The abolition of the death penalty
Archive theme
The association places countries in four states: retentionist, abolitionist in practice — no executions for at least ten years —, abolitionist for ordinary crimes, and abolitionist for all crimes. Moving from one state to the next is almost always slow: first the executions stop, then the law changes.
This page collects the news on abolitions, legislative reforms, constitutional rulings and changes of state. The current legal status of every country is in the database.
Latest news
- DECEMBER 12, 2004TaiwanDEATH PENALTY
Human rights and legal advocacy groups urged the abolition of the death penalty
Human rights and legal advocacy groups urged the abolition of the death penalty
- NOVEMBER 30, 2004NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
the following is part of an editorial written by Udo Jude Ilo, coordinator of...
the following is part of an editorial written by Udo Jude Ilo, coordinator of...
- NOVEMBER 22, 2004South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
a group of 150 South Korean lawmakers led by Rep. Yoo In-tae...
a group of 150 South Korean lawmakers led by Rep. Yoo In-tae...
- NOVEMBER 21, 2004UgandaDEATH PENALTY
the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) continued to advocate the abolition of the death penalty
the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) continued to advocate the abolition of the death penalty
- OCTOBER 22, 2004ItalyDEATH PENALTY
ZAMBIA. SUCCESSFUL JOINT MISSION BY ITALIAN SENATE AND HOC
October 22, 2004: a joint delegation of members of the Italian Senate’s and HOC officials has concluded a four-day visit to Zambia. The mission aimed to discuss and support moves towards death penalty abolition.
- OCTOBER 4, 2004ZambiaDEATH PENALTY
Twelve bishops from the Roman Catholic Church, the...
Twelve bishops from the Roman Catholic Church, the biggest Christian denomination in Zambia, called on Lusaka to scrap the death penalty from its new constitution
- SEPTEMBER 30, 2004KazakhstanDEATH PENALTY
The European Union hoped that a moratorium on the death...
The European Union hoped that a moratorium on the death penalty that Kazakhstan imposed on December 17, 2003 would lead to its absolute abolishment, Dutch Ambassador to Kazakhstan Peter van Leeuwen said at a press conference in Almaty
- SEPTEMBER 29, 2004KazakhstanDEATH PENALTY
The press-conference in Almaty took place by initiative...
The press-conference in Almaty took place by initiative of Penal ReformInternational
- SEPTEMBER 10, 2004RussiaDEATH PENALTY
The Russian lower house of parliament, the State Duma,...
The Russian lower house of parliament, the State Duma, had not ruled out the possibility of lifting the 1996 moratorium on death penalty and discussed it among other proposals to strengthen security after the terrorist attack in Beslan
- SEPTEMBER 10, 2004Vatican CityDEATH PENALTY
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- SEPTEMBER 8, 2004South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Upholding a lower court verdict in a capital murder...
Upholding a lower court verdict in a capital murder case, the Supreme Court said the death penalty in South Korea was justified in cases of extreme inhumanity
- SEPTEMBER 6, 2004IndonesiaDEATH PENALTY
"The European Union has learned with dismay that despite...
"The European Union has learned with dismay that despite previous expressions of concern of the EU and human rights organisations to the Indonesian authorities, Indonesia has carried out an execution in Medan
- AUGUST 6, 2004IndonesiaDEATH PENALTY
Having learnt that the Indonesian authorities intended...
Having learnt that the Indonesian authorities intended to carry out an execution and that the execution was imminent, the Dutch EU Presidency noted in a declaration that, by so doing, Indonesia would be putting an end to the de facto moratorium on the dea
- AUGUST 5, 2004South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Only one out of three Koreans said capital punishment...
Only one out of three Koreans said capital punishment should be abolished, according to a poll conducted by National Human Rights Commission of Korea
- AUGUST 5, 2004South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Joo Ho-young of the opposition Grand National Party...
Joo Ho-young of the opposition Grand National Party said he believed the death penalty could only be abolished when society in South Korea was more mature
- JULY 27, 2004ItalyDEATH PENALTY
The Italian government accepted a motion to withhold...
The Italian government accepted a motion to withhold co-operation with the Iraqi authorities in cases in which the death penalty may be applied, even for former dictator Saddam Hussein
- JULY 23, 2004ItalyDEATH PENALTY
Senate deputy speakers Cesare Salvi and Lamberto Dini...
Senate deputy speakers Cesare Salvi and Lamberto Dini and Senators-for-life Francesco Cossiga and Rita Levi-Montalcini were the first signatories of the motion in which the Italian Senate asks the government to withhold collaboration from the Iraqi author
- JULY 22, 2004ItalyDEATH PENALTY
HOC Secretary General Sergio D'Elia and Elisabetta...
HOC Secretary General Sergio D'Elia and Elisabetta Zamparutti, editor of HOC's 2004 Report on the Death Penalty Worldwide, brought the capital punishment issue to the attention of the Human Rights Committee of the Italian Chamber of Representatives
- JULY 21, 2004IndiaDEATH PENALTY
The Indian government announced it had no plans to...
The Indian government announced it had no plans to abolish the death sentence
- JULY 15, 2004SenegalDEATH PENALTY
Senegal's government approved a bill to abolish the...
Senegal's government approved a bill to abolish the death penalty
- JULY 8, 2004ZimbabweDEATH PENALTY
The following are extracts from an editorial entitled...
The following are extracts from an editorial entitled "Why Death Penalty Should Be Abolished?" by John Dzvinamurungu, vice-chairman of Amnesty International Zimbabwe
- JUNE 23, 2004IndiaDEATH PENALTY
The European Union (EU) handed over to India a demarche...
The European Union (EU) handed over to India a demarche asking it to think about abolishing capital punishment as the nation discussed the possible hanging of Dhananjoy Chatterjee a man convicted of the rape and murder of a teenager
- JUNE 16, 2004SpainDEATH PENALTY
As the Spanish Parliament debated the signing of protocols...
As the Spanish Parliament debated the signing of protocols to the European Convention on Human Rights, and the inclusion of the same in the new European Constitution, Catalonian Parliamentary Group (Convergence and Union) MP Jordi Xucla I Costa urged a mo
- JUNE 10, 2004JapanDEATH PENALTY
Almost 70 percent of lawmakers supported a proposed...
Almost 70 percent of lawmakers supported a proposed bill to set up an ad hoc commission in the Diet to discuss capital punishment in Japan, a recent Meiji University survey showed
- JUNE 7, 2004RussiaDEATH PENALTY
Alexander Yakovenko, an official representative of...
Alexander Yakovenko, an official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that new reasons had arisen for Russia to ratify the protocol on abolishing the death penalty
- JUNE 1, 2004TaiwanDEATH PENALTY
The Church was fighting for the abolition of the death...
The Church was fighting for the abolition of the death penalty in Taiwan, cardinal Paul Shan said in an interview for the Catholic press agency Fides
- MAY 17, 2004KazakhstanDEATH PENALTY
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev wants the death...
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev wants the death penalty to be fully abolished in Kazakhstan
- APRIL 25, 2004JapanDEATH PENALTY
"I don't think that the government should use public...
"I don't think that the government should use public opinion as an excuse [to retain the death penalty],'' said Kyoko Otani, a Tokyo-based lawyer who had defended five death-row inmates
- APRIL 23, 2004European UnionDEATH PENALTY
The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, welcomed...
The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, welcomed the adoption by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights of a resolution against the death penalty
- APRIL 21, 2004United NationsDEATH PENALTY
For the eighth consecutive year the Commission approved...
For the eighth consecutive year the Commission approved the anti death penalty resolution for a moratorium on capital executions