連合（ＥＵ）の行政機関として、死刑廃止政策を積極的に推進するＥＣからは、駐日ＥＣ代表部のライテラー公使が、裁判員制度を目前に控えるなか、死刑の存廃・目的・機能、適用方法、犯罪被害者遺族のみならず被執行者遺族の問題を議論することが必要と指摘し、「世論調査による８０％の死刑支持率は、死刑継続の正当化ではなく、さらなる議論を要することを示すもの」と語った。またＡＢＡからは、多忙なスケジュールの合間をぬって来日したマイケル・グレコ会長が発言した。ＡＢＡは、死刑存廃に関する態度は留保したまま、死刑制度に関するさまざまな問題点を指摘し、９７年２月に死刑執行停止を求める決議を採択し、死刑制度の運用や死刑事件弁護等に関するガイドラインを制定するほか、さまざまなプログラムを全米さらには海外で展開している。グレコ会長は、「命が奪われる前には、公正な裁判が行われなければならない」として、法律家の責任を強く訴えた

• Document type NGO report
• Countries list Japan
• Themes list Networks,

O Tribunal Africano dos Direitos Humanos e dos Povos foi estabelecido pelo Protocolo à Carta Africana dos Direitos Humanos e dos Povos relativamente ao Estabelecimento do Tribunal Africano dos Direitos Humanos e dos Povos. A missão do Tribunal consiste em complementar e reforçar as funções da Comissão promovendo e protegendo os direitos, as liberdades e as obrigações do homem e dos povos nos Estados membros da União Africana. O Tribunal é composto por onze (11) juízes cidadãos dos Estados membros da União Africana e eleitos em função de suas capacidades individuais.

• Document type Academic report
• Themes list Networks,
• Available languages African Court on Human and Peoples Rights Quick FactsAfricaine Cour des Droits de l'Homme et Des Peuples

La situazione ad oggi : L’evoluzione positiva verso l’abolizione della pena di morte in atto nel mondo da almeno dieci anni, si è confermata anche nel 2004 e nei primi mesi del 2005. I paesi o i territori che hanno deciso di abolirla per legge o in pratica sono oggi 138. Di questi, i paesi totalmente abolizionisti sono 86; gli abolizionisti per crimini ordinari sono 11; 1 paese, la Russia, in quanto membro del Consiglio d’Europa è impegnato ad abolirla e, nel frattempo, attua una moratoria delle esecuzioni; quelli che hanno introdotto una moratoria delle esecuzioni sono 5; i paesi abolizionisti di fatto, che non eseguono cioè sentenze capitali da oltre dieci anni, sono 35. Dall’inizio del 2004, 3 paesi sono passati dal fronte dei mantenitori a quello a vario titolo abolizionista, mentre altri 5 hanno fatto ulteriori passi in avanti all’interno dello stesso fronte abolizionista.

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTS IN BRIEF 2004 (and up to September 15, 2005)LES FAITS LES PLUS IMPORTANTS DE 2004 (ET DES PREMIERS NEUF MOIS DE 2005)

One cost this country pays for the death penalty is that its courts are constantly compelled to corrupt the law in order to uphold death sentences. That corruption soils the character of the United States as a nation dedicated to equal justice under law.This is not the only price we pay for being one of the very few democracies in the world that retains capital punishment in the 21st century. But it is a significant item on the cost side of the cost-benefit ledger, something that each thinking person ought to balance in deciding whether he or she supports capital punishment. And it warrants discussion because this cost is little understood. I have spent much of my time for the past 40 years representing death-sentenced inmates in appeals at every level of the state and federal judicial systems, and I am only lately coming to realize how large a tax the death penalty imposes on the quality of justice in those systems.

