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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)
Living with a Death Sentence in Kenya: Prisoners’ Experiences of Crime, Punishment and Death Row
By Carolyn Hoyle and Lucrezia Rizzelli, on 24 January 2023
2023
Book
Kenya
More details See the document
The Death Penalty Project’s latest report provides a comprehensive analysis of the lives of prisoners on death row in Kenya. It focuses on prisoners’ socio-economic backgrounds and profiles, their pathways to, and motivation for, offending, as well as their experiences of the criminal justice process and of imprisonment. It complements our previous research, a two-part study of attitudes towards the death penalty in Kenya, The Death Penalty in Kenya: A Punishment that has Died Out in Practice.
While 120 countries around the world have now abolished the death penalty, including 25 in Africa, Kenya is one of 22 African nations that continues to retain the death penalty in law, albeit it has not carried out any executions for more than three decades. As such, Kenya is classified as ‘abolitionist de facto’, the United Nations term for a country that has not carried out an execution for at least 10 years. Yet, while state-sanctioned executions no longer occur, hundreds of people are currently living under sentence of death and others are convicted and sentenced to death each year. As long as the death penalty is retained in law, there remains a risk that executions might resume if there is political change. Moreover, the plight and turmoil of those languishing on death row – consistently the poorest and most vulnerable – cannot be ignored. They are disproportionately sentenced to death and suffer the harshest punishments and treatment.
- Document type Book
- Countries list Kenya
PHIL_2_page_handout_EN
on 10 August 2021
2021
Document(s)
Facts and Figures 2009
By World Coalition against the death penalty , on 10 October 2009
2009
Campaigning
Trend Towards Abolition
frMore details Download [ pdf - 95 Ko ]
Facts and Figures 2009
- Document type Campaigning
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
- Available languages Faits et chiffres 2009
Document(s)
Poster World Day 2005
By World Coalition against the death penalty , on 10 October 2005
2005
Campaigning
Trend Towards Abolition
frMore details Download [ pdf - 46 Ko ]
To date, 12 African countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes;
20 retain the death penalty but are no longer carrying out executions; and 21 retain and use
the death penalty. The World Coalition against the death penalty has decided to devote the
World Day 2005 to a campaign to encourage all African countries to abolish capital
punishment permanently.
- Document type Campaigning
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
- Available languages Affiche journée mondiale 2005
Document(s)
Facts and Figures 2011
By World Coalition against the death penalty , on 10 October 2011
2011
Campaigning
Trend Towards Abolition
frMore details Download [ pdf - 100 Ko ]
Facts and Figures 2011
- Document type Campaigning
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
- Available languages Faits et chiffres 2011
Document(s)
Politics of International Advocacy Against the Death Penalty: Governments as Anti–Death Penalty Crusaders
By Mai Sato, on 1 September 2022
2022
Academic report
More details See the document
Two-thirds of the countries worldwide have moved away from the death penalty in law or in practice, with global and regional organisations as well as individual governments working towards universal abolition. This article critically examines the narratives of these abolitionist governments that have abolished the death penalty in their country and have adopted the role of ‘moral crusaders’ (Becker 1963) in pursuit of global abolition. In 2018, the Australian Government, while being surrounded by retentionist states in Asia, joined the anti–death penalty enterprise along with the European Union, the United Kingdom and Norway. Using the concepts of ‘moral crusader’ (Becker 1963) and ‘performativity’ (Butler 1993), this article argues that advocacy must be acted on repeatedly for governments to be anti–death penalty advocates. Otherwise, these government efforts serve political ends in appearance but are simply a self-serving form of advocacy in practice.
This article was first published in Crime Justice Journal: https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/issue/view/119
- Document type Academic report
Document(s)
End of its Robe: How Killing the Death Penalty can Revive Criminal Justice
By Brandon L. Garrett , on 1 January 2017
2017
Book
United States
More details See the document
Brandon Garrett hand-collected and analyzed national data, looking for causes and implications of this turnaround. End of Its Rope explains what he found, and why the story of who killed the death penalty, and how, can be the catalyst for criminal justice reform.
- Document type Book
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Due Process , Public debate, Death Penalty, Country/Regional profiles,
Member(s)
Death Penalty Research Unit (DPRU), University of Oxford
on 15 December 2023
The Death Penalty Research Unit has three main aims: to develop empirical, theoretical and policy-relevant research on the death penalty worldwide; to encourage death penalty scholarship including at graduate level, through education, events, research dissemination and an active blog; and to engage in knowledge production, exchange and dissemination in cooperation with civil society, charities, legal […]
2023
United Kingdom
Document(s)
Will Wrongful Convictions Be a Catalyst for Change in Japanese Criminal Justice?
