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2391 Document(s) 986 Member(s) 489 Article(s) 12 Page(s)

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 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)

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)

A global approach to human rights case law

By HURIDOCS, on 1 January 2013


2013

Working with...


More details See the document

Our vision is to build a database that brings together all the case law of international human rights bodies. It will be the first to make human rights case law available in a coherent manner, break new grounds in terms of accessibility and on top of that will encourage sense-making by adding tools that help the user to go beyond the text.

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Public opinion,

Document(s)

Film “THE ROAD TO LIVINGSTON”

By The Austin Film Society / Chelsea Hernandez, on 8 September 2020


2020

Academic report

United States


More details See the document

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,

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)

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)

Article: “Viedo Darryll Stallworth, Former Prosecutor supports SAFE California”

By SAFE California, on 8 September 2020


2020

Academic report

United States


More details See the document

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,

Document(s)

22nd World Day Against the Death Penalty – FACTS AND FIGURES

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


2024

Campaigning

World Coalition

fr
More details Download [ pdf - 206 Ko ]

Document(s)

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

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


Campaigning

World Coalition


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

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)

Myth #7 – Executions are humane

By Reprieve / Emmanuelle Purdon , on 8 September 2020


2020

Academic report


More details See the document

MYTH: Executions are humane. The process is painless and orderly. FACT: There is no decent way to kill a prisoner. Hanging, stoning, beheading and electrocuting all constitute cruel, inhumane and degrading punishment.

  • Document type Academic report
  • Themes list Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment,

Document(s)

Death penalty’s unlikely opponents

By Death Penalty Information Center / Eliott C. McLaughlin, on 8 September 2020


Academic report

United States


More details See the document

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,

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area

By Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), on 1 January 2014


2014

International law - Regional body


More details See the document

This publication covers the period 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011 and offers a concise update that highlights only those changes in the status of the death penalty made since the last Background Paper.

  • Document type International law - Regional body

Document(s)

Innocence Database

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2011


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)

Getting It Right Project

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

21st World Day – Facts and Figures 2023

By the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 12 June 2023


2023

Campaigning

World Coalition

fr
More details Download [ pdf - 239 Ko ]

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

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)

Anthony Graves: The TT Interview

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

Myth #10 – The death penalty is not political

By Reprieve / Emmanuelle Purdon , on 8 September 2020


2020

Academic report


More details See the document

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,

Document(s)

Myth #9 – The Bible supports the death penalty

By Reprieve / Emmanuelle Purdon , on 8 September 2020


Academic report


More details See the document

MYTH: The Bible preaches retribution. Jesus supports the death penalty. FACT: People have been arguing for decades over interpretations of the Bible. The Church has officially declared its opposition to the death penalty. The concept of “mercy” is preached in the majority of religions.

  • Document type Academic report
  • Themes list Religion ,

Document(s)

Myth #8 – Executions help victims’ families to heal

By Reprieve / Emmanuelle Purdon , on 8 September 2020


Academic report


More details See the document

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,

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


2011

NGO report

rufrzh-hantes
More details See the document

Document(s)

Executions by County in the United States

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 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)

DNA and the Death Penalty

By Brandon Garrett / Joshua Marquis / CATO Unbound / Jeffrey Kirchmeier / George H. Smith, on 1 January 2012


2012

Article

United States


More details See the document

Essays on the theme of the issue of the DNA and the Death Penalty

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

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)

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

Document(s)

Public Executions in Virginia

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

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)

Survivor on Death Row

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

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)

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

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

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)

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)

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

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


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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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


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)

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)

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)

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)

World Report 2010

By Human Rights Watch, on 1 January 2010


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)

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)

Iraq: The Death Penalty, Executions, and “Prison Cleansing”

By Human Rights Watch, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

Iraq


More details See the document

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 ,

Document(s)

Stop the Death Penalty: Worldwide Abolition Now

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2007


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)

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)

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)

Courtroom Contortions: How America’s application of the death penalty erodes the principle of equal justice under law

By Anthony G. Amsterdam / American Prospect, on 8 September 2020


2020

Article

United States


More details See the document

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,

Document(s)

Racial Bias

By National Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 1 January 2014


2014

Arguments against the death penalty


More details See the document

This webpage provides information on the link between racism and the death penalty in the United States.

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

Document(s)

Cost

By National Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 1 January 2014


Arguments against the death penalty


More details See the document

This document provides information on the cost of death penalty cases in the United States.