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

La situazione ad oggi : La situazione della pena di morte nel mondo è ulteriormente e positivamente cambiata in senso abolizionista nell´ultimo anno. I paesi o i territori che a vario titolo hanno deciso di rinunciare a praticarla sono oggi 133. Di questi 81 sono totalmente abolizionisti; 14 sono abolizionisti per crimini ordinari; 1 (la Russia) in quanto membro del Consiglio d´Europa è impegnato ad abolirla e, nel frattempo, attua una moratoria delle esecuzioni; 5 hanno stabilito una moratoria delle esecuzioni; 32 sono abolizionisti di fatto (non eseguono sentenze capitali da oltre dieci anni).

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTS OF 2003

Amnesty International is alarmed by the recent dramatic rise in the reported imposition of the death penalty in Viet Nam, particularly for drugs-related offences and other economic crimes. It believes that the continuing use of the death penalty in Viet Nam is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and a breach of the right to life and that the conditions surrounding its imposition in Viet Nam are in contravention of international human rights standards. In this report Amnesty is calling on the Vietnamese Government to immediately establish a moratorium on all executions, while taking steps towards total abolition of the death penalty in accordance with international standards and United Nations recommendations.

• Document type NGO report
• Countries list Viet Nam
• Themes list Country/Regional profiles,
• Available languages République Socialiste Du Viêt-Nam : La peine de port - inhumaine et inefficaceRepública Socialista de Vietnam: La pena de muerte - inhumana e ineficaz

This briefing paper examines Iraq’s arbitrary and widespread use of the death penalty and extrajudicial executions. For more than three decades, the government of President Saddam Hussein has sanctioned the use of the death penalty and extrajudicial executions as a tool of political repression, both in order to eliminate real or suspected political opponents and to maintain a reign of terror over the population at large. The executions that have taken place over this period constitute an integral part of more systematic repression – characterized by widespread arbitrary arrests, indefinite detention without trial, death in custody under torture, and large-scale “disappearances” – through which the government has sustained its rule.

• Document type NGO report
• Countries list Iraq
• Themes list Due Process ,

MYTH: Only guilty prisoners are sent to their death. FACT: Professionals in the justice system know that innocent people have been executed.

• Document type Academic report
• Themes list Innocence,

THE SITUATION TODAY The worldwide trend towards abolition, underway for more than ten years, was again confirmed in 2009 and the first six months of 2010. There are currently 154 countries and territories that, to different extents, have decided to renounce the death penalty. Of these: 96 are totally abolitionist; 8 are abolitionist for ordinary crimes; 6 have a moratorium on executions in place and 44 are de facto abolitionist (i.e. countries that have not carried out any executions for at least 10 years or countries which have binding obligations not to use the death penalty).

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages Italian : I FATTI PIÙ IMPORTANTI DEL 2009 (E DEI PRIMI SEI MESI DEL 2010)

The present report is submitted to the General Assembly pursuant to its resolution 67/176. It discusses trends towardsthe abolition of the death penalty andthe establishment of moratoriums on executions. The report also reflects on the application of international standards relating to the protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty and discusses various international and regional initiativesfor the implementation of resolution67/176.

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list International law, Moratorium , Trend Towards Abolition,
• Available languages تقرير 2014 - وقف العمل بعقوبة الإعدامДоклад 2014 - Мораторий на при менение смертной казниRapport 2014 - Moratoire sur l’application de la peine de mort2014报告 - 暂停使用死刑Informe 2014 - Moratoria del uso de la pena de muerte

Find the main facts and figures regarding the death penalty worldwide in 2022 and early 2023.

