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Document(s)

Myth #4 – Only evil people are executed

By Reprieve / Clive Stafford Smith , on 8 September 2020


2020

Academic report


More details See the document

MYTH: Only evil people are executed. People on death row are truly evil. FACT: There is a lot more to a human being than his worst action.

  • Document type Academic report
  • Themes list Right to life,

Document(s)

Myth #5 – Death penalty trials are a fair process

By Reprieve / Emmanuelle Purdon , on 8 September 2020


Academic report


More details See the document

MYTH: Death penalty trials are a fair process. Trials and appeals are closely scrutinised. The defendant’s basic rights are protected. FACT: People are executed around the world every day because they did not have a fair trial.

  • Document type Academic report
  • Themes list Fair Trial,

Document(s)

Death sentences and executions 2014

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2015


2015

NGO report

rufres
More details See the document

This report covers the judicial use of the death penalty for the period January to December 2014. 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.

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in the U.S. in 2015: infographic

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2015


Multimedia content

United States


More details See the document
  • Document type Multimedia content
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Sharia law and the death penalty

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2015


NGO report


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

Female executions 2000 to date

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


Multimedia content


More details See the document

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

  • Document type Multimedia content
  • Themes list Women,

Document(s)

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 #6 – The death penalty applies to everyone equally

By Reprieve / Emmanuelle Purdon , on 8 September 2020


Academic report


More details See the document

MYTH: The death penalty applies to everyone equally, regardless of race, wealth or background. FACT: People who are convicted of the same crime receive vastly different penalties, across the world and within the same country or even case.

  • Document type Academic report
  • Themes list Arbitrariness,

Document(s)

MADP 2015 Annual Report: Infographics

By Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, on 1 January 2015


2015

Multimedia content

United States


More details See the document

Missouri has had a surge in executions since 2008. The following data shows just how arbitrary and discriminatory Missouri’s death penalty system is. Such disparities in race, geography, and gender, are causes for concern that this system is broken and applied capriciously.

  • Document type Multimedia content
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Discrimination, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Myth #2 – The death penalty reduces crime

By Reprieve / Clive Stafford Smith , on 8 September 2020


2020

Academic report


More details See the document

MYTH: The death penalty acts as a deterrent to potential criminals. FACT: The death penalty does not deter crime. It stimulates it.

  • Document type Academic report
  • Themes list Deterrence ,

Document(s)

Myth #7 – Executions are humane

By Reprieve / Emmanuelle Purdon , on 8 September 2020


Academic report


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

Poster Singhala 2022 – 20 වන ජගත් මරණ දඬුවමට එෙරහි දිනය

By the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 8 July 2022


2022

World Coalition


More details Download [ pdf - 19959 Ko ]
  • Document type World Coalition

Document(s)

Stakeholder report for Iraq UPR

By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty / The Advocates for Human Rights / Iraqi Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 1 January 2014


2014

NGO report


More details See the document

The Advocates for Human Rights, in collaboration with the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and the Iraqi Coalition Against the Death Penalty, submitted a joint stakeholder report to the U.N. Human Rights Council for its October-November 2014 Universal Periodic Review of Iraq. This submission describes Iraq’s international human rights obligations with regard to its use of the death penalty.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Minorities, Due Process , Fair Trial, International law, Transparency, Torture, Discrimination, Legal Representation, Most Serious Crimes, Hanging, Death Penalty, Statistics, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Public Executions in Virginia

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


2012

Book

United States


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

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

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


Book

United States


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

Killing McVeigh: The Death Penalty and the Myth of Closure

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


Book


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

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

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


Book

United States


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

The Inferno: A Southern Morality Tale

By Joseph Ingle / Westview Publishing, on 1 January 2012


Book

United States


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

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

By Kenneth Williams / Ashgate Publishing, on 1 January 2012


Book

United States


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

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

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


Book

United States


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

Early Supreme Court Cases on the Death Penalty

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


Book

United States


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

Survivor on Death Row

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


Book

United States


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

The Death of the American Death Penalty

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


Book

United States


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

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

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


Book

United States


More details See the document

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

  • Document type Book
  • Countries list United States

Document(s)

Summaries of Key Supreme Court Cases Related to the Death Penalty

By Capital Punishment in Context, on 1 January 2012


Legal Representation


More details See the document

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

  • Document type Legal Representation
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

DNA and the Death Penalty

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


Article

United States


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

Behind Bars

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2012


Multimedia content


More details See the document

This 2012 documentary film ‘Behind Bars’ was produced under the EU funded project ‘Progressive Abolition of the Death Penalty and Alternatives that Respect International Human Rights Standards’.The film reflects the application of life sentence, conditions of lifers and long sentenced prisoners and the State’s attitude towards these offenders in the countries of the South Caucasus.