By David T. Johnson / The Asia-Pacific Journal / Matthew Carney, on 1 January 2015
2015
Article
Japan
More details See the document
This article is a written explanation of the 12-minute Australian Broadcasting Corporation video of the same name.
- Document type Article
- Countries list Japan
- Themes list Fair Trial, Trend Towards Abolition, Innocence,
Document(s)
Framing Death Penalty Politics in Malaysia
By Thaatchaayini Kananatu, on 1 September 2022
2022
Academic report
Malaysia
More details See the document
The death penalty in Malaysia is a British colonial legacy that has undergone significant scrutiny in recent times. While the Malaysian Federal Constitution 1957 provides that ‘no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty save in accordance with law’, there are several criminal offences (including drug-related crimes) that impose the mandatory and discretionary death penalty. Using Benford and Snow’s framing processes, this paper reviews death penalty politics in Malaysia by analysing the rhetoric of abolitionists and retentionists. The abolitionists, comprising activist lawyers and non-government organisations, tend to use ‘human rights’ and ‘injustice’ frames, which humanise the ‘criminal’ and gain international support. The retentionists, such as victims’ families, use a ‘victims’ justice’ frame emphasising the ‘inhuman’ nature of violent crimes. In addition, the retentionist state shifts between ‘national security’ and ‘national development’ frames. This paper finds that death penalty politics in Malaysia is predominantly a politics of framing.
This article was first published in Crime Justice Journal: https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/issue/view/119
- Document type Academic report
- Countries list Malaysia
Article(s)
UN receives five million signatures in favour of a moratorium on executions
on 8 November 2007
A delegation of World Coalition member organisations has handed over the petition to United Nations General Assembly president Srgjan Kerim.
2007
Moratorium
Article(s)
Finance and Administration Manager
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 14 May 2020
The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty recruits a Finance and Administration Manager for a full time permanent position starting as soon as possible.
2020
Article(s)
Logistics and Partnership Manager
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 3 February 2020
The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty recruits a logistics and partnership manager for a full time permanent position starting as soon as possible.
2020
Article(s)
Program Manager
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 15 October 2018
The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty recruits a program manager for a full time permanent position starting in January 2019.
2018
Article(s)
How Colorado became the 22nd abolitionist State in the USA
By Aurélie Plaçais, on 30 March 2020
On March 23 2020, the Governor of the State of Colorado, Jared Polis, signed legislation abolishing the death penalty. The bill SB20-100 had passed the Senate by a 19-13 vote on January 30 and the House by a 38-27 vote on February 26. He also commuted the sentences of the three people on death row […]
2020
United States
Article(s)
Hope resonates globally on World Day against the Death Penalty
By Nicolas Chua, on 25 October 2018
On 10 October 2018, abolitionist forces around the world celebrated the 16th World Day against the Death Penalty in a flurry of diverse activities and events meant to raise awareness on living conditions on death row. Activists in every continent mobilized civil society, challenged governments and reached out to the general public in a collective effort to promote and advance the common goal of universal, worldwide abolition of the death penalty.
2018
Death Row Conditions
Article(s)
Malawi Supreme Court Reverses Abolition Decision
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 18 August 2022
On 30 April 2021, the World Coalition published the following article on the abolition of the death penalty in Malawi. Since its publication, the abolitionist status of the country has changed. This article has been updated below. —————————-
2022
Malawi
Article(s)
Africa raises its voice against the death penalty
By Tiziana Trotta, on 21 October 2016
Many African organizations and institutions raised their voices on the occasion of the 14th World Day against the Death Penalty, whose last edition, celebrated on October 10, was dedicated to the use of death penalty for terrorism-related crimes.
2016
Terrorism
Article(s)
FIDH report on Vietnam: an update on death penalty statistics
on 19 September 2010
The FIDH and the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights released a new report, From Visions to Facts: Human Rights in Vietnam under its Chairmanship of ASEAN, on 16 August 2010.
2010
Drug Offenses
Moratorium
Viet Nam
Viet Nam
Article(s)
Hands Off Cain holds moratorium conference in Gabon
on 11 December 2007
The Italian-based abolitionist group organised the event in Libreville on December 10, Human Rights Day 2007, with the government of Gabon and financial backing from the Dutch government.
2007
Burundi
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Gabon
Gabon
Mali
Moratorium
Article(s)
Taiwan activists battle in death penalty-triggered political crisis
on 19 March 2010
After Taiwan’s justice minister was forced to step down for not signing execution warrants, local and international abolitionists rushed in to restore a balanced debate and protect the country’s 44 death row inmates.