• Document type Campaigning / World Coalition
• Available languages 21ème Journée Mondiale - Faits et chiffres 2023

Il 1° novembre, nel corso della fiera Lucca Comics & Games 2014 verrà presentato Precious. La cosa più preziosa il primo gioco di ruolo sulla pena di morte, realizzato dall’Associazione Coyote Press con la collaborazione di Amnesty International Italia. La meccanica del gioco è accompagnata da un ampio saggio sul tema della pena capitale, realizzato dal Coordinamento pena di morte di Amnesty International Italia, che presenta dati e statistiche sul tema, casi per i quali si è attivata, spunti di informazione e discussione – dalla campagna contro la pena di morte ai diversi paradossi che questa porta con sé, la deterrenza, la discriminazione razziale e sociale, la negazione dei diritti. Il saggio è seguito da 10 ritratti di persone reali, coinvolte a vario titolo sul tema: condannati a morte, sostenitori della pena capitale, abolizionisti e attivisti per i diritti umani.

• Document type Article
• Countries list Italy
• Themes list Networks,

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

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

In 2020-2021, The Death Penalty Project, in partnership with Community Legal Aid Institute, LBH Masyarakat, commissioned The Death Penalty Research Unit (DPRU) at the University of Oxford, in association with University Centre of Excellence HIV/AIDS Research Centre-HPSI at Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia (AJCU), to conduct the research building empirical knowledge on who is being convicted for drug offences and uncover the factors that have influenced their motivations and decision making. Interviews were conducted on 57 prisoners from a prison in Jakrata, Indonesia, all convicted for drug offences. This is the first stage of a larger mapping project, which will interview those convicted of drug offences and sentenced to death or life in prisons across Indonesia and Southeast Asia. It also compliments our two part opinion study on attitudes on capital punishment in Indonesia.

• Document type NGO report
• Countries list Indonesia
• Themes list Drug Offenses

Delia Perez-Meyer, an elementary school teacher, has taken a weeklyjourney from the classroom to death row for the past 12 years. She tells of her personal voyage, beginning from a place of frustration to acceptanceand hopeful activism.

• Document type Academic report
• Countries list United States
• Themes list Women, Innocence,

Short video of Darryl Stallworth, a former California Deputy DA who once sought the death penalty as a prosecutor — and now wants to replace the death penalty with life without parole. Darryl believes Prop. 34 is right step for California, and I wanted to share his story with you, too

• Document type Academic report
• Countries list United States
• Themes list Public debate, Trend Towards Abolition,

Resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 20 December 2012 [on the report of the Third Committee (A/67/457/Add.2 and Corr.1)] 67/176. Moratorium on the use of the death penalty

• Document type International law - United Nations
• Available languages قرار ٦٧/١٧٦ - وقف العمل بعقوبة الإعدامResolución 67/176 - Moratoria del uso de la pena de muerte.Résolution 67/176 - Moratoire sur l'application de la peine de mortРезолюция 67/176 - Мораторий на применение смертной казни大会决议67/176 - 暂停使用死刑

L’Europa affronta nuove minacce e sfide. Grazie al suo approccio globale alla sicurezza, l’OSCE offre alla regione un forum per il dialogo e per i negoziati politici, nonché una piattaforma per partenariati multilaterali che attuano iniziative concrete sul terreno.

• Document type Academic report
• Themes list Networks,
• Available languages German : Was ist die OSZE?What is the OSCE?Что такое ОБСЕ?Qu’est-ce que l’OSCE ?¿QUÉ ES LA OSCE?

Europa ist mit neuen Bedrohungen und Herausforderungen konfrontiert. Mit ihrem vielseitigen Sicherheitsbegriff bietet die OSZE der Region ein Forum für politischen Dialog und Verhandlungen und eine Plattform für multilaterale Partnerschaften, die der praktischen Arbeit vor Ort dienen.

• Document type Academic report
• Themes list Networks,
• Available languages Italian : COS’È L’OSCE?What is the OSCE?Что такое ОБСЕ?Qu’est-ce que l’OSCE ?¿QUÉ ES LA OSCE?