  • Document type Multimedia content
  • Themes list Death Row Conditions,

Document(s)

Death Penalty: Trials and Tribulations

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2012


Multimedia content

Uganda


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

Forgotten

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2012


Arguments against the death penalty


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

The Final Request

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2012


Multimedia content


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

Extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions

By United Nations, on 1 January 2012


International law - United Nations

rufrzh-hantesar
More details See the document

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

Document(s)

Elimination of all forms of religious intolerance

By United Nations, on 1 January 2012


International law - United Nations

arrufrzh-hantes
More details See the document

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

Document(s)

Infographic: Death Sentences in the USA in 2012

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2012


NGO report


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

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

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


Article

United States


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

Compensating the Wrongfully Convicted

By The Innocence Project, on 1 January 2012


Working with...


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

Iran must halt execution of web programmer

By Amnesty International - Canada, on 1 January 2012


Legal Representation


More details See the document

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

  • Document type Legal Representation
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Last 100 executed: Who are they?

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2014


2014

Arguments against the death penalty


More details See the document

Some defendants who commit murder are automatically excluded from the death penalty in the U.S., such as juveniles and the intellectually disabled. Others with similar deficits are regularly executed. A new study by Robert Smith (l.), Sophie Cull, and Zoe Robinson examined the mitigating evidence present in 100 recent cases resulting in execution, testing whether the offenders possessed mitigating qualities similar to those spared from execution. This infographic presents some of their findings.

  • Document type Arguments against the death penalty
  • Themes list Mental Illness, Arbitrariness,

Document(s)

A global approach to human rights case law

By HURIDOCS, on 1 January 2013


2013

Working with...


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area

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


2014

International law - Regional body


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions

By University of Pittsburgh Law Review / Christof Heyns , on 1 January 2014


International law - United Nations

arrufres
More details See the document

In the present report, the Special Rapporteur provides an overview of hisactivities and considers four topics relating to the protection of the right to life:(a) the role of regional human rights systems; (b) less lethal and unmanned weaponsinlaw enforcement; (c) resumptions of the death penalty; and (d) the role ofstatistical indicators.

Document(s)

Death isn’t Justice

By Poster for Tomorrow, on 8 September 2020


2020

Academic report


More details See the document

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

  • Document type Academic report
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in 2014: infographic

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2014


2014

NGO report


More details See the document

DPIC’s 2014 Year-End Report. Death sentences were at a 40-year low and executions were at a 20-year low. Texas, Missouri, and Florida accounted for 80% of all the executions in the United States. There were 7 exonerations this year and it took an average of 30 years to discover their innocence.

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

Document(s)

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

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


Article

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

fa
More details See the document

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

Document(s)

What is the OSCE?

By Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), on 1 January 2013


2013

Working with...

enenrufres
More details See the document

Europe faces new threats and challenges. The OSCE, with its multi-faceted approach to security, offers the region a forum for political dialogue and negotiations and a platform for multilateral partnerships that pursue practical work on the ground.

Document(s)

Death penalty’s unlikely opponents

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


2020

Academic report

United States


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

2012 Report – Moratorium on the use of the death penalty

By United Nations, on 3 August 2012


2012

United Nations report

Moratorium

aresfrruzh-hant
More details See the document

The present report is submitted to the General Assembly pursuant to its resolution 65/206. It discusses the trend towards abolition of the death penalty and the establishment of a moratorium on execution. The report also reflects on the application of international standards relating to the protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty. It further discusses the importance of making available relevant information with regard to the use of the death penalty, which can contribute to transparent national debates and international and regional initiatives for the promotion of the universal abolition of the death penalty.

Document(s)

Execution in Saudi Arabia 2023: Ongoing Bloodshed with Unusual Sentences

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


2024

NGO report

Saudi Arabia


More details See the document

Published on 22 January، 2024.

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

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

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list Saudi Arabia

Document(s)

The Death Penalty 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)

Myth #10 – The death penalty is not political

By Reprieve / Emmanuelle Purdon , on 8 September 2020


2020

Academic report


More details See the document

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

  • Document type Academic report
  • Themes list Fair Trial,

Document(s)

Capital Punishment in Context

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 8 September 2020


Campaigning


More details See the document

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

  • Document type Campaigning
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Witness to Innocence – from death row to freedom

By Witness to Innocence, on 8 September 2020


Academic report

United States


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

High-level panel discussion on the question of the death penalty

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


2019

International law - United Nations

rufrzh-hantes
More details See the document

The Report of the UN Hugh Commissioner for human Rights provides a summary of the high-level discussion on the question of the death penalty, held on 4 March 2015, at the twenty-fifth session of the Council. The aim of the panel discussion was to exchange views on the question of the death penalty, and to address regional efforts aiming at the abolition of the death penalty and the challenges faced in that regard.

Document(s)

2018 Death Penalty report: Saudi Arabia’s False Promise

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

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)

Fatally flawed: Why Malaysia must abolish the death penalty

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 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)

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)

Practice guide for defense counsel representing individuals facing the death penalty in Uganda

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2019


Working with...


