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2457 Document(s) 1084 Member(s) 545 Article(s) 3 Page(s)

Member(s)

ROTAB

on 30 April 2020

The Organisation for Transparency and Budgetary Analysis (ROTAB – Publish What You Pay Niger) is a group of several associations, NGOs and unions in Niger who decided to take part in the worldwide campaign Publish What You Pay. This initiative calls for transparency in the extraction industry, at a time when the murky nature of […]

2020

Niger

Member(s)

Lawyers For Human Rights International (LFHRI)

on 30 April 2020

In the early eighties, a group of lawyers committed to human rights work formed a loose group in order to defend the victims of state repression. In 1992, when the Punjab police and the security agencies who were operating in Punjab started a campaign to harass and kill human rights defenders and the group started […]

India

Document(s)

General Comment No 36 – Article 6: right to life

By Human Rights Committee, on 8 September 2020


2020

United Nations report

enrufreszh-hant
More details See the document

Tis general comment replaces general comments No. 6, adopted by the Committee at its sixteenth session (1982), and No. 14, adopted by the Committee at its twenty-third session (1984)

Document(s)

Death Penalty in Liberia. When will it be abolished?

By FIACAT, on 1 January 2019


2019

Arguments against the death penalty


More details See the document

The FIACAT and ACAT Liberia organized an awareness-raisingworkshop on 17 and 18 September 2019 in Monrovia (Liberia) for 30 participants: Muslim and Christian religious leaders, traditional chiefs, members of civil society organizations, journalists, members of the Independent National Commissionon Human Rights (INCHR) and parliamentarians. This workshop resulted in the production of this publication to raise awareness among opinion leaders on the abolition of the death penalty in Liberia, considering the specific characteristicsand needs of the country.

  • Document type Arguments against the death penalty

Document(s)

Advocacy Toolkit on Abolition of the Death Penalty in West Africa

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2016


2016

Lobbying

fr
More details See the document

This toolkit is for the use of activists who are working on the abolition of the death penalty in West Africa. It is intended to equip activists with some key advocacy tools to effectively influence the institutions and individuals who can make abolition a reality.

Document(s)

Triggers for the abolition of the death penalty in Africa: a Southern African perspective

By Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l'Homme (FIDH), on 1 January 2017


2017

NGO report

fr
More details See the document

In Africa, more than 80% of countries have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice, with only 10 countries executing within the past decade, said FIDH and DITSHWANELO in their joint study, “Triggers for the abolition of the death penalty in Africa: a Southern African perspective”.The 36 pages study identifies the triggers leading to the abolition of the death penalty in Africa. It was released simultaneously with a documentary called #Gambia has decided which shows the current abolitionist process experienced in The Gambia.

Document(s)

Singapore: Cooperate or die: Singapore’s flawed reforms to the mandatory death penalty

By Amnesty International, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

Singapore


More details See the document

Singapore has recorded a significant reduction in its use of the death penalty in recent years, with executions dropping from more than 70 per year in the mid-1990s to single figures in the subsequent decade. Despite this progress, the death penalty in the country continues to be used in violation of international law and standards, particularly with respect to its mandatory application and use for drug-related offences.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list Singapore
  • Themes list Mandatory Death Penalty, Member organizations, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area: Background Paper 2017

By Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), on 1 January 2017


2017

International law - Regional body


More details See the document

OSCE participating States have made a number of commitments regarding the death penalty, including considering the potential abolition of capital punishment, to exchange information toward that end and to make information on the use of the death penalty available to the public.1 Where the death penalty is still in use, participating States have agreed that it could be imposed only for the most serious crimes and only in line with international commitments.2 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. The information from their responses has been included in the present report, to the extent possible, and is supplemented with information from international and regional human rights bodies, non-governmental organizations and media reports.

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

Document(s)

Capital punishment and the implementation of the safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty

By United Nations, on 1 January 2017


United Nations report


More details See the document

The present report is submitted pursuant to resolution 30/5 of the Human Rights Council. The report examines the consequences arising at various stages of the imposition and application of the death penalty on the enjoyment of the human rights of those facing the death penalty. It pays specific attention to the right to equality and non-discrimination in the context of the use of the death penalty. The report also highlights the discriminatory application of the death penalty to foreign nationals.

  • Document type United Nations report
  • Themes list International law, Right to life, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

Bahrain The Death Penalty Joint Stakeholder Report for the United Nations Universal Periodic Review

By The Advocates for Human Rights, on 1 January 2017


NGO report


More details See the document
  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list International law, Member organizations, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

The Bahamas: Death Penalty Joint Stakeholder Report for the United Nations Universal Periodic Review

By The Advocates for Human Rights, on 1 January 2017


NGO report


More details See the document
  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list International law, Member organizations, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

Barbados: Death Penalty Stakeholder Report for the Universal Periodic Review

By The Advocates for Human Rights, on 1 January 2017


NGO report


More details See the document
  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list International law, Member organizations, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in 2017: Year End Report

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2017


NGO report


More details See the document

tences remained near historically low levels in 2017, as public support for the death penalty fell to its lowest level in 45 years, according to a report released today by the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC). Eight states carried out 23 executions, half the number of seven years ago, and the second lowest total since 1991. Only the 20 executions in 2016 were lower. Fourteen states and the federal government are projected to impose 39 new death sentences in 2017, the second lowest annual total since the U.S. Supreme Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional in 1972. It was the seventh year in a row that fewer than 100 death sentences were imposed nationwide.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Capital offences, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment, Arbitrariness, Death Row Conditions, Death Penalty, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Exonerated: A History of the Innocence Movement

By New York University (NYU) / Robert J. Norris, on 1 January 2017


Book

United States


More details See the document

In response to recent exonerations, federal and state governments have passed laws to prevent such injustices; lawyers and police have changed their practices; and advocacy organizations have multiplied across the country. Together, these activities are often referred to as the “innocence movement.” Exonerated provides the first in-depth look at the history of this movement through interviews with key leaders such as Barry Scheck and Rob Warden as well as archival and field research into the major cases that brought awareness to wrongful convictions in the United States.