2010
Moratorium
Public Opinion
Taiwan
Taiwan
Article(s)
“Iran kills for possession of less than 50g of drugs”
By Thomas Hubert, on 9 April 2013
Annual reports published by two World Coalition member organizations of Iranian exiles expose the disproportionate use of the death penalty in Iran, mostly against drug users and traffickers.
2013
Drug Offenses
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Article(s)
Regarding the execution in Japan of seven people
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 10 July 2018
STATEMENT – WORLD COALITION AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty would like to express its sympathy and support to all courageous anti-death penalty activists who have fought bravely to try to prevent the executions of seven people in Japan on the same day, on 6 July. The World Coalition calls […]
2018
Japan
Document(s)
Carrying out executions took a secret toll on workers — then changed their politics
By Chiara Eisner, on 16 November 2022
2022
Article
United States
More details See the document
Most of the workers NPR interviewed reported suffering serious mental and physical repercussions. But only one person said they received any psychological support from the government to help them cope. The experience was enough to shift many of their perspectives on capital punishment. No one who NPR spoke with whose work required them to witness executions in Virginia, Nevada, Florida, California, Ohio, South Carolina, Arizona, Nebraska, Texas, Alabama, Oregon, South Dakota or Indiana expressed support for the death penalty afterward, NPR found.
- Document type Article
- Countries list United States
Document(s)
Reducing Facial Stereotype Bias in Consequential Social Judgments: Intervention Success With White Male Faces
By Youngki Hong, Kao-Wei Chua, & Jonathan B. Freeman, Columbia University, on 25 January 2024
2024
Article
United States
More details See the document
Published on December 18, 2023.
Initial impressions of others based on facial appearances are often inaccurate yet can lead to dire outcomes. Across four studies, adult participants underwent a counterstereotype training to reduce their reliance on facial appearance in consequential social judgments of White male faces. In Studies 1 and 2, trustworthiness and sentencing judgments among control participants predicted whether real-world inmates were sentenced to death versus life in prison, but these relationships were diminished among trained participants. In Study 3, a sequential priming paradigm demonstrated that the training was able to abolish the relationship between even automatically and implicitly perceived trustworthiness and the inmates’ life-or-death sentences. Study 4 extended these results to realistic decision-making, showing that training reduced the impact of facial trustworthiness on sentencing decisions even in the presence of decision-relevant information. Overall, our findings suggest that a counterstereotype intervention can mitigate the potentially harmful effects of relying on facial appearance in consequential social judgments.
- Document type Article
- Countries list United States
Article(s)
California narrowly rejects abolition
By Thomas Hubert, on 8 November 2012
Citizens of the largest US state have voted against an initiative to replace the death penalty with life sentences, but the results show abolitionist views have gained significant ground through the referendum campaign.
2012
Public Opinion
United States
Article(s)
Mexican executed in Texas
on 5 August 2008
Jose Medellin, a Mexican sentenced to death in Texas, was executed on August 5 despite serious flaws in his trial. The Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty denounces an “irrevocable breach of international law”.
2008
Legal Representation
Mexico
United States
Article(s)
Tackling resistance to abolition in Africa
By Thomas Hubert, on 22 June 2013
While Africa has been the fastest region in abolishing capital punishment in recent years, lawyers from Uganda and Nigeria say they are facing increasing from the authorities to use the death penalty.
2013
Innocence
Nigeria
Terrorism
Uganda
Article(s)
Amnesty charts death penalty world map and vows to remove Belarus from it
on 25 March 2009
World Coalition member Amnesty International has released its annual statistics on the death penalty and launched a campaign against capital punishment in Belarus.
2009
Belarus
Belarus
China
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Pakistan
Saudi Arabia
United States
Article(s)
African countries discuss Rwandan example in abolition of the death penalty
on 22 October 2011
Kigali hosted the Inter-African conference against the death penalty on 13 and 14 October.
2011
Gabon
Public Opinion
Rwanda
Rwanda
Article(s)
From death row to elusive freedom
By Ron Keine, on 26 October 2010
Ron Keine, an exonerated former prisoner turned activist, shares his story so that the United States may one day join the rest of the civilized world in abolishing the death penalty.
2010
Death Row Conditions
Innocence
United States
Article(s)
Pakistan moratorium renewal welcomed
By Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, on 8 October 2013
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), a World Coalition member organisation, has welcomed the federal government’s announcement on continuing the moratorium on capital punishment and has called for a thorough review of the death penalty regime in the country.