More details See the document

This Practice guide offers guidance to defense counsel in Uganda for the accused person facing a criminal trial of a capital offence involving a death penalty. The best practices are intended to ensure effective legal representation in order to mitigate the potential of imposition of the death penalty. The best practices detailed in the Practice guide intend to enhance the performance of criminal defense counsel in all stages of the criminal trial proceeding to mitigate the adverse effect of an erroneous conviction and sentencing of the accused person to death.The Practice guide was developed in recognition of the unique nature and effect of the death penalty compared to other criminal penalties, and therefore defense counsel in a capital case should take extraordinary efforts on behalf of the accused to review and ensure compliance with these best practices throughout the proceedings.

  • Document type Working with...
  • Themes list Legal Representation,

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

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 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)

Host a Speaking Event

By Witness to Innocence, on 8 September 2020


2020

Working with...


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

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

By Human Rights Watch, on 8 September 2020


NGO report

Iraq


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

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

By Amnesty International UK, on 8 September 2020


Campaigning


More details See the document

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

  • Document type Campaigning
  • Themes list Public opinion,

Document(s)

Listing of verifiable executions worldwide reported this month.

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


NGO report


More details See the document

Listing of verifiable executions worldwide reported per month.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Statistics,

Document(s)

Instructions: Form for Filing Petitions alleging Human Rights Violations

By Organization of American States, on 8 September 2020


Working with...

esfren
More details See the document

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

Document(s)

Overview – Association of Southeast Asian Nations

By Association of Southeast Asian Nations, on 8 September 2020


Academic report


More details See the document

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

  • Document type Academic report
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

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

on 1 January 2020


2020

NGO report

China


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

Document(s)

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

on 1 January 2020


NGO report


More details See the document
  • Document type NGO report

Document(s)

Department of Public Information Non-Governmental Organizations

By United Nations / Department of Public Information Non-Governmental Organizations, on 8 September 2020


2020

Working with...

eszh-hantfrru
More details See the document

The NGO Relations Cluster is the link to over 1,500 Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) associated with the Department of Public Information and supports their efforts to interact effectively with the United Nations in their areas of expertise.

Document(s)

Death Penalty Laws in states

By Capital Punishment in Context, on 8 September 2020


Working with...


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

Death Qualification

By Capital Punishment in Context, on 8 September 2020


Working with...


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

Clemency Procedures in Death Penalty States

By Capital Punishment in Context, on 8 September 2020


Working with...


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

Overview of the Capital Trial Process

By Capital Punishment in Context, on 8 September 2020


Working with...


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

Facts on Post-Conviction DNA Exonerations

By The Innocence Project, on 8 September 2020


Working with...


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

False Confessions and Recording of Custodial Interrogations

By The Innocence Project, on 8 September 2020


Working with...

es
More details See the document

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

Document(s)

Death sentences and executions in 2015

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2016


2016

NGO report

rufres
More details See the document

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.

Document(s)

Where is the justice for me?’ The case of Troy Davis, facing execution in Georgia

By Amnesty International / Amnesty International - USA, on 8 September 2020


2020

Academic report

United States


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

Polish : Czym jest ODIHR?

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


Academic report

enenenrufr
More details See the document

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

Document(s)

German : Was ist das ODIHR?

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


Academic report

enenenrufr
More details See the document

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

Document(s)

Growing up on death row. The death penalty and juvenile offenders in Iran

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2016


2016

NGO report

fr
More details See the document

Two decades after Iran ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the authorities continue to show contempt for one of its core principles – the prohibition of the death penalty for juvenile offenders (people younger than 18 at the time of the crime). Indeed, Iran tops the grim global table of executioners of juvenile offenders.The report analyses the Iranian Penal System with regard to juvenile offenders, acknowledges the reforms, presents the recent trends and points out the major shortcomings that still need to be addressed in view of a full compliance of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the international standards.

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


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)

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

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


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)

Index of Paralegal Services in Africa

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2012


2012

Book


More details See the document

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

  • Document type Book
  • Themes list Fair Trial,

Document(s)

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)

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

By The America Magazine , on 1 January 2017


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)

Socialist Republic of Viet Nam: The death penalty – inhumane and Ineffective

By Amnesty International, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

Viet Nam

fres
More details See the document

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

Document(s)

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

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


2018

NGO report


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

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

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


2020

Article

United States


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

FREE MEN

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


2018

Multimedia content

United States


More details See the document

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

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

Document(s)

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)

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)

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)

Counting the Condemned

By Justice Project Pakistan, on 1 January 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)

Iran Annual Report Oct ’17 – Oct ’18

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

Sentencing in Capital Cases

By Death Penalty Project, on 1 January 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)

Failed Justice: Innocent on Death Row

By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2018


Multimedia content

United States


More details See the document

This video tells the story of one prisoner, Anthony Ray Hinton, who spent 30 years on death row in Alabama for a crime he did not commit.

  • Document type Multimedia content
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment, Innocence, Death Row Conditions,