  • Document type Arguments against the death penalty
  • Themes list Networks, Financial cost,

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)

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)

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)

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)

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

By United Nations, on 1 January 1966


1966

United Nations report

arrufrzh-hantes
More details See the document

Article 61. Every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life.2. In countries which have not abolished the death penalty, sentence of death may be imposed only for the most serious crimes in accordance with the law in force at the time of the commission of the crime and not contrary to the provisions of the present Covenant and to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. This penalty can only be carried out pursuant to a final judgement rendered by a competent court.3. When deprivation of life constitutes the crime of genocide, it is understood that nothing in this article shall authorize any State Party to the present Covenant to derogate in any way from any obligation assumed under the provisions of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.4. Anyone sentenced to death shall have the right to seek pardon or commutation of the sentence. Amnesty, pardon or commutation of the sentence of death may be granted in all cases.5. Sentence of death shall not be imposed for crimes committed by persons below eighteen years of age and shall not be carried out on pregnant women.6. Nothing in this article shall be invoked to delay or to prevent the abolition of capital punishment by any State Party to the present Covenant.

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 Peculiar Forms of American Capital Punishment

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


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)

‘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)

Convention on the Rights of the Child

By United Nations, on 1 January 1989


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)

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)

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)

Resolution 67/176 – Moratorium on the use of the death penalty

By United Nations General Assembly, on 8 September 2020


2020

International law - United Nations

aresfrruzh-hant
More details See the document

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(s)

The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area

By Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), on 1 January 2014


2014

International law - Regional body


More details See the document

The 2014 Background Paper covers the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June2014. It highlights changes in the status of the death penalty in the OSCE areathat have taken place since the publication of the 2013 Background Paper.8As inprevious years, the background paper provides information on two participatingStates – Belarus and the United States of America – that continue to impose thedeath penalty, and on four participating States – Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia andTajikistan – that are de facto abolitionist, but retain the death penalty in law. It alsoprovides an overview of relevant developments in some of the 51 OSCE participatingStates that have an abolitionist status.

  • Document type International law - Regional body
  • Themes list Statistics,

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area – Background Paper 2018

By Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report


More details See the document

OSCE participating States have made a number of commitments regarding the death penalty, including to consider the potential abolition of capital punishment. In light of these commitments and its mandate, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) monitors trends and new developments regarding human rights standards and practices among OSCE participating States related to the death penalty. The findings are presented each year in the Background Paper on the Status of the Death Penalty in the OSCE Area. The background paper is based on the information provided by participating States, in the form of responses to ODIHR questionnaires.

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

Document(s)

Prison conditions for women facing the death penalty: A factsheet

By Penal Reform International / Cornwell Death Penalty Project, on 1 January 2018


2018

Campaigning

fr
More details See the document

There are at least 500 women currently on death row around the world. While exact figures are impossible to obtain, it is estimated that over 100 women have been executed in the last 10 years – and potentially hundreds more. Little empirical data exists about the crimes for which women have been sentenced to death, the circumstances of their lives before their convictions, and the conditions under which they are detained on death row. This Factsheet focuses on the latter topic, with some introductory remarks on the profiles of women under sentence of death. It draws on research published by the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide and the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty in 2018, which has shed light on this much-neglected population.

Document(s)

Unjust and Unwanted: Malaysia’s Mandatory Death Penalty

By Death Penalty Project, on 8 September 2020


2020

Multimedia content

Malaysia


More details See the document

Malaysia is one of only a handful of countries around the world that continues to retain a mandatory death penalty. The newly elected Malaysian government has promised to abolish mandatory death sentences and other “oppressive laws”. This short animation sheds light on what the mandatory death penalty is, what the Malaysian public think about it and why it is time to consign this abhorrent punishment to history.

  • Document type Multimedia content
  • Countries list Malaysia
  • Themes list Public opinion, Drug Offences, Mandatory Death Penalty,

Document(s)

Public Opinion on the Death Penalty

By Cornell Law School, on 1 January 2018


2018

Article


More details See the document

Public officials in retentionist or de facto abolitionist countries often invoke public support for the death penalty as one of the reasons why they do not promote abolition. A closer look at this justification, however, reveals some common flaws. This note offers a critical assessment of public opinion polls on the death penalty and suggests tools to properly gauge the level of public support for the death penalty.

  • Document type Article
  • Themes list Public opinion, Public debate, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

Philippines: March 2018 National Survey on Public Perceptions on the Death Penalty

By Social Weather Stations (SWS), on 1 January 2018


NGO report


More details See the document

This is the main finding of the March 2018 National Survey on Public Perception on the Death Penalty, conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) for the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHRP). This is the first survey in the Philippines to explore thought processes and disentangle layers of perceptions about the death penalty. It did face-to-face interviews of 2,000 respondents aged 15 and above nationwide during the period March 22 to 27, 2018.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Public opinion, Death Penalty, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area: Background Paper 2016

By Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), on 1 January 2016


2016

International law - Regional body


More details See the document

The background paper provides information on changes and developments withregard to the death penalty in the OSCE area and new developments on the internationallevel. In this year’s edition, there is a specific focus on the relationship betweencapital punishment and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhumanor degrading treatment or punishment.

