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
- JANUARY 8, 2003TajikistanDEATH PENALTY
The first deputy chairman of the Tajik Supreme Court,...
The first deputy chairman of the Tajik Supreme Court, Mahmadali Vatanov declared that the number of death sentences passed in the country in 2002 had decreased compared with previous years
- JANUARY 8, 2003ConnecticutDEATH PENALTY
Following the 6 July 2001 law barring the death penalty...
Following the 6 July 2001 law barring the death penalty for those with mental retardation, a death penalty Commission was set up to see if there was inequality in the system with regards to race and economic background of defendants
- JANUARY 1, 2003GeorgiaDEATH PENALTY
Georgia abolished the death penalty for all crimes in 1997
Georgia abolished the death penalty for all crimes in 1997
- JANUARY 1, 2003FranceDEATH PENALTY
France has been totally abolitionist since 1981
France has been totally abolitionist since 1981
- JANUARY 1, 2003PolandDEATH PENALTY
Poland abolished the death penalty in 1997 and a penal...
Poland abolished the death penalty in 1997 and a penal code introduced in 1998 replaced it with life imprisonment
- JANUARY 1, 2003EstoniaDEATH PENALTY
Estonia abolished the death penalty for all crimes in 1998
Estonia abolished the death penalty for all crimes in 1998
- JANUARY 1, 2003FinlandDEATH PENALTY
Finland abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes...
Finland abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes in 1949, and for all crimes in 1972
- JANUARY 1, 2003SwedenDEATH PENALTY
Sweden abolished capital punishment for ordinary crimes...
Sweden abolished capital punishment for ordinary crimes in 1921 and has been abolitionist for all crimes since 1972
- JANUARY 1, 2003GreeceDEATH PENALTY
Greece abolished the death penalty as a punishment...
Greece abolished the death penalty as a punishment applicable to offences defined in the Greek Penal Code in 1993
- JANUARY 1, 2003LithuaniaDEATH PENALTY
Lithuania abolished the death penalty for all crimes...
Lithuania abolished the death penalty for all crimes in 1998 after the Lithuanian Constitutional Court, on December 9, held that the provisions of the Criminal Code on the death penalty were unconstitutional
- JANUARY 1, 2003MaltaDEATH PENALTY
The Maltese Parliament abolished the death penalty...
The Maltese Parliament abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes on October 4, 1971
- JANUARY 1, 2003NetherlandsDEATH PENALTY
The Constitution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
The Constitution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (1983) at Art
- JANUARY 1, 2003RussiaDEATH PENALTY
Russia is committed to abolishing the death penalty...
Russia is committed to abolishing the death penalty as a member of the Council of Europe, and a moratorium on executions is in place
- JANUARY 1, 2003TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
Turkey is abolitionist for ordinary crimes and retains...
Turkey is abolitionist for ordinary crimes and retains the death penalty for "crimes committed in times of war and imminent threat of war"
- JANUARY 1, 2003SerbiaDEATH PENALTY
Serbia and Montenegro is completely abolitionist
Serbia and Montenegro is completely abolitionist
- JANUARY 1, 2003Vatican CityDEATH PENALTY
The Vatican formally abolished the death penalty from...
The Vatican formally abolished the death penalty from its constitution in 2001
- JANUARY 1, 2003Vatican CityDEATH PENALTY
Vatican use of the death penalty persisted into the...
Vatican use of the death penalty persisted into the 19th century, with hangings under Pope Pius IX, but no execution was carried out