Italy
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1998
Data card
- Legal status
- Abolitionist
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 0
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 0
- First news item in the archive
- NOVEMBER 12, 1998 · On 12 November 1998, Kurd leader Abdullah Ocalan,...
- News items in the archive
- 712
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
Italy is classified as Abolitionist in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 0 executions in the country, against 0 the year before. The archive holds 712 news items on Italy, from 1998 to today.
Italy abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes in the Constitution of 1948, removed it from the military penal code of war in 1994 and, in 2007, amended article 27 of the Constitution to delete the last reference to it. Since then it has supported a universal moratorium in international forums.
The Italian news in this archive concerns above all the association's other front: conditions inside places of detention, meaning overcrowding, suicides, access to care, life imprisonment without parole and alternative measures, together with the prison visits the association carries out and publishes reports on.
Latest news
DECEMBER 11, 2025ItalyDEATH BY PUNISHMENTITALY - On World Human Rights Day, HoC is in Perugia
Meeting in the Great Hall of the University for Foreigners
NOVEMBER 28, 2025ItalyDEATH PENALTYITALY - CITIES FOR LIFE 2025: the Colosseum lights up against the death penalty
NOVEMBER 27, 2025ItalyDEATH PENALTYGLOBAL - How many women are in prison or on death row around the world?
At least 730.000
NOVEMBER 13, 2025TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA - Update on the case of Tundu Lissu
Political leader on death row in Tanzania
- NOVEMBER 2, 2025TanzaniaDEATH PENALTY
TANZANIA - Update on the case of Tundu Lissu, a political leader who is on death row in Tanzania. Plus, a glimpse of Africa
Italian schoolchildren are stranded in Tanzania due to post-election unrest
SEPTEMBER 4, 2025ItalyDEATH BY PUNISHMENTITALY - Hands off Cain in Venice 2025
“The Human Rights Barrier”
SEPTEMBER 3, 2025TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA - Update on the situation of Tundu Lissu
Lissu's vicissitudes brought to the Venice Film Festival
AUGUST 31, 2025ItalyDEATH BY PUNISHMENTITALY - Humand rights at the Venice Film Festival
- AUGUST 28, 2025TanzaniaDEATH PENALTY
Tanzania - Free Tundu Lissu
The leader of Chadema is on death row: who will save the man who dreams of a different Tanzania?
- JULY 30, 2025TanzaniaDEATH PENALTY
Tanzania - Update on the Tundu Lissu affair
JUNE 26, 2025ItalyDEATH PENALTY2025 WORLD DRUG DAY
HoC signs the collective statement
JUNE 16, 2025ItalyDEATH PENALTYUSA - Antonio Veronese updates us on the case of John Huggins
John Huggins, 63, White, on death row in Florida
MAY 12, 2025ItalyDEATH PENALTYITALY - Oshima "The hanging"
In Perugia, on May 14
MAY 2, 2025United StatesDEATH PENALTYUSA - Illinois. Former Gov. George Ryan Dies at 91
He cleared death row in 2003
JANUARY 27, 2025ItalyDEATH PENALTYIRAN - International Appeal to save Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani
Two political prisoners whoi coulod be executed within hours
OCTOBER 11, 2024SpainDEATH PENALTYITALY - Interview with professor Gemma Varona
On Restorative Justice
- OCTOBER 10, 2024ItalyDEATH BY PUNISHMENT
ITALY - Interview with professor Patrizia Patrizi
On the state of restorative justice two years after the Cartabia Reform
FEBRUARY 19, 2024ItalyDEATH PENALTYITALY - Marco Cochi died in Rome
An important friend of Cain, expert on Africa
JULY 21, 2023ItalyDEATH PENALTYITALY - Falun Gong demonstrated in Rome
Outside the Embassy of China
APRIL 12, 2023IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Italy. Press conference in the Italian Parliament for a change in the policy on Iran
Lucio Malan, Giulio Terzi di Santagata, Elisabetta Gardini, Emanuele Pozzolo, Fabrizio Benzoni, Monica Ciaburro, Marco Scurria e Maryam Rajavi
APRIL 11, 2023ItalyDEATH PENALTYCONGO: SIX SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON OVER DEATH OF ITALIAN AMBASSADOR ATTANASIO
A Democratic Republic of Congo military court sentenced six men to life in prison over the death of the Italian ambassador, his bodyguard and driver, a lawyer said on 7 April 2023.
DECEMBER 29, 2022ItalyDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Iran summons Italian ambassador over protests solidarity
DECEMBER 29, 2022ItalyDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Italian PM Meloni Says Repression Of Protesters In Iran ‘Unbearable’
DECEMBER 28, 2022IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN – Italy. Italy urges Iran to stop executions and open dialogue with protesters
DECEMBER 26, 2022ItalyDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Iranian Chess Grandmaster Sara Khadem Competes In International Tournament Without Hijab
Arouses the admiration of the Italian Prime Minister Meloni
MARCH 6, 2021ItalyDEATH PENALTYHands off Cain - Comparison between the United States and Italy
speaking at the conference "La Storia di Greg"
DECEMBER 16, 2020ItalyDEATH PENALTYDEATH PENALTY. HANDS OFF CAIN WELCOMES THE APPROVAL BY THE UNGA OF A RESOLUTION FOR A UNIVERSAL MORATORIUM
Hands Off Cain, the association which has promoted since 1993 and brought to success in 2007 the campaign for the approval by the United Nations General Assembly of a resolution for a universal moratorium on capital punishment, welcomes the approval of ei
JUNE 24, 2020ItalyDEATH PENALTYTHE SEMINAR ‘TOWARDS THE ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY IN TUNISIA’ BEGINS IN TUNIS
The seminar "Towards the abolition of the death penalty in Tunisia" begins in Tunis on 25 June 2020, which represents the final act of the project supported by the European Union aimed at containing the death penalty in times of "war on terrorism" in the
- MAY 18, 2020ItalyDEATH BY PUNISHMENT
ITALY: FROM ‘CRADLE’ TO ‘TOMB’ OF LAW?
Saturday, May 23 2020, 9:30 am - 8:00 pm Live on Radio Radicale and on Youtube and Facebook of Hands off Cain
- FEBRUARY 11, 2020ItalyDEATH BY PUNISHMENT
USA - Texas. Italy. Daniela Fontana informs us of changes in a restrictive sense on the death row of Texas.
USA - Texas. Italy. Daniela Fontana informs us of changes in a restrictive sense on the death row of Texas.