  • Document type Book
  • Countries list United States

Document(s)

Note verbale dated 7 September 2017 from the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

By United Nations, on 1 January 2017


United Nations report

Antigua and Barbuda

Bangladesh

Barbados

Botswana

Brunei Darussalam

Chad

China

Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Egypt

Ethiopia

Grenada

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Iraq

Jamaica

Kuwait

Libya

Malaysia

Maldives

Moratorium

Nigeria

Oman

Pakistan

Papua New Guinea

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Saudi Arabia

Singapore

Sudan

Syrian Arab Republic

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

Zimbabwe

aresfrruzh-hant
More details See the document

The Permanent Missions to the United Nations in New York listed below have the honour to refer to General Assembly resolution 71/187, entitled “Moratorium on the use of the death penalty”, which was adopted by the Third Committee on 17November 2016 and subsequently by the Assembly on 19 December 2016 by a recorded vote. The Permanent Missions wish to place on record that they are in persistent objection to any attemptto impose a moratorium on the use of the death penalty or its abolition in contravention of existing stipulations under international law, for the following reasons:

Document(s)

Halting the Death Penalty in Divine Hodud Punishments from a Practical Expediency Perspective

By Human Rights & Democracy for Iran, on 1 January 2017


NGO report


More details See the document

Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation and Various Iranian Religious AuthoritiesAbdorrahman Boroumand FoundationNovember 16, 2017Report

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment, Death Penalty, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

These families lost loved ones to violence. Now they are fighting the death penalty;

By The America Magazine , on 1 January 2017


Working with...


More details See the document
  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment, Murder Victims' Families, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

Individual Statement of Commissioner Renny Cushing

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2010


2010

Working with...


More details See the document

Individual Statement of Commissioner Renny Cushing

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Murder Victims' Families, Death Penalty, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Why two mothers back death penalty repeal

By Vicki Schieber and Carolyn Leming / The Gazette, on 8 September 2020


2020

Working with...


More details See the document

This article talks about the tension between protecting the innocent on the one hand and dragging the process out for victims’ families on the other, and how those two can’t be reconciled.

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

Document(s)

Gray Rules Guillory May Ask for Mercy

By Vincent Lupo / American Press, on 1 January 2003


2003

Working with...


More details See the document

This article focuses on Lorilei Guillory, the mother of a 6-year-old Iowa boy murdered 11 years ago. Guillory wantsto be allowed to ask jurors for mercy for the man who allegedly molested and killed her child. Judge Al Gray said he will allow Guillory “to testify and ask for mercy if she wishes” during any penalty phase, but prosecutors are appealing the decision ot the Louisiana Supreme Court. Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation filed an amicus curiae brief in the Louisiana Supreme Court in support of Lorilei Guillory’s effort to testify in the penalty phase of the trial of the man who murdered her 6 year old son Jeremy and to express her opposition to the execution of her son’s murderer

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

Document(s)

DPIC Study Finds No Evidence that Death Penalty Deters Murder or Protects Police

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2017


2017

Article

United States


More details See the document
  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Deterrence , Member organizations, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

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

By United Nations, on 8 September 2020


2020

International law - United Nations


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

Justice Denied : A Global Study of Wrongful Death Row Convictions January 2018

By Sandra Babcock / Cornell Law School / Madalyn Wasilczuk and Sharon Pia Hickey / Delphine Lourtau / Katie Campbell / Julie Bloch, on 1 January 2018


2018

Academic report

fr
More details See the document

On March 7, 2018, the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide launched its new report entitled Justice Denied: A Global Study of Wrongful Death Row Convictions at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. The report is a first-of-its-kind comparative study of the risk factors that increase the likelihood of wrongful convictions. The report illuminates the similarities in wrongful conviction risk factors in six countries across the geographical and political spectrum: Cameroon, Indonesia, Jordan, Malawi, Nigeria, and Pakistan.

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in the U.S. in 2016: infographic

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2016


2016

NGO report


More details See the document

Figures on the application of the death penalty in the US in 2016: Another record decline in death penalty use

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

Document(s)

2016 Report – Moratorium on the use of the death penalty

By United Nations, on 8 September 2020


2020

United Nations report

rufrzh-hantes
More details See the document

The present report is submitted to the General Assembly pursuant to its resolution 69/186. It discusses developments towards the abolition of the death penalty and the establishment of moratoriums on executions. The report also reflects on trends in the use of the death penalty, including the application of international standards relating to the protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty. It also discusses the role of national human rights institutions and private companies, as well as regional and international initiatives for advancing the abolition of the death penalty.

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)

Death Penalty in Belarus: Murder on (Un)lawful Grounds

By International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) / Viasna Human Rights Center, on 1 January 2016


NGO report

ru
More details See the document

In June 2016, FIDH and its member organisation in Belarus, the Human Rights Center ″Viasna″(HRC ″Viasna″), conducted an international fact-finding mission on the issue of the death penaltyin Belarus. The use of the death penalty (execution by shooting) in Belarus is provided for by Art. 24 of theConstitution of the Republic of Belarus as an exceptional measure of punishment for the mostserious crimes.Apart from the very fact of taking a person’s life, which is not only cruel, but also ineffective infighting and preventing crime, the use of the death penalty in Belarus is accompanied by many grosshuman rights violations.