• Document type Campaigning / World Coalition
• Available languages 2023 ملصق اليوم العال مPoster Spanish – 2023 Día Mundial contra la Pena de MuertePoster Farsi 2023 – بیستمین روز جهانی علیهمجازات مرگPoster 21ème Journée Mondiale contre la peine de mortPoster Russian 2023 — 21-Й ВСЕМИРНЫЙ ДЕНЬ БОРЬБЫ ПРОТИВ СМЕРТНОЙ КАЗНИPoster Chinese 2023- 第21个世界反对死刑日

Reportagem de Fabian Biasio sobre a execução de um assassino esquizofrênico no Texas. Em 2003, o fotógrafo acompanhou Tina Morris durante a semana que precedia a execução do seu irmão, James Colburn.

• Document type Academic report
• Countries list United States
• Themes list Murder Victims' Families, Death Row Conditions,

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

Published in December 2023.

This paper reflects on the role of international human rights treaties in promoting universal abolition and progressive restriction of the death penalty. It suggests that over the past quarter of a century a ‘new human rights dynamic’ has aimed to generate universal acceptance that however it is administered, the death penalty violates the human rights of all citizens exposed to it. Nevertheless, defences of capital punishment based on principles of national sovereignty are engrained in some parts of the world, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. The human rights project struggles to make inroads into such jurisdictions where political will is opposed to abolition, and trenchant protection of sovereignty threatens the very universality of these rights.

• Document type Academic Article
• Themes list Trend Towards Abolition

THE SITUATION TODAY The worldwide trend towards abolition, underway for more than ten years, was again confirmed in 2011 and the first six months of 2012. There are currently 155 Countries and territories that, to different extents, have decided to renounce the death penalty. Of these: 99 are totally abolitionist; 7 are abolitionist for ordinary crimes; 5 have a moratorium on executions in place and 44 are de facto abolitionist (i.e. Countries that have not carried out any executions for at least 10 years or Countries which have binding obligations not to use the death penalty).

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages Italian : I FATTI PIÙ IMPORTANTI DEL 2011 (E DEI PRIMI SEI MESI DEL 2012)

• Document type Campaigning / World Coalition

L’evoluzione positiva verso l’abolizione della pena di morte in atto nel mondo da oltre dieci anni, si è confermata nel 2011 e anche nei primi sei mesi del 2012.I Paesi o i territori che hanno deciso di abolirla per legge o in pratica sono oggi 155. Di questi, i Paesi totalmente abolizionisti sono 99; gli abolizionisti per crimini ordinari sono 7; quelli che attuano una moratoria delle esecuzioni sono 5; i Paesi abolizionisti di fatto, che non eseguono sentenze capitali da oltre dieci anni o che si sono impegnati internazionalmente ad abolire la pena di morte, sono 44.

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTS OF 2011 (and the first six months of 2012)

• Document type Campaigning / World Coalition
• Available languages 22e Journée mondiale contre la peine de mort - Faits et chiffres

经济及社会理事会决议 [根据预防犯罪和刑事司法委员会的建议(E/2012/30和Corr.1和2)通过]

• Document type United Nations report
• Themes list International law,
• Available languages "مبادئ الأمم المتحدة وتوجيهاا بشأن سبل الحصول على /٢٠١٢ المساعدة القانونية في نظم العدالة الجنائية"United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice SystemsПринципы и руководящие положения Организации Объединенных Наций, касающиеся доступа к юридической помощи в системах уголовного правосудияPrincipes et lignes directrices des Nations Unies sur l’accès à l’assistance juridique dans le système de justice pénalePrincipios y directrices de las Naciones Unidas sobre el acceso a la asistencia jurídica en los sistemas de justicia penal

This article reviews several cases where the families of victim’s speak out against the death penalty.

• Document type Academic report
• Countries list United States
• Themes list Murder Victims' Families,

The release of Sierra Leone’s longest serving female death row prisoner.

• Document type Academic report
• Countries list Sierra Leone
• Themes list Innocence,

As part of Amnesty International’s 2012 death penalty campaign the Guardian and animators from Sherbet tell in this short animation fim the extraordinary story of Mohammad Mostafaei, a lawyer who has saved 20 of the 40 juveniles he has defended from execution in Iran. Actor Paul Bettany speaks the lawyer’s words.