2013
Moratorium
Pakistan
Pakistan
Article(s)
Singapore must stop targeting HR defenders and media
By Aliran et al (Malaysiakini), on 20 February 2020
We, the 37 undersigned groups and organisations, and three individuals, are appalled by Singapore’s denial and response to the highlighting of alleged “barbaric” unlawful practices in execution method that was highlighted vide a Jan 16 media statement issued by Lawyers for Liberty (LFL).get to many more people when media reports on our statements.
2020
Singapore
Article(s)
Children and the death penalty in Sub-Saharan Africa: NGO Forum and the 65th ACHPR Session
By Connie Numbi and Bronwyn Dudley, on 9 December 2019
The NGO Forum and the subsequent 65th ACHPR Session (African Commission on Human and People’s Rights) was held in Banjul, the Gambia from 17th October to the 10 November 2019.
2019
Juveniles
Article(s)
Amnesty 2010 stats: retentionist countries increasingly isolated
on 28 March 2011
Countries which continue to use the death penalty are being left increasingly isolated following a decade of progress towards abolition, Amnesty International has said in its new report Death Sentences and Executions in 2010.
2011
China
Drug Offenses
Egypt
Fair Trial
Indonesia
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Juveniles
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Libya
Malaysia
Moratorium
Pakistan
Sudan
Thailand
United Arab Emirates
United States
Yemen
Article(s)
Statement on the occasion of the adoption of the upr report of Lebanon
By Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM), on 2 August 2021
We welcome Lebanon’s position in accepting some of the recommendations on strengthening the justice sector and improving strengthening the justice sector and those aimed at improving the conditions of detention, including the fight against acts of torture and ill-treatment.
2021
Lebanon
Moratorium
Article(s)
New Hampshire one vote short of abolition
By Emile Carreau, on 25 April 2014
A bill to repeal the death penalty in the US state of New Hampshire was blocked in the Senate on 22 April with votes for and against the bill deadlocked at 12-12. Despite the disappointment, Renny Cushing, Executive Director of World Coalition member organisation Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights, sees some positives.
2014
United States
Article(s)
Cities for Life 2016: Let’s stay vigilant
By Emmanuel Trépied, on 19 December 2016
On 30 November, the International Day of “Cities for Life” was celebrated around the world. An opportunity to raise awareness among the civil society on the universal abolition.
2016
Public Opinion
Article(s)
Nicaragua makes abolition irreversible
on 4 March 2009
Nicaragua became the 71th state to ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant for Civil and Politic Rights on 25 February 2009.
2009
Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Article(s)
Japan executions “a step backward for Asia”
on 30 July 2010
Activists in Japan and elsewhere have criticised Justice Minister Keiko Chiba for ordering two men to be hanged in Tokyo on July 28 despite her earlier abolitionist statements.
2010
Japan
Moratorium
Public Opinion
Taiwan
Article(s)
“It’s in Africa that we find the strongest dynamics towards abolition”
By Clémentine Etienne, on 24 April 2018
The third regional Congress against the death penalty was held in Côte d’Ivoire, in Abidjan, in 2018 from April 9 to 10th. This is a natural choice when one can know that Africa is named “next abolitionist continent” and that civil society recognized it as such.
2018
Article(s)
10 years, 132 members, 45 countries
By Florence Bellivier, on 30 June 2012
Penal Reform International welcomed the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty to celebrate its tenth anniversary in Jordan with support from Justice Minister Khalifa Al Sulaiman.
2012
Drug Offenses
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Iraq
Jordan
Moratorium
Singapore
Taiwan
Article(s)
2009 Amnesty statistics: at least 714 executions… excluding China
on 30 March 2010
Amnesty International has released its report on the death penalty in the world in 2009. The organisation has decided to exclude China from its calculation due to the lack of transparency on capital punishment in that country.
2010
Belarus
Burundi
China
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Fair Trial
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Iraq
Saudi Arabia
Togo
United States
Article(s)
Spot opportunities and focus on education, abolitionists are told
on 24 February 2010
The workshop on “Defining strategies for abolition” was an opportunity for abolitionists to share views and experience on what works – and what does not – when pushing for the repeal of the death penalty.
2010
Ghana
South Africa
Switzerland
Taiwan
Article(s)
Abolition of the death penalty at the United Nations Human Rights Council 54th session
on 30 August 2024
The United Nations Human Rights Council met for its 54th Regular Session from September 11 to October 13, 2023. If you missed it, here is what happened regarding the abolition of the death penalty!
2024
Trend Towards Abolition
Article(s)
Thai seminars explore religious perspectives on the death penalty
on 4 August 2008
Thai human rights activists led by the Union for Civil Liberty (UCL) organised a series of seminars with religious leaders to raise their awareness and discuss their perspectives on abolition.