Document(s)

Going backwards The death penalty in Southeast Asia

By International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), on 1 January 2016


NGO report


More details See the document

Over the past year, Southeast Asia has witnessed significant setbacks with regard to the abolitionof the death penalty. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore have all carried out executions. It isunknown whether any executions were carried out in Vietnam, where statistics on the deathpenalty continue to be classified as ‘state secrets.’ In the name of combating drug trafficking,Indonesian President Joko Widodo is rapidly becoming Southeast Asia’s top executioner. ThePhilippines, which effectively abolished the death penalty for all crimes in 2006, is consideringreinstating capital punishment as part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s ill-conceived and disastrous‘war on drugs.’

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

Document(s)

Note verbale dated 28 July 2015 from the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

By United Nations, on 8 September 2020


2020

United Nations report

Antigua and Barbuda

Bangladesh

Botswana

Brunei Darussalam

China

Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Egypt

Ethiopia

Guyana

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Iraq

Jamaica

Kuwait

Libya

Malaysia

Moratorium

Nigeria

Oman

Pakistan

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Singapore

Sudan

Syrian Arab Republic

Trinidad and Tobago

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

Zimbabwe

aresfrruzh-hant
More details See the document

The permanent missions to the United Nations in New York listed below have the honour to refer to General Assembly resolution 69/186, entitled “Moratorium on the use of the death penalty”, which was adopted by the Third Committee on 21 November 2014 and subsequently by the General Assembly on 18 December 2014 by a recorded vote. The permanent missions wish to place on record that they are in persistent objection to any attempt to impose a moratorium on the use of the death penalty or its abolition in contravention of existing stipulations under international law, for the following reasons:

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in the US in 2016: Year End Report

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2016


2016

NGO report


More details See the document

Use of the death penalty fell to historic lows across theUnited States in 2016. States imposed the fewest deathsentences in the modern era of capital punishment, sincestates began re-enacting death penalty statutes in 1973. Newdeath sentences are predicted to be down 39% from 2015’s40-year low. Executions declined more than 25% to theirlowest level in 25 years, and public opinion polls alsomeasured support for capital punishment at a four-decadelow.

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

Document(s)

Oregon’s death penalty disproportionately used against persons with significant mental impairments

By Fair Punishment Project, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

United States


More details See the document

Although,by all functional measures, Oregonians have abandoned the death penalty, 35 condemned inmates remain on Oregon’s death row.What do we know about those people, and about the quality of justice that resulted in their death sentences? This report examines the cases of the condemned men and women in Oregon to see how they ended up there, and what patterns emerged.Here’s what we found: In Oregon, two-thirds of death row inmates possess signs of serious mental illness or intellectual impairment, endured devastatingly severe childhood trauma, or were not old enough to legally purchase alcohol at the time the offense occurred.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Mental Illness, Death Row Phenomenon, Intellectual Disability, World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, Death Penalty, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

High-level Panel Discussion on the Question of the Death Penalty

By Human Rights Council, on 1 January 2019


2019

International law - United Nations


More details See the document

The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 30/5. It provides a summary of the high-level discussion on the question of the death penalty held on 1 March 2017 at the thirty-fourth session of the Council. The objective of the panel discussion was to continue the exchange of views on the question of the death penalty and to address violations related to the use of the death penalty, in particular with respect to the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

  • Document type International law - United Nations
  • Themes list International law, Death Penalty, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

DPIC Year End Report: Death Sentences, Executions Drop to Historic Lows in 2016

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2016


2016

Article

United States


More details See the document

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,

Document(s)

Death penalty disproportionately used against persons with significant mental impairments in five Florida Counties

By Fair Punishment Project, on 1 January 2017


2017

NGO report


More details See the document

This study, focusing on five of Florida’s 67 counties considers 48 death sentences that were declared unconstitutional after a Florida Supreme Court decision. The research reveals that “63 percent of these individuals exhibit signs of serious mental illness or intellectual impairment, endured devastatingly severe childhood trauma, or were not old enough to legally purchase alcohol at the time the offense occurred.”

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment, Intellectual Disability, Death Penalty, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Resolution 71/187 – 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

United Nations General Assembly Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 19 December 2016 [on the report of the Third Committee (A/71/484/Add.2] 71/187. Moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in 2016: trends confirm global movement toward restricted use of the death penalty

By Cornell Law School, on 8 September 2020


Article


More details See the document

The number of abolitionist countries continued to grow in 2016, but national crises have created a political climate that heightens the risk that the death penalty will be reintroduced in a handful of abolitionist nations.The Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide assesses the evolutions of the worldwide situation of the death penalty in 2016.

  • Document type Article
  • Themes list Trend Towards Abolition, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment, Member organizations, World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

Database Center for North Korean Human Rights – Briefings on public execution

By Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, on 8 September 2020


Article

Republic of Korea


More details See the document

NKDB hosts a monthly English language briefing and discussion on North Korean human rights every month with embassy officials, NGO staff, and NKDB staff as guests

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list Republic of Korea
  • Themes list World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, Death Penalty, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Locked up and Forgotten: The Need to Abolish the Death Penalty in Ghana

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2017


2017

NGO report


More details See the document

Death sentences in Ghana continue to be imposed. At the end of 2016, 148 people were on death row, all sentenced to death for murder. While the last executions were carried out in July 1993, there is no official moratorium on executions in Ghana. Research carried out by Amnesty International in Ghana has highlighted concerns with the use of the death penalty, access to fair trial rights and poor prison conditions. Amnesty International calls on the Ghanaian authorities to commute the death sentences of all people on death row and to abolish the death penalty for all crimes.