• Document type Academic report
• Countries list Iran (Islamic Republic of)
• Themes list Innocence,

A press release on the DPIC Year End Report 2016: Use of the death penalty fell to historic lows across the United States in 2016. States imposed the fewest death sentences in the modern era of capital punishment, since states began re-enacting death penalty statutes in 1973. New death sentences are predicted to be down 39% from 2015’s 40-year low. Executions declined more than 25% to their lowest level in 25 years, and public opinion polls also measured support for capital punishment at a four-decade low.

• Document type Article
• Countries list United States
• Themes list Trend Towards Abolition, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment, World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, Death Penalty, Statistics, Country/Regional profiles,

Participants in the Third World Congress Against the Death Penaltyin Paris have repeated again and again that the universal abo-lition of the death penalty is underway. The work carried outin Paris 2007 has clearly shown it: an irreversible downwardtrend in the number of death sentences and executions is vis-ible worldwide. Above all an increasing number of nations haveabandoned this useless and cruel practice.

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Trend Towards Abolition, World Coalition Against the Death Penalty,
• Available languages Actes : 3e Congrès mondial contre la peine de mort

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 type Working with...
• Themes list Networks,
• Available languages Polish : Czym jest ODIHR?Greek : Τι είναι το ODIHR;German : Was ist das ODIHR?Что такое БДИПЧ?Qu’est-ce que le BIDDH?

The U.N. Moratorium on Executions : On December 18, 2007, with 104 votes in favour, 54 votes against and 29 abstentions, the United Nations 62nd General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a Resolution that calls upon all States that still maintain the death penalty to “Establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.”

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages Italian : SINTESI DEI FATTI PIÙ IMPORTANTI DEL 2007 (e dei primi sei mesi del 2008)

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,

In every state that retains the death penalty, jurors have the option of sentencing convicted capital murderers to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The sentence is cheaper to tax-payers and keeps violent offenders off the streets for good. The information is California specific.

• Document type Arguments against the death penalty
• Themes list Sentencing Alternatives,

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,

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,

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,

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,

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

• Document type Campaigning
• Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
• Available languages Poster Arabic 2007Affiche journée mondiale 2007

The worldwide situation to date: The worldwide trend towards abolition, underway for at least a decade, was again confirmed in 2006 and the first six months of 2007. There are currently 146 countries and territories that to different extents have decided to renounce the death penalty. Of these, 93 are totally abolitionist, 9 are abolitionist for ordinary crimes, 1 (Russia) is committed to abolishing the death penalty as a member of the Council of Europe and currently observes a moratorium on executions, 4 have a moratorium on executions in place and 39 are de facto abolitionist (i.e. – no executions have taken place in the last ten years).

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages Italian : SINTESI DEI FATTI PIU' IMPORTANTI DEL 2006 (e dei primi sette mesi del 2007)

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 type NGO report
• Available languages عقوبة الإعدام فى الوطن العربى: دراسة حول عقوبة الإعدام فى بعض الدول العربية

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,

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 ,

When the Supreme Court is deciding death, how much does law matter? Scholars long have lamented the majoritarian nature of the Court’s Eighth Amendment “evolving standards of decency” doctrine, but their criticism misses the mark. Majoritarian doctrine does not drive the Court’s decisions in this area; majoritarian forces elsewhere do. To make my point, I first examine three sets of “evolving standards” death penalty decisions in which the Court implicitly or explicitly reversed itself, attacking the legal justification for the Court’s change of position and offering an extralegal explanation for why those cases came out the way they did. I then use political science models of Supreme Court decisionmaking to explain how broader social and political forces push the Court toward majoritarian death penalty rulings for reasons wholly independent of majoritarian death penalty doctrine. Finally, I bring the analysis full [*pg 2] circle, showing how broader sociopolitical forces even led to the development of the “evolving standards” doctrine. In the realm of death penalty decisionmaking, problematic doctrine is not to blame for majoritarian influences; rather, majoritarian influences are to blame for problematic doctrine. The real obstacle to countermajoritarian decisionmaking is not doctrine, but the inherently majoritarian tendencies of the Supreme Court itself.