2008
Murder Victims' Families
Public Opinion
Thailand
Article(s)
ASEAN countries step back on the path towards abolition
By Tiziana Trotta, on 27 October 2016
Asia has the highest number of retentionist countries in the world. Eight members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) retain the death penalty and four of them carried out executions in 2015.
2016
Drug Offenses
Terrorism
Article(s)
71st Ordinary session of the African Commission: focus on torture and the death penalty
By Sarah Saint-Sorny, on 9 June 2022
The African Commission on Human Rights and People (ACHPR) once again met on Zoom for its 71st Ordinary session from April 21st to May 13th, 2022. The honorable Rémy Ngoy Lumbu, President of the Commission, has expressed his hopes for the next session to take place in person in Banjul this autumn.
2022
Central African Republic
Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kenya
Malawi
Mauritania
Niger
Nigeria
Sierra Leone
Tunisia
Zambia
Helping the World Achieve a Moratorium on Executions
on 20 December 2022
In 2007, the World Coalition made one of the most important decisions in its young history: to support the Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty as a step towards universal abolition. A moratorium is temporary suspension of executions and, more rarely, of death sentences. […]
2022
Moratorium
18th World Day Against the Death Penalty: Access to Counsel – A Matter of Life or Death
on 18 September 2020
Without access to effective legal representation during arrest, detention, trial and post-trial, due process cannot be guaranteed. In a capital case, the consequences that can arise from a lack of effective legal representation can be nothing less than the difference between life and death. On the national and international levels, the right to legal representation […]
2020
Public Opinion
Article(s)
International Conference Against the Death Penalty: abolistionists are united and determined
By Lorène du Crest, on 18 July 2017
The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty celebrated its 15th anniversary with an International Conference and its General Assembly on 22-24 June in Washington DC.
2017
Article(s)
After more than 20 years without executions, a trend toward an official moratorium?
By Clémentine Etienne, on 27 June 2018
On 18 June 2018, the Korean National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) called on the South Korean President to declare an official moratorium on the death penalty to mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10.
2018
Republic of Korea
Article(s)
São Tomé and Príncipe ratifies OP2 and approves total and definitive abolition of the death penalty
By Elise Guillot, on 18 January 2017
On 10 January 2017, São Tomé and Príncipe ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty and became its 84th State party.
2017
Sao Tome and Principe
Article(s)
Death sentences and executions in 2015
By Amnesty International, on 10 April 2016
This report covers the judicial use of the death penalty for the period January to December 2015. As in previous years, information is collected from a variety of sources, including: official figures; information from individuals sentenced to death and their families and representatives; reporting by other civil society organizations; and media reports. Amnesty International reports only on executions, death sentences and other aspects of the use of the death penalty, such as commutations and exonerations, where there is reasonable confirmation.
2016
Article(s)
Mali: is abolition in sight?
on 4 June 2008
With public meetings, football matches and media action Malian activists have been covering all bases to try to push through adoption of a law abolishing the death penalty before the end of the parliamentary session.
2008
Innocence
Mali
Mali
Moratorium
Article(s)
Campaigners and political leaders unite against the death penalty
on 24 February 2010
Representatives from 56 abolitionist and retentionist countries attended the opening session of the World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Geneva.
2010
Belarus
France
Italy
Mongolia
Norway
Qatar
Senegal
Spain
Switzerland
Viet Nam
Article(s)
Abolitionists of Central Africa met in Kinshasa
By Amina Jacquemin with CPJ and ECPM, on 12 April 2012
ECPM (Together against the death penalty) and CPJ (Culture for Peace and Justice) organized a conference in late March on strategies for abolition at the regional level. The Congolese government has reaffirmed its commitment to abolish the death penalty.
2012
Burundi
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kenya
Uganda
United Republic of Tanzania
Article(s)
Benin on track to achieve abolition
on 7 February 2010
Benin’s President Thomas Yayi Boni, one of the World Congress’s guests, has asked the parliament to enshrine the abolition of the death penalty in the constitution. Justice Minister Victor Tokpanou details Benin’s path to abolition.
2010
Benin
Benin
Public Opinion
Article(s)
African human rights body targets death penalty
on 16 May 2011
The abolition of the capital punishment figured prominently at the 49th session of the African Commission of Human and People’s Rights.
2011
Algeria
Botswana
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Mauritania
Public Opinion
Somalia
Sudan
Article(s)
Asian progress paves the way for new strategies
By Thomas Hubert, on 20 June 2013
Although most executions continue to take place in Asia, their number is going down – and abolitionists are coming up with new ideas to bring about abolition.