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

Document(s)

USA: Death in Florida

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2017


Academic report


More details See the document

In March 2017, Rick Scott, Governor of Florida, responded to a State Attorney’s decision not to pursue the death penalty because of its demonstrable flaws by ordering her replacement with a prosecutor willing to engage in this lethal pursuit. Since then the governor has transferred 27 capital murder cases to his preferred prosecutor. Two of these cases have already resulted in juries voting for death sentences.

  • Document type Academic report
  • Themes list Fair Trial, Legal Representation, Country/Regional profiles,

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)

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)

THE STATE OF AFRICAN REGIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS BODIES AND MECHANISMS 2018-2019

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2019


2019

NGO report

fr
More details See the document

The report presents a comprehensive review of the current state and performance of the African regional human rights system in the period between 1 January 2018 and 30 June 2019. It appraises the functioning, working methods, outputs and impact of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR); the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC); and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACtHPR) during the reporting period.

Document(s)

High-Level Panel Discussion On The Question Of The Death Penalty

By Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) / Human Rights Council, on 1 January 2019


International law - United Nations

arrufrzh-hantes
More details See the document

The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 26/2 and 36/17. It provides a summary of the high-level panel discussion on the question of the death penalty held on 26 February 2019 at the fortieth session of the Council. The panel discussion addressed human rights violations related to the use of the death penalty, in particular with respect to the rights to non-discrimination and equality.

Document(s)

Moratorium on the use of death penalty

By United Nations, on 1 January 2018


2018

United Nations report

arrufrzh-hantes
More details See the document

Document(s)

2018 Death Penalty report: Saudi Arabia’s False Promise

By European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights, on 1 January 2019


2019

NGO report


More details See the document

The European Saudi organisation for Humans Rights published its 2018 report on the use of the death penalty in the Saudi Kingdom. It points an authoriatiran drift within the increase of the political use of the capital sentence against activists, women and clerics.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment, Arbitrariness, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

Protection of the Rights of Children of Parents Sentenced to Death or Exectued: An Expert Legal Analysis

By Quaker United Nations Office / Stephanie Farrior, on 1 January 2019


NGO report


More details See the document

The QUNO’s report offers an updated review of differents elements of international law on the human rights of the child.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list International law, World Coalition Against the Death Penalty,

Document(s)

Death Sentences and Executions 2018

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2019


NGO report

arfarufres
More details See the document

Document(s)

Executions of juveniles since 1990 (as of April 2019)

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2019


NGO report

ares
More details See the document

The use of the death penalty for crimes committed by people younger than 18 is prohibited under international human rights law, yet some countries still execute child offenders. Since 1990 Amnesty International has documented 145 executions of child offenders in 10 countries: China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, Sudan, the USA and Yemen. This is the most up to date version of this document.

Document(s)

Who Are We Hanging?

on 1 January 2019


NGO report


More details See the document

The index, created by Justic Project Pakistan, gives statistical information on the use of the death penalty in Pakistan.

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

Document(s)

Public support for the death penalty ticks up

By Pew Research Center / J. Baxter Oliphant, on 1 January 2018


2018

Article

United States


More details See the document

Public support for the death penalty, which reached a four-decade low in 2016, has increased somewhat since then. Today, 54% of Americans favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder, while 39% are opposed, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in April and May.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Public opinion,

Document(s)

The Death Penalty In 2018: Year End Report

By Death Penalty Information Center / Death Penalty Information Centre, on 1 January 2018


NGO report


More details See the document

New death sentences and executions remained near historic lows in 2018 and a twentieth state abolished capital punishment, as public opinion polls, election results, legislative actions, and court decisions all reflected the continuing erosion of the death penalty across the country.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Death Penalty,

Document(s)

Fatally flawed: Why Malaysia must abolish the death penalty

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2019


2019

NGO report

enzh-hantesfr
More details See the document

Malaysia retains the death penalty for 33 offences and held 1,293 people on death row as of September 2019. This report highlights how the burden of the death penalty has largely fallen on those convicted of drug trafficking, who disproportionately include women and foreign nationals. These findings gain an even greater significance in the context of laws and policies that are in contravention of international human rights law and standards and which have added multiple layers of arbitrariness into the use of this punishment.

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area: Background Paper 2019

By Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), on 1 January 2019


International law - Regional body


More details See the document

Fifty-five (55) OSCE participating States have either completely abolished the death penalty or maintain moratoria on executions as an important first step towards abolition. However, in a global context where discussions focus on the threat of terrorism and a need to be tough on crime, it is perhaps not surprising that the question of reintroducing the death penalty surfaces at times, including in the OSCE region. It is, therefore, a good moment to reflect on the reasons why there is still support for the death penalty, considering the growing understanding that capital punishment is a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. Some of the most persistent arguments used to justify the use of the death penalty and its possible reintroduction will be discussed in the report.

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

Document(s)

Children, Yet Convicted as Adults

By Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation for the Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy in Iran, on 1 January 2019


NGO report


More details See the document

In May 2019, at least 85 alleged juvenile offenders were sitting on death row in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Last year, seven child offenders were executed, and since the year 2000, Iran has put to death at least 140 individuals for offenses they allegedly committed as children. Today, on World Day Against the Death Penalty, Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran (ABC) releases an original report titled, Children, Yet Convicted as Adults, which challenges Iran’s justifications for the use of capital punishment against child offenders, examines the question of maturity through the lens of empirical scientific research, and calls on the Islamic Republic to take immediate action to ensure that no individual is put to death for crimes committed as a child

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

Document(s)

Pathways to Justice: Implementing a Fair and Effective Remedy following Abolition of the Mandatory Death Penalty in Kenya

By The Death Penalty Project, on 1 January 2019


NGO report


More details See the document

This report draws on experiences in other jurisdictions where capital sentencing laws have been struck down or abolished, thereby generating the need for prisoners already unlawfully sentenced to death to be given substitute sentences. It delineates the ways in which other common law jurisdictions have addressed the practical and procedural challenges of resentencing following the abolition of the mandatory death penalty – navigating potential human rights infringements and ensuring that satisfactory requirements of due process are met. Resentencing procedures must also be scalable and practically accessible to the large number of individuals (thousands in the case of Kenya) entitled to relief.