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

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,

During a televised panel discussion on the death penalty on 9th October, Slovenian law professor Dragan Petrovec said victims should play no role in the sentencing of offenders. ”The victim is never objective,” he said. ”Victims can’t be judges.” The discussion, organised by the Council of Europe to mark the European day against the death penalty, also featured Sweden’s Human Rights Ambassador Jan Axel Nordlander. Council of Europe’s Head of Department Jeroen Schokkenbroek said the organisation was critical of the United States and Japan over their use of the death penalty . He added that ”dialogue was continuing” with both countries towards ending the practice.

• Document type Arguments against the death penalty

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,

The first act took place in 1999, when the dirt-poor farmer from Henan province had a violent argument with a fellow peasant, Zhao Zhenshang. His opponent, no relation despite a shared surname, disappeared into thin air. Later a headless, decomposed corpse was found in a well, and produced as evidence of Zhao Zuohai’s murderous deed. He was tortured, forced to confess and received the inevitable death sentence, before eventually winning a reprieve from the firing squad and having his sentence commuted to a 29-year jail term.

• Document type Legal Representation
• Themes list Networks,

• Document type Multimedia content
• Countries list Spain
• Themes list Women, Death Penalty, Country/Regional profiles,

Poster World Day against the death penalty 2010

• Document type Campaigning
• Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
• Available languages Poster Spanish 2010Affiche journée mondiale 2010

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,

The annual report of the death penalty in 2010 shows a dramatic increase in the number of executions compared to the previous years. The number of annual executions in 2010 in Iran is probably the highest since the mass executions of political prisoners in the summer of 1988.

• Document type NGO report
• Available languages سازمان حقوق بشر ایران: گزارش سالانه اعدام در سال میلادی ۲۰۱۰

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,

This paper explores the power struggle between the State and the condemned over the timing and conditions under which an inmate is executed. It begins with a discussion of current public opinion about the death penalty and the ways in which the death penalty has been resisted. Next, it describes capital defendants who elect execution over life imprisonment and considers some of the reasons proffered for waiver and withdrawal. This paper then contemplates whether some instances of “volunteering” should be regarded as “extreme communicative acts” (Wee 2004, 2007)—nonlinguistic communicative acts that are usually associated with protest, especially in the context of a lengthy political struggle (such as hunger strikes, self-immolation, and the chopping off of one’s fingers). In so doing, this paper weighs in on the larger questions of who ultimately controls the body of the condemned and what governmental opposition to waiver and withdrawal may reveal about the motives and rationale for the death penalty. This paper also furthers research on how the prison industrial complex is resisted and how State power more generally is negotiated.

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

Seventeen Indian migrant workers have been sentenced to death in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), after an unfair trial, for the murder of a Pakistani national.Some of the 17 are said to have been tortured to make them “confess.” They may be at risk of further torture.

• Document type Legal Representation
• Themes list Networks,
• Available languages Torturados y Condenados a Muerte 17 Indios

The race of the victim and the race of the defendant in capital cases are major factors in determining who is sentenced to die in this country. In 1990 a report from the General Accounting Office concluded that “in 82 percent of the studies [reviewed], race of the victim was found to influence the likelihood of being charged with capital murder or receiving the death penalty, i.e. those who murdered whites were more likely to be sentenced to death than those who murdered blacks.

• Document type Arguments against the death penalty
• Themes list Discrimination,

The dark room was a photography exhibition planned as part of a project lunched by Amnesty International Italy under the title “I am against the death penalty because…”. The exhibition was held in Rome at Palazzo delle Exposizioni, Sala della Fontana, from 8th to 20th June 2010.