  • Document type International law - Regional body
  • Themes list Trend Towards Abolition, Death Penalty, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Question of the death penalty: Report of the Secretary-General 2014

By United Nations, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

fresarruzh-hant
More details See the document

Pursuant to Human Rights Council decision 18/117, the present report is submittedin order to update previous reports on the question of the death penalty. The reportconfirms that the trend towards the universal abolition of the death penalty is continuing.However, numerous concerns remain with regard to the lack of respect for internationalhuman rights norms and standards in States that still impose the death penalty. Asrequested in Human Rights Council resolution 22/11, the report also includes informationon the human rights of children of parents sentenced to the death penalty or executed

Document(s)

Capital Clemency Resource Initiative

By American Bar Association, on 1 January 2018


2018

Arguments against the death penalty


More details See the document

This ressource provided by the American Bar Association permits to help fill clemency petitions in the United States.

  • Document type Arguments against the death penalty
  • Themes list Clemency, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

Final declaration of the African Congress

By Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM), on 1 January 2018


Article

fr
More details See the document

On 9 and 10 April, more than 300 abolitionists, activists, diplomats, politicians, parliamentarians, lawyers, former death row inmates and citizens gathered in Abidjan for the first African Congress against the death penalty. After two days of debating and sharing experiences, the delegates adopted a final declaration at the closing ceremony.

Document(s)

FREE MEN

By Anne-Frédérique Widmann / International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights, on 1 January 2018


Multimedia content

United States


More details See the document

How can a human being stand up, under conditions of unjust imprisonment on death row, alone and without hope of being released? In this documentary film, Anne-Frédérique Widmann draws the portrait of Kenneth Reams, who wakes up every day with an unwavering desire to live, and succeeds in writing, testifying, painting and loving a woman. A film about the art, resistance and dignity of every human life.

  • Document type Multimedia content
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Innocence, Death Row Conditions, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

SHAMS Center issues a report on the status of death penalty in the Palestinian territories: in 2017

By Human Rights & Democracy Media Center (SHAMS), on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

State of Palestine

ar
More details See the document

In this report, SHAMS emphasizes that in Palestine they apply inconsistent legal combination of laws that punish with death penalty, which are not Palestinian laws basically.The problem is that capital punishment violates against an essential human right, and it is irreversible once executed. It doesn’t represent a public deterrent so; it is nothing but a form of violence not a solution for it.

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)

Counting the Condemned

By Justice Project Pakistan, on 1 January 2018


2018

NGO report


More details See the document

Counting the Condemned contains some shocking revelations. There has been almost a 35 percent reduction in Pakistan’s death row population, but we still account for 26 percent of the world’s death row. Every 8th person executed in the world is a Pakistani. And convictions are often so wrongful, an appellate bench of the Supreme Court has overturned a whopping 85 percent of death sentences since 2014.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Death Penalty, Statistics,

Document(s)

2014 Report – Moratorium on the use of the death penalty

By United Nations, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

arrufrzh-hantes
More details See the document

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(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)

2015 World Day Against the Death Penalty: Not the Solution to Drug-Related Crimes

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2015


2015

NGO report


More details See the document

Drug-related offences are still punishable with the death penalty in more than 30 countries despite clear restrictions set out in international law to limit use of the death penalty to the “most serious crimes”. The 2015 World Day Against the Death Penalty (10 October) draws attention to the use of the death penalty for drug-related offences as a human rights violation.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Drug Offences,

Document(s)

Sentencing in Capital Cases

By Death Penalty Project, on 1 January 2018


2018

Book


More details See the document

This book provides practical assistance to members of the judiciary, defence lawyers, prosecutors and others working on capital cases on the sentencing principles and procedures that have been adopted in common law jurisdictions following the abolition of the mandatory death penalty.

  • Document type Book
  • Themes list International law, Trend Towards Abolition, Mandatory Death Penalty, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

Oral Statement: 56th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights

By FIACAT, on 8 September 2020


2020

Article


More details See the document

During the 56th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Banjul, Gambia, 21 April – 7 May 2015, the FIACAT made an oral statement as they would like to would like to congratulate on the actions taken by the Committee for the prevention of torture in Africa since the 55th Ordinary Session of the ACHPR. Nevertheless, FIACAT remains greatly concerned by the number of cases of torture documented by its members (ACATs) and the impunity which torturers enjoy.