2013
India
Japan
Malaysia
Mongolia
Moratorium
Singapore
Article(s)
Organisation of American States considers moratorium
By Tiziana Trotta, on 15 March 2013
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights warns that litigation is insufficient to combat the death penalty.
2013
Argentina
Brazil
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Guatemala
Mexico
Moratorium
Panama
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
United States
Article(s)
Abolitionists from the whole Arab World hold their first congress
By Aurélie Plaçais, on 22 October 2012
The Regional Congress on the Death Penalty held in Rabat, Morocco between 18-20 October highlighted the key role of civil society in pushing the abolitionist agenda in a region affected by deep changes.
2012
Algeria
Egypt
Jordan
Mauritania
Moratorium
Morocco
Public Opinion
Tunisia
Article(s)
Japan in breach of international standards, opinion wavering – study
By Thomas Hubert, on 14 March 2013
A report published by the Death Penalty Project and the Center for Prisoners’ Rights shows that Japanese law and practice on capital punishment violate international treaties, and questions the high level of public support for the death penalty reported by the authorities.
2013
Japan
Public Opinion
Article(s)
International Day in Support of Victims of Torture: Understanding the link between the Death Penalty and Torture
By Wendy Adouki, on 26 June 2023
Today, 26th June 2023, the world is commemorating the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (International Day). Started in 1987, this International Day began when the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UN Convention Against Torture) came into force; a crucial legal text to combat […]
2023
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Death Row Conditions
Article(s)
Taiwan visit raises hopes of local abolitionists
on 9 July 2008
A recent visit to Taiwan by a joint World Coalition-ADPAN delegation left the impression that the Asian island was on course to “join a global trend towards abolition of the death penalty”, as was reported in the local media.
2008
Public Opinion
Taiwan
Taiwan
Article(s)
UAE use of death penalty raises “grave concerns”
on 7 May 2010
In a letter to the United Arab Emirates’ justice minister, the World Coalition denounced the growing number of death sentences handed down in the country, especially after unfair trials or against juvenile offenders.
2010
Fair Trial
Juveniles
United Arab Emirates
Article(s)
Abolitionists support death row survivors
By Thalia Gerzso, on 14 November 2017
On October 26, abolitionists all around the world celebrated the release of Cheng Hsing-Tse, originally sentenced to death in 2006. This successful outcome highlights the work of numerous organizationss which assist death row survivors.
2017
Innocence
Murder Victims' Families
Article(s)
Terrorism is no excuse for unfair trials in Iraq
By Elisa Belotti, on 25 November 2015
Earlier in November, the UN Human Rights Committee released its concluding observations on Iraq’s implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Committee and civil society’s representatives specifically dwelled on Iraq’s application of the death penalty.
2015
Fair Trial
Iraq
Iraq
Terrorism
Article(s)
Why Jordan resumed executing people on the death row?
By Hend Hanafy, Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge, on 18 April 2018
For eight years since June 2006, Jordan was adopting a moratorium on the death penalty. However, on the 21st of December 2014, 11 people were hung in Swaqa Prison, thus, triggering questions about the timing and the reasons behind the resumption of the death penalty in Jordan. It is arguable that the internal political pressures on the government have fuelled this setback which was further eased through the international political opportunity of Jordan’s role in the war on terrorism.
2018
Jordan
Article(s)
For ACATs, every executed person “is one of us”
on 22 January 2008
Wherever the Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT) is present, the struggle against the death penalty is an important element within their commitment to respect for human dignity.
2008
Benin
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Germany
Moratorium
Public Opinion
Spain
Article(s)
ACAT-CI commits to the ratification of OP2 in Côte d’Ivoire
By N'guettia Yves Arsene Kouadio - ACAT Côte d'Ivoire, on 4 January 2017
Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture in Côte d’Ivoire (ACAT CI) has conducted advocacy activities between May and November 2016 in order to raise awareness on the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (OP2), aiming at the abolition of the death penalty. This project has been supported by the International Organisation of la Francophonie (OIF) and the International Federation of ACAT (FIACAT).
2017
Côte d'Ivoire
Public Opinion
Article(s)
Mandatory Death Penalty for Blasphemy in Mauritania
By World Coalition Against the death penalty, on 11 May 2018
Through this joint statement twenty one national and international NGOs, calls upon Mauritanian authorities to reverse the recent adoption of a law on apostasy related crimes making the death penalty mandatory for blasphemy.
2018
Mauritania
Public Opinion
Article(s)
China refuses to consider 250,000-strong petition
on 16 June 2008
A World Coalition delegation found the door closed on June 16 when they attempted to handover to the Chinese Liaison Office in Hong Kong a petition urging for changes in the death penalty system in China.