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

Document(s)

Advocacy Toolkit: Abolition Of The Death Penalty In Africa

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2019


Lobbying


More details See the document

This advocacy toolkit is for the use of activists working on the abolition of the death penalty in Africa. It is intended to equip them with some key advocacy tools to effectively influence the institutions and individuals who can make abolition a reality in the region.

  • Document type Lobbying

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in 2019: Year End Report

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2019


NGO report


More details See the document

The US death penalty usage remains near record lows in 2019.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Due Process , Innocence, Statistics,

Document(s)

The Decline of the Judicial Override

By Ben Cohen / Michael L. Radelet / Annual Review of Law and Social Science, on 1 January 2019


Academic report


More details See the document

This article discusses the role of judges in death determinations, identifying jurisdictions that initially (post-1972) allowed judge sentencing and naming the individuals who today remain under judge-imposed death sentences. The decisions guaranteeing a jury determination have so far been applied only to cases that have not undergone initial review in state courts. Key questions remain unresolved, including whether the evolving standards of decency permit the execution of more than 100 individuals who were condemned to death by judges without a jury’s death verdict before implementation of the rules that now require unanimous jury votes.

  • Document type Academic report
  • Themes list Due Process , Fair Trial,

Document(s)

English-speaking Carribbean: time to make the death penalty history

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2018


2018

NGO report

fr
More details See the document

Ten years ago, on 19 December 2008, the authorities of Saint Kitts and Nevis carried out what was to become the last execution in the Americas, outside the USA. This anniversary, which follows on from the observance on 2 November of 25 years since a key judicial decision that puta brake on the implementation of death sentences in the region, offers an opportunity for reflection on the present state of the death penalty in the English-speaking Caribbean. Trends on the use of this punishment point to the inevitability of its abolition. On the occasion of this anniversary, Amnesty International renews its call on governments in the English-speaking Caribbean to take prompt steps towards consigning the death penalty to history once and for all.

Document(s)

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

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2018


NGO report


More details See the document

This report documents the laws and policies that states have adopted to make information about executions inaccessible to the public, to pharmaceutical companies, and to condemned prisoners. It describes the dubious methods states have used to obtain drugs, the inadequate qualifications of members of the execution team, and the significant restrictions on witnesses’ ability to observe how executions are carried out.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Transparency, Lethal Injection, 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)

Judged for More than Her Crime: a Global Overview of Women Facing the Death Penalty

By Cornwell Death Penalty Project / Delphine Lourtau, on 1 January 2018


NGO report

fr
More details See the document

This groundbreaking report aims to bridge critical gaps in understanding of how states apply capital punishment from a gender perspective. This study is the first to examine how and when women receive death sentences and the conditions under which they are detained on death row, with a particular focus on India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malawi, Pakistan and the United States. The conclusions are that gender discrimination is pervasive at all stages of capital cases, but that its operation is complex. Report published by Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide with the support of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty

Document(s)

Capital Clemency Resource Initiative

By American Bar Association, on 1 January 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)

Pennsylvania capital post-conviction reversals and subsequent dispositions

By Death Penalty Information Center / Robert Brett Dunham, on 1 January 2018


NGO report


More details See the document

In Pennsylvania, death-row prisoners whose convictions or death sentences are overturned in state or federal post-conviction appeals are almost never resentenced to death, a new Death Penalty Information Center study has revealed. Since Pennsylvania adopted its current death-penalty statute in September 1978, post-conviction courts have reversed prisoners’ capital convictions or death sentences in 170 cases. Defendants have faced capital retrials or resentencings in 137 of those cases, and 133 times—in more than 97% of the cases—they received non-capital dispositions ranging from life without parole to exoneration. Only four prisoners whose death sentences were reversed in post-conviction proceedings remain on death row

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

Document(s)

The Last Defense

By Death Penalty Information Center / Viola Davis / Julius Tennon, on 1 January 2018


Working with...


More details See the document

The Last Defense is a new documentary series premiering for the first time at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival on April 27. The seven-episode documentary series exposes flaws in the U.S. justice system through the personal narratives of death row prisoners Darlie Routier and Julius Jones, both whom maintain their innocence.

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Innocence, Death Row Conditions, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

True Conviction

By Death Penalty Information Center / Jamie Meltzer, on 1 January 2017


2017

Working with...


More details See the document

True Conviction is a documentary which follows the detective agency started by Christopher Scott, the late Johnnie Lindsey, and Steven Phill—three wrongly convicted Dallas men who were exonerated after spending a combined 60 years in prison—as they work to attempt to free death-sentenced Max Soffar and other wrongly convicted prisoners.

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Innocence, Death Row Conditions, Death Penalty,

Document(s)

USA: Darkness visible in the Sunshine State: The death penalty in Florida

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2018


2018

NGO report


More details See the document

Florida promotes itself as a destination for tourists and a hub for trade. It is less well-known as a diehard proponent of a cruel policy discarded by much of the world. In 2016, the US Supreme Court ruled Florida’s capital sentencing scheme unconstitutional. Florida’s response has added another layer of arbitrariness to its death penalty. This report focusses on the state’s use of the death penalty against people who were young adults at the time of the crime and/or who have mental or intellectual disabilities. The Sunshine State should end its use of the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

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

Document(s)

Public Opinion on the Death Penalty

By Cornell Law School, on 1 January 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)

Prison conditions for women facing the death penalty: A factsheet

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

General comment No. 36 on article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, on the right to life

By Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) , on 1 January 2018


United Nations report


More details See the document

General comment No. 36 on article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, on the right to life.