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

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

The book looks at the death penalty through interviews with people affected by the system in different ways. He uses interviews to explore issues of deterrence, retribution, and fairness, while taking a unique look at how the death penalty affects those who participate in the system.

• Document type Book
• Countries list United States
• Themes list Fair Trial, Deterrence , Retribution,

Poster world day against the death penalty 2009

• Document type Campaigning
• Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
• Available languages Affiche journée mondiale 2009

The Worldwide Situation to Date: The worldwide trend towards abolition, underway for at least a decade, was again confirmed in 2008 and the first six months of 2009. There are currently 151 countries and territories that to different extents have decided to renounce the death penalty. Of these: 96 are totally abolitionist; 8 are abolitionist for ordinary crimes; 5 have a moratorium on executions in place and 42 are de facto abolitionist (i.e. countries that have not carried out any executions for at least 10 years or countries which have binding obligations not to use the death penalty).

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages Italian : SINTESI DEI FATTI PIÙ IMPORTANTI DEL 2008 (e dei primi sei mesi del 2009)

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,

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 type Arguments against the death penalty
• Available languages فيديو حول عقوبة الاعدام يسردها الممثل كولن فيرثDiaporama animé sur la peine de mort dans le mondeFotogalería: historias de todo el mundo sobre la pena capital

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,

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,

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,

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

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,

This is the fourth consecutive year that Hands off Cain is publishing its report on the death penalty. The events registered in 2000 reveal a positive trend towards abolition.As of 31/12/2000, there were 123 abolitionist countries of various types: 77 were fully abolitionist, 12 were abolitionist for ordinary crimes, 30 were de facto abolitionist (they haven´t carried out a death sentence in at least ten years), 2 were engaged in abolishing the death penalty as members of the Council of Europe, 2 had a legal moratoria on executions. Seventy three states retained the death penalty.

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages Italian : Sintesi dei fatti più rilevanti del 2000

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,

The Center on Wrongful Convictions is dedicated to identifying and rectifying wrongful convictions and other serious miscarriages of justice. The Center has three components: representation, research, and community services. Center faculty, staff, cooperating outside attorneys, and Bluhm Legal Clinic students investigate possible wrongful convictions and represent imprisoned clients with claims of actual innocence. The research component focuses on identifying systemic problems in the criminal justice system and, together with the community services component, on developing initiatives designed to raise public awareness of the prevalence, causes, and social costs of wrongful convictions and promote reform of the criminal justice system. In addition, the community services component helps exonerated former prisoners cope with the difficult process of reintegration into free society.

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

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

• Document type Regional body report
• Themes list International law,
• Available languages PROTOCOLO A LA CONVENCIÓN AMERICANA SOBRE DERECHOS HUMANOS RELATIVO A LA ABOLICIÓN DE LA PENA DE MUERTE

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 type United Nations report
• Themes list International law,
• Available languages Charte Africaine des Droits de l'Homme et des Peuples

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 type United Nations report
• Themes list International law, Right to life,
• Available languages CONVENCION AMERICANA SOBRE DERECHOS HUMANOS "PACTO DE SAN JOSE DE COSTARICA"

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,

The worldwide situation to date: The worldwide trend towards abolition, underway for at least a decade, was again confirmed in 2004 and the first half of 2005. There are currently 138 countries that to different extents have decided to renounce the death penalty. Of these: 86 are totally abolitionist; 11 are abolitionist for ordinary crimes; 1 (Russia) is committed to abolishing the death penalty as a member of the Council of Europe and currently observing a moratorium on executions; 5 have a moratorium on executions in place and 35 are de facto abolitionist (i.e. no executions have taken place in those countries for at least ten years). Since the beginning of 2004, 3 countries have passed from retention to an extent of abolition, whereas 5 countries have advanced within the categories of the abolitionist group.