2008
China
Fair Trial
Innocence
Moratorium
Article(s)
Death sentences in Morocco
on 9 May 2007
The World Coalition against the death penalty, the FIDH and the Moroccan Coalition against the Death Penalty are concerned with the continued pronunciation of death sentences by Moroccan courts
2007
Morocco
Article(s)
Top UN representatives take stance on death penalty at Human Rights Council
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 14 March 2014
From UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to abolitionist and retentionist government ministers and World Coalition members, participants to a recent discussion on the death penalty placed the issue high on the international agenda.
2014
Afghanistan
Benin
Brazil
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Mongolia
Morocco
Myanmar
Namibia
Pakistan
Saudi Arabia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Sudan
United States
Article(s)
Iraq’s frantic executions pace linked to serious human rights violations
By Thomas Hubert, on 27 March 2014
Iraq emerges as the country with the fastest-growing number of executions in Amnesty International’s new annual report on the death penalty. The World Coalition’s submission for Iraq’s upcoming UN human rights review calls for a moratorium on abusive executions.
2014
Fair Trial
Iraq
Iraq
Terrorism
Article(s)
Irreversible abolition of the death penalty in Togo and the Dominican Republic
By Guillaume Colin and Aurélie Plaçais, on 27 September 2016
On 14 September 2016, Togo acceded to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on the abolition of the death penalty, joined on 21 September 2016 by the Dominican Republic. These accessions make abolition of the death penalty in Togo and the Dominican Republic irreversible.
2016
Dominican Republic
Togo
Article(s)
Events, strong words and hard facts to fight death penalty in the Caribbean
By Thomas Hubert, on 11 October 2013
As World Day Against the Death Penalty events unfolded on an unprecedented scale across the region, local activists and international organisations took a firm stance against capital punishment across the Caribbean.
2013
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Guatemala
Jamaica
Public Opinion
Puerto Rico
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Trinidad and Tobago
Article(s)
Editorial: Amnesty International releases annual report
By Amnesty International, on 27 May 2021
On 21 April, we published our annual report on the global use of the death penalty, which shows that in 2020 the world got one step closer to freeing itself from this cruel punishment.
2021
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Death Row Conditions
Public Opinion
Article(s)
Sudan Repeals Capital Punishment for Homosexuality
By Louis Linel, on 31 July 2020
Sudan repealed the death penalty for homosexuality and apostasy
2020
Sudan
Article(s)
Singaporean and Malaysian activists welcome changes in their country
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 16 July 2012
In Singapore and Malaysia, governments are considering removing mandatory death penalty in some drug and murder cases. A move welcomed by activists on the ground, though they consider it “only a small step in the right direction”.
2012
Drug Offenses
Malaysia
Singapore
Article(s)
Gambia and Madagascar commit to irreversible abolition
By Aurelie Placais, on 22 September 2017
on 20 and 21 September 2017, Gambia signed and Madagascar ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty.
2017
Gambia
Article(s)
Joint statement for the 71st Ordinary Session of the African Commission
By ECPM, FIACAT, World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 9 June 2022
Joint statement on the situation of the death penalty in Africa for the 71st Ordinary Session of the African Commission, signed by the FIACAT, ECPM and the World coalition.
2022
Congo
Côte d'Ivoire
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kenya
Liberia
Malawi
Niger
Uganda
Article(s)
Abolition in New Mexico hailed around the world
on 19 March 2009
New Mexico’s governor Bill Richardson signed the repeal of the death penalty in to law on March 18, 2009, attracting praise from the global abolitionist community.
2009
United States
Article(s)
International support for abolition is continuing to grow – foreign ministers
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 9 October 2015
The Declaration signed by 18 Foreign Ministers from different world regions, including several that are still on a path towards abolition of the death penalty, brings one common message: International support for abolition is continuing to grow, driven by an increasing awareness of the death penalty’s inherent risks and shortcomings.
2015
Argentina
Australia
Benin
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Costa Rica
Fiji
Haiti
Latvia
Madagascar
Mexico
Mongolia
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Spain
Switzerland
Turkey
Article(s)
Burundi: Promising advocacy workshop for the ratification of the abolitionist treaty
By Sarah Saint-Sorny, on 10 June 2022
On April 25, 2022, the Burundian Prison Observatory (BPO) organized a one-day advocacy workshop on the ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (OP2-ICCPR) with the support of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.