  • Document type United Nations report
  • Themes list International law, Right to life, Death Penalty,

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)

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)

Capital and punishment: Resource scarcity increases endorsement of the death penalty

By Arizona State University (ASU), on 1 January 2018


Academic report


More details See the document

A new study by an interdisciplinary team of Arizona State University psychology researchers has found a link between the actual and perceived scarcity of resources and support for capital punishment. The study discovered that countries with greater resource scarcity were more likely to have a death penalty, as were U.S. states with lower per capita income.

  • Document type Academic report
  • Themes list Death Penalty, Financial cost,

Document(s)

Human Rights Council, 39th session – Question of the death penalty

By United Nations, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report


More details See the document

Pursuant to Human Rights Council decision 18/117, the present report is submitted to update previous reports on the question of the death penalty. In his report the Secretary-General confirms that the trend towards the universal abolition of the death penalty is continuing. During the reporting period, initiatives limiting the use of the death penalty and implementing the safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty were also recorded in several States. A minority of States continued to use the death penalty, in contravention of international human rights law. As requested by the Council in its resolution 22/11, the report also includes information on the human rights of children of parents sentenced to the death penalty or executed.

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

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)

The Role of Race in Washington State Capital Sentencing, 1981-2014

By Katherine Beckett / University of Washington, on 1 January 2014


2014

Academic report


More details See the document

This report assesses whether race influences the administration of capital punishment in Washington State, and if so, where in the process it matters.

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

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)

Myth #3 – The death penalty saves money

By Reprieve / Clive Stafford Smith , on 8 September 2020


2020

Academic report


More details See the document

MYTH: The death penalty saves money. It costs less to kill people than to imprison them for life. FACT:The death penalty costs millions more than a sentence of life without parole. Taxpayers’ money could be used more efficiently on crime prevention programs and police.

  • Document type Academic report
  • Themes list Sentencing Alternatives, Financial cost,

Document(s)

Myth #1 – Innocent people are not executed

By Reprieve / Clive Stafford Smith , on 8 September 2020


Academic report


More details See the document

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,

Document(s)

Vietnam: From “Vision” to Facts: Human Rights in Vietnam under its Chairmanship of ASEAN

By Vietnam Committee on Human Rights / International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) / Quê Me: Action for Democracy in Vietnam, on 8 September 2020


NGO report

Viet Nam


More details See the document

The use of the death penalty is frequent in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. In 2009, the government reduced the number of offences punishable by death from 29 to 22. Capital punishment is applied for crimes including murder, armed robbery, drug trafficking, rape, sexual abuse of children, and a range of economic crimes. Execution is by firing squad. A draft law was introduced in November 2009 proposing the use of two methods of execution, either by firing squad or by lethal injection. Statistics on the number of death sentences and executions are not made public. Indeed, following criticisms by international human rights organisations, in January 2004, Vietnam adopted a decree classifying death penalty statistics as “state secrets”. According to the Vietnamese and international press, at least 100 people are executed each year in Vietnam. In 2007, 104 death sentences were pronounced, including 14 women. In 2010, the official legal magazine Phap Luat (Law) reported 11 death sentences for the month of January alone.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list Viet Nam
  • Themes list Death Row Conditions, Firing Squad,

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in Botswana: Hasty and Secretive Hangings – International Fact Finding Mission

By International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), on 8 September 2020


NGO report

Botswana


More details See the document

This report determined that the death penalty remains a sensitive and secretive issue in Botswana. The authorities are reluctant to encourage public debate about the death penalty and its possible abolition. There is a total lack of transparency in the actual execution process of the death sentence. The hasty way in which most recent hangings have been carried out, further cast doubt upon the willingness of the Government of Botswana to seriously address this issue.

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

Document(s)

Iran/death penalty: A state terror policy – Special edition for the 4th World Congress against the death penalty

By Bijan Baharan / International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), on 8 September 2020


NGO report

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

fa
More details See the document

This report covers the various aspects of the topic including: domestic laws, international legal framework, execution of juvenile offenders, religious and ethnic minorities, and methods of execution. According to the report, there are over 20 main categories of offences, some of them with several sub-categories, in the IRI, which are punishable by the death penalty. The majority of those “offences” are certainly not among “the most serious crimes.” Some others should not be considered as “offences” at all. In conclusion, FIDH issued a wide set of recommendations to the IRI and the international community. Among others, it recommended the adoption of an immediate moratorium on executions in light of the serious shortcomings of the guarantees of due process and fair trial.

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – Special edition for the 4th World Congress Against the Death Penalty

By Vietnam Committee on Human Rights / International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), on 8 September 2020


NGO report

Viet Nam


More details See the document

The use of the death penalty is frequent in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV). Capital punishment is applied for 22 offences, including murder, armed robbery, drug trafficking, rape, sexual abuse of children, and a range of economic crimes, such as graft and corruption, fraud and embezzlement (for 500 million dong – $33,200 – or more of state property), illegal production and trade of food, foodstuffs and medicines. Seven political acts perceived as “threats against national security” carry the death penalty as a maximum sentence. Capital punishment is most often used to sanction drug-related offences, followed by corruption, black-market and violent crimes. Vietnam has some of the harshest drug laws in the world. A 1997 law made possession or smuggling of 100g or more of heroin, or 5 kilograms or more of opium, punishable by death. In 2001, 55 sentences were pronounced for drug trafficking alone.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list Viet Nam
  • Themes list Firing Squad, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Iran/death penalty: A state terror policy

By International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) / Antoine Bernard, on 1 January 2009


2009

NGO report

en
More details See the document

As momentum is gathering across the world towards abolition of capital punishment, Iran ranks second for number of executions, after China, and first for per capita executions. Unfair trials, execution of juveniles, targeting of ethnic and religious minorities… the death penalty is applied in blatant violation of Iran’s obligations under international human rights law. A very wide range of offences (including economic, drug-related, so-called sexual offences, apostasy…) carry the death penalty and the methods of execution (public hangings, stoning…)amount to the most inhuman and degrading treatment.