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages Italian : SINTESI DEI FATTI PIU’ IMPORTANTI DEL 2004 (e dei primi mesi del 2005)LES FAITS LES PLUS IMPORTANTS DE 2004 (ET DES PREMIERS NEUF MOIS DE 2005)

The worldwide situation to date: The worldwide trend towards abolition, underway for at least a decade, was again confirmed in 2005 and the first half of 2006. There are currently 142 countries that to different extents have decided to renounce the death penalty. Of these: 90 are totally abolitionist; 10 are abolitionist for ordinary crimes; 1 (Russia) is committed to abolishing the death penalty as a member of the Council of Europe and currently observing a moratorium on executions; 5 have a moratorium on executions in place and 37 are de facto abolitionist (i.e. no executions have taken place in those countries for at least ten years).

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages Italian : I FATTI PIù IMPORTANTI DEL 2005 (e dei primi sei mesi del 2006)

This project examines the role of defence councils in Chinese criminal proceedings that can end up with the imposition of the death penalty. It aims to review the problems defence lawyers face in such proceedings, the defence strategies they apply and to examine whether the assignment of a defence lawyer makes a difference in the outcome of a criminal trial. Moreover, the project explores what can and should be done to empower defence councils to effectively represent suspects and accused in death penalty eligible cases.The objective of the study is to shed light on the problems experienced by criminal defence councils when defending capital crime cases and to generate information on how death penalty cases are processed through the Chinese system of justice as well as the determinants of the outcomes death penalty eligible criminal cases.

• Document type Article
• Countries list China
• Themes list Legal Representation,

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,

One gets the strong sense that Professor White believed that the key to changing or abolishing the death penalty in the United States was to educate policymakers and the public about its practical operation. This, of course, was Justice Thurgood Marshall’s hypothesis in Furman v. Georgia: that the widespread support that the death penalty enjoys in the country is a product of mass ignorance about how it is applied. Professor White did not simply posit the theory, he dedicated much of his life to the mission of educating the public about the inequities of the American death penalty. This final book does that in an extraordinarily effective way by combing together studies of illustrative cases, analysis of the lawyers’ roles and dilemmas, and cogent explanations of the state of the law.

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

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 type Working with...
• Themes list Networks,
• Available languages Portuguese : Tribunal Africano dos Direitos Humanos e dos PovosAfricaine Cour des Droits de l'Homme et Des Peuples

A number of papers have recently appeared claiming to show that in the United States executions deter serious crime. There are many statistical problems with the data analyses reported. This paper addresses the problem of “influence,” which occurs when a very small and atypical fraction of the data dominate the statistical results.

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

The year 2001 has confirmed the accelerated trend towards the abolition of the death penalty on course for the past ten years. In 2001 the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia became totally abolitionist, Chile abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes, Ireland removed all references to the death penalty from its constitution, Burkina Faso joined the group of de facto abolitionists not having carried out any executions for more than ten years, and Lebanon has imposed a moratorium on executions.

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages Italian : I FATTI PIÙ IMPORTANTI DEL 2001

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,

Poster world day against the death penalty 2004

• Document type Campaigning
• Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
• Available languages Poster Spanish 2004Affiche journée mondiale 2004

The worldwide situation to date: The worldwide situation concerning the death penalty has once again registered a trend towards abolition in the past year. The countries or territories that to different extents have decided to give up the practice of capital punishment total 133, including the first months of 2004. Of these 81 have abolished the death penalty completely; 14 have abolished it for ordinary crimes; 1, Russia, as a member of the Council of Europe is committed to abolish it and in the meanwhile apply a moratorium on executions; 5 are observing moratoriums and 32 countries are de facto abolitionist, not having carried out executions for at least 10 years.

• Document type NGO report
• Themes list Statistics,
• Available languages Italian : I FATTI PIU´ IMPORTANTI DEL 2003 (e dei primi mesi del 2004)