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

Document(s)

Unfair trials report II: the death penalty is not the common value of Asia

By Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty, on 1 January 2015


2015

Article

zh-hant
More details See the document

This report highlights the death penalty situation and executions in Asian countries between 2010 and 2013. It also gives an overview over the legal protection measures for the mentally impaired and intellectually disabled in Asian countries where the death penalty is used. Furthermore, we have listed Asian countries that have acceded to the ICCPR and its Second Optional Protocol. We have also collected excerpts from international human rights documents. By using these documents for mutual reference, death penalty activists in Asia will be able to get a more comprehensive picture of the use of the death penalty and executions in Asian countries.

Document(s)

Prison guards and the death penalty

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2015


NGO report


More details See the document

How are prison guards affected by overseeing prisoners on death row or even participating in executions? What effects does it have in the short and the longer term?This short paper draws on research and interviews with prison guards to outline the psychological impact that guards who have worked with prisoners for many years on death row can experience when a prisoner is put to death.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Death Row Conditions, Death Row Phenomenon,

Document(s)

Iran Annual Report Oct ’17 – Oct ’18

By Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), on 1 January 2018


2018

NGO report


More details See the document

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)- On the World Day Against the Death Penalty, the Center of Statistics at Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) has published its annual report, in efforts to sensitize the public about the situation of the death penalty in Iran.

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

Document(s)

Sharia law and the death penalty

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2015


2015

NGO report


More details See the document

PRI has witnessed the death penalty’s abolition in a majority of the world’s nations, but it continues to be used in most Muslim countries. One of the main reasons for this is the justification that it is permitted by the Quran, the Islamic holy book. In many Islamic countries which continue to carry out executions, the death penalty has become a taboo subject. Governments frequently use Sharia to justify why they retain and apply capital punishment, and this can seem to close discussion on the subject. However, Sharia law is not as immutable on the death penalty as many scholars or states say. Among the misconceptions about Sharia law is the belief that there is a clear and unambiguous statement of what the punishments are for particular offences. In fact, there are several different sources referring to punishments, and different schools of Sharia law give different weight to them.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Religion , Methods of Execution,

Document(s)

Killing in the Name of Justice. The Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia

By Amnesty International / Amnesty International UK, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

Saudi Arabia


More details See the document

The 2015 Amnesty International’s Report on Saudi Arabia gravely confirms that Saudi Arabia remains one of the most prolific executioners in the world. Between January 1985, the earliest year from when information on executions is available, and June 2015 it executed at least 2,200 persons, almost half of whom were foreign nationals. Over one third of these executions were carried out for offences that do not meet the threshold of “most serious crimes” for which the death penalty can be imposed under international law. Most of these crimes, such as drug-related offences, are not mandatorily punishable by death according to the authorities’ interpretation of Islamic Shari’a law.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list Saudi Arabia
  • Themes list Drug Offences, Foreign Nationals, Most Serious Crimes, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

Iran: The use of the death penalty for drug-related offences as a tool of political control

By Taimoor Aliassi / IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS REVIEW, on 1 January 2014


2014

Article

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

fa
More details See the document

The Iranian authorities use the drug issue to enforce their rule and repress ethnic nationalities and members of opposition groups. Whenever it faces escalating crises, internally or externally, new and harsher laws against drugs and addicts are adopted and public hangings of members of ethnic nationalities increase dramatically. The following periods of hangings and drug laws illustrate this policy.

Document(s)

Female executions 2000 to date

By Capital Punishment U.K., on 1 January 2015


2015

Multimedia content


More details See the document

Listing of women executed worldwide reported per year, between 2000 and 2015. The majority have been hanged or beheaded, whilst others have been shot or executed by lethal injection. Two have suffered electrocution in America and at least five have been stoned to death in Afghanistan, Iran and Somalia.

  • Document type Multimedia content
  • Themes list Women,

Document(s)

Flawed Justice: Unfair Trial and the Death Penalty in indonesia

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2015


NGO report

enfr
More details See the document

Despite strong protests from local and international human rights organisations, the new Indonesian administration under President Joko Widodo has executed 14 people, including Indonesian and foreign nationals, in 2015. All of them had been convicted of drug trafficking. In other occasions President Widodo also stated publicly that the government would deny any application for clemency made by people sentenced to death for drug-related crimes. This report, which builds on Amnesty International’s past work over three decades documenting the use of death penalty in Indonesia, includes research carried out during a March 2015 visit to the country. The report highlights 12 individual cases of death row prisoners, out of a total of 131 people on death row, which point to systemic problems in Indonesia’s administration of justice that resulted in violations of international human rights law and standards.