Document(s)

ایران: مجازات اعدام – سیاست دولتی ایجاد وحشت

By International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) / Antoine Bernard, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

en
More details See the document

در دوراني که حرکت به سوي لغو مجازات اعدام در سراسر جهان رو به گسترش است، تمايز جمهوري اسلامي ايران در تعداد زياد اعدام هايي است که در شرايطي آشکارا ناقض�? موازين بين المللي حقوق بشر انجام مي پذيرد. محاکمه های ناعادلانه، اعدام نوجوانان، هد�? گیری اقلیت های قومی و مذهبی… مجازات اعدام در نقض آشکار تعهدات ایران بر اساس قانون بین المللی حقوق بشر انجام می پذیرد.

Document(s)

Slow march to the gallows: Death penalty in Pakistan

By International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) / Anne-Christine Habbard, on 1 January 2007


2007

NGO report


More details See the document

Pakistan ranks among the countries in the world which issue the most death sentences: currently, over 7,400 prisoners are lingering on death row. In recent years, Pakistan has witnessed a significant increase in charges carrying capital punishment, in convictions to death, as well as in executions. The HRCP and FIDH find that the application of death penalty in Pakistan falls far below international standards. In particular, they find that, given the very serious defects of the law itself, of the administration of justice, of the police service, the chronic corruption and the cultural prejudices affecting women and religious minorities, capital punishment in Pakistan is discriminatory and unjust, and allows for a high probability of miscarriages of justice, which is wholly unacceptable in any civilised society, but even more so when the punishment is irreversible. At every step, from arrest to trial to execution, the safeguards against miscarriage of justice are weak or non-existent, and the possibility that innocents have been or will be executed remains frighteningly high.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Due Process , Discrimination,

Document(s)

Pakistan, a long march for democracy and the rule of law

By International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) / Fatma Cosadia / Odette Lou Bouvier, on 1 January 2009


2009

NGO report

fr
More details See the document

Regularly denounced by human rights associations, violations of the right to a fair trial and inequality before the law for prisoners who face the death penalty are flagrant. Most prisoners belong to the most disadvantaged social classes or to ethnic or religious minorities. Involved in often questionable circumstances, with confessions extracted under frequent beatings and torture, many litigants are not given an adequate defence. To defend these cases, lawyers appointed ex officio receive 200 rupees per hearing (less than 5 U.S. dollars). Often young and inexperienced to deal with procedures not respecting the minimum fair trial guarantees, these lawyers are not in a position to ensure the mandate entrusted to them.

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in Guatemala: On the road towards abolition

By International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) / Catherine Delanoë-Daoud / Marcela Talamas / Emmanuel Daoud, on 1 January 2005


2005

NGO report


More details See the document

Violations of due process in the case of prisoners condemned to death. There are known cases of torture carried out by agents of the State and there is no legal provision that allows the Executive branch to grant a pardon and, subsequently, to commute a death sentence. The Guatemalan State has executed various individuals despite the fact that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights had petitioned for precautionary measures; this constitutes a flagrant and recurrent violation of Guatemala’s international human rights commitments.The Guatemalan State, in addition to not having adequate public policies for prisons, also has no laws regulating prisons and conditions of detention, in spite of the fact that various UN instruments are devoted to that question.

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

Document(s)

Tanzania: the death sentence institutionnalised

By International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) / Eric Mirguet / Arnold Tsunga, on 1 January 2005


NGO report

enfr
More details See the document

Individuals are regularly sentenced to death in murder cases, but no statistics are published about the number of condemnations. Under the Tanzanian Penal Code, the death sentence remains a mandatory penalty for murder while it can also be applied for treason. As of April 2003, 370 persons (359 males and 11 females) were awaiting execution in the prisons of mainland Tanzania in conditions that might amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. There are a number of dysfunctions in the Tanzanian legal system, which seems to represent a threat to the rule of law, and an obstacle to reform: the unwillingness of the Executive to have its decisions challenged in judicial proceedings, and; the existence of a Penal System essentially based on retaliation towards the offenders rather than rehabilitation ; e.g. corporal punishments can still be applied for numerous offences, in spite of the fact that they clearly violate international and regional human rights instruments. Furthermore, pervasive corruption in the police and the judiciary represents a serious threat to the due process of law, including in death penalty cases.

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in Egypt

By International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) / Etienne Jaudel / Alya Chérif Chammari / Nabeel Rajab, on 1 January 2005


NGO report

arfr
More details See the document

The report notably points to the great number of crimes which entail the death penalty in Egypt and to the fact that civilians may be tried by military courts, sentenced to death and executed without delay, in violation of the rights of the defence and sometimes in abstentia. The only remedy is the unlikely pardon of the President of the Republic. Confessions obtained under duress are often accepted in court and form the basis of the sentence. The FIDH report recommends to the Egyptian authorities to put an immediate end to the state of emergency which, after 23 years, is no longer justified in Egypt today; the state of emergency is conducive to serious violations of human rights, including administrative detention without any effective judicial control, unfair trials of civilians before military courts, and widespread torture of detainees, including during the pre-trial stage. The Egyptian authorities should inquire into all allegations of torture and bring to justice those responsible.