2022
Burundi
Article(s)
Public opinion supportive of the abolition
By Sarah Saint-Sorny, on 10 June 2022
The 31st Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice of the ODC took place in Vienna from the 16th to the 20th of May 2022. At this occasion, the Japan Federation of Bar Associations organized a side-event: “Abolishing the Death Penalty: Public Opinion and the Road to Abolition”, which was held online […]
France
Japan
Public Opinion
United States
Article(s)
India asked to maintain the moratorium on executions
By Emile Carreau, on 28 July 2011
After a six year moratorium on executions, India’s President Patil has rejected the mercy petition of two Indian nationals despite international outcry to maintain the moratorium.
2011
Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment
Drug Offenses
India
Moratorium
Article(s)
Clever use of online tools could boost activism
on 28 February 2010
Kathy Brown, an English IT specialist, is not the typical anti-death penalty campaigner. She is not an NGO-registered lawyer nor a political science student. But through the internet, she has become active in the global abolitionist community.
2010
China
Drug Offenses
Mental Illness
Article(s)
Bad press for China after Briton’s execution
on 10 January 2010
Bitter criticism has been targeting China since the execution of British national Akmal Shaikh in the Chinese province of Xinjiang on December 29 after he was found guilty of transporting drugs.
2010
China
Mental Illness
United Kingdom
Article(s)
No mention of death row prisoners in Mandela rules
By Nordine Drici (Planète Réfugiés) & Sandrine Ageorges-Skinner (ECPM), on 30 November 2018
Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 2018 is an opportunity to question the effectiveness of civil and political rights, but also economic, social and cultural rights, in the context of an increasingly globalized world that ostracizes, excludes, sentences to death and continues to execute.
2018
Death Row Conditions
Article(s)
Flurry of educational events on World Day Against the Death Penalty
on 6 November 2009
An abolitionist wave of marches, cultural happenings, petition signings and educational events swept across the world for the 7th World Day on October 10.
2009
Australia
Clemency
Democratic Republic of the Congo
India
Indonesia
Innocence
Public Opinion
Taiwan
United States
Article(s)
New defense manual to help lawyers in capital cases worldwide
By Thomas Hubert, on 29 May 2013
The World Coalition, together with Death Penalty Worldwide and the law firm of Fredrikson & Byron P.A., has launched the English and French editions of a manual compiling guidelines for defense lawyers whose clients face the death penalty at the 5th World Congress Against the Death Penalty.
2013
Legal Representation
Article(s)
Interview: Pakistan on its way to a moratorium?
on 25 July 2008
Pakistan’s new government has called on all death sentences in the country to be commuted to life imprisonment. Pakistani lawyer and human rights defender Kamran Arif believes a moratorium is at hand.
2008
Clemency
Moratorium
Pakistan
Pakistan
Document(s)
Facts and Figures 2013
on 10 October 2013
2013
Campaigning
Trend Towards Abolition
aresMore details Download [ pdf - 115 Ko ]
Facts and Figures world day against the death penalty 2013
- Document type Campaigning
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
- Available languages Faits et chiffres 2013PENA DE MUERTE HECHOS Y DATOS
Document(s)
Facts and Figures 2007
By World Coaliton against the death penalty , on 10 October 2009
2009
Campaigning
Trend Towards Abolition
frMore details Download [ pdf - 24 Ko ]
Facts and Figures 2007
- Document type Campaigning
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
- Available languages Faits et chiffres 2007
Article(s)
Glossary of the Second Optional Protocol
By Pierre Désert, on 25 June 2008
From “Acceptance” to “Treaty”, discover the vocabulary of international law and get a clearer picture of the Second Optional Protocol.
2008
Article(s)
Briton’s death sentence puts Indonesians at risk
By KontraS, on 31 January 2013
The World Coalition’s Indonesian member organization KontraS has raised the international consequences of Lindsay Sandiford’s high-profile capital case in an opinion article published by the Jakarta Globe newspaper, calling on the country to abolish the death penalty.
2013
Drug Offenses
Indonesia
Moratorium
Article(s)
Violations of the Right to Life in the Context of Drug Policies
By International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA), Corporación ATS Acción Técnica Social, IDPC Consortium, Washington Office on Latin America, non-governmental organizations in special consultative status, Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN); Capital Punishment Justice Project (CPJP); Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation (CDPE); Cornell Centre on the Death Penalty Worldwide; Eleos Justice - Monash University; Instituto RIA, AC; Iran Human Rights (IHR); World Coalition Against the Death Penalty., NGO(s) without consultative status, also share the views expressed in this statement, on 10 August 2021
Harm Reduction International and co-signatories congratulate Mr Tidball-Binz on his appointment as Special Rapporteur on summary executions. With this statement, we highlight key violations of the right to life enabled by repressive drug policies or reported in the context of drug law enforcement; and encourage this Rapporteur to pay specific attention to the impact of […]
2021
Death Row Conditions
Drug Offenses
Fair Trial