Document(s)

Chad, Death Penalty: ending a moratorium, between security opportunism and settling of scores

By International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) / Mahfoudh Ould Bettah / Isabelle Gourmelon / Olivier Foks, on 1 January 2004


2004

NGO report

fr
More details See the document

The report is damning, showing a system of justice which attaches little importance to regional and international instruments for the protection of human rights ratified by Chad. The case was conducted with a haste wholly incompatible with the respect for the right to a fair trial – proceedings exclusively for the prosecution, confessions obtained under torture, refusal to take account of evidence brought by the defence during the investigation, no lawyer present during the investigation stage. This iniquitous trial proves the hypothesis that justice has been manipulated in order to hide the true nature of a crime and the identity of its perpetrators, whilst securing the executions of persons judged undesirable.

Document(s)

The death penalty in Thailand

By International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) / Julie Morizet / Sinapan Samidoray / Siobhan Ni Chulachain, on 1 January 2005


2005

NGO report


More details See the document

The present report shows that, although the formal judicial process which leads to the imposition of the death penalty is theoretically in accordance with the international legal standards, serious miscarriages of justice can result in condemnations to the capital punishment. By lasting up to 84 days, the long police custody creates conditions that favour possible cruel, inhuman and degrading treatments. The difficult access to legal aid, both during police custody and the trial process, does not provide sufficient safeguards that the rights of the defence are fully respected. The conditions of detention in prisons, and notably the fact that death row inmates are chained 24 hours a day, may amount to torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.

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

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in Japan: A Practice Unworthy of a Democracy

By International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) / Sharon Hom / Etienne Jaudel / Richard Wild, on 1 January 2003


2003

NGO report

enfr
More details See the document

Despite the Japanese Federation of Bar Associations’ efforts towards improving the defence system, Japanese prisoners – especially those sentenced to death – do not receive a fair trial.The Daiyo Kangoku practice is one amongst several practices which allows suspects to be detained in police stations for 23 days, contravening the rules of a fair trial. Confessions, which can be obtained through strong pressure, give police the basis for accusation. Furthermore, the conditions on death row themselves amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatments: Once the death sentence has been delivered, the prisoner is held in solitary confinement. Detainees have extremely limited contact with families and lawyers and meetings are closely monitored. Above all, prisoners live with the constant fear of never knowing if today will be their last day. The prisoner is informed that the execution will take place on the very same day, and family members are notified the following day.

Document(s)

Protecting the right to life against the Death Penalty. Written observations to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on Legislative or Other Measures Denying Judicial or Other Effective Recourses to Challenge the Death Penalty.

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2004


2004

NGO report

es
More details See the document

This document contains Amnesty International’s written observations to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on legislative or other measures denying judicial or other effective recourse to challenge the death penalty; in the matter of a request by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for an advisory opinion from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (article 64(1) of the American Convention on Human Rights) and in the matter of legislative measures concerning the mandatory imposition of the death penalty and related matters.

Document(s)

English speaking Caribbean: State Killing in the English speaking Caribbean: a legacy of colonial times

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2002


2002

NGO report


More details See the document

This report seeks to answer the arguments put forward by the proponents of capital punishment in the English Speaking Caribbean and examines the shortcomings in the administration of the death penalty in the region.The paper primarily focuses on Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, the two countries with the largest death row populations in the region. However, details of other counties are given and the themes and problems illustrated in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago are prevalent in the other nations of the ESC.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Statistics,

Document(s)

STOP CHILD EXECUTIONS! Ending the death penalty for child offenders

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2004


2004

NGO report

fres
More details See the document

International law prohibits the use of the death penalty for crimes committed by people younger than 18, yet some countries continue to execute child offenders or sentence them to death. Although executions of child offenders are few compared to the total number of executions in the world, they represent a complete disregard by the executing states of their commitments under international law, and an affront to all notions of morality and decency when it comes to the protection of children – one of the most vulnerable groups in society. This document describes the use of the death penalty against child offenders worldwide and its prohibition under international law.

Document(s)

Pakistan: Death Penalty Action on Pakistan

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2006


2006

NGO report


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Amnesty International has received reports from contacts in Pakistan that there has recently been an increase in executions in Pakistan: 60 people have been executed this year in the province of Punjab alone. In addition, 10 executions are known to have taken place in the North-West Frontier Province. There are continuing concerns around the application of the death penalty in Pakistan including the execution of juveniles.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

The Death Penalty Worldwide – Developments in 2003

By Amnesty International, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

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This document covers significant events concerning the death penalty during the year 2003. Subjects covered in this document include significant judicial decisions; the use of the death penalty against the innocent; reductions and expansions in the scope of the death penalty; moratoria on executions and commutations of death sentences

Document(s)

Death Penalty: Stop the state killing

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2007


2007

NGO report

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This document focuses on the significant developments and events – both negative and positive – in the struggle against the death penalty in 2006. It includes steps towards abolition; horrific state killings; executions after unfair trials, including that of Saddam Hussein; the growing global campaign for abolition, and the political courage needed to rid the world of judicial state killing.

Document(s)

Uzbekistan: ‘Justice only in heaven’ – the death penalty in Uzbekistan

By Amnesty International, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

Uzbekistan


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This document reports on the use of the death penalty in Uzbekistan. It looks at the scope of the death penalty and the current hurdles to its abolition. The report also examines those factors which commonly lead to judicial error – the use of arbitrary detention and torture, unfair trials and corruption.The latter part of the report looks at the conditions for prisoners on death row and the suffering inflicted by the state on the families of those sentenced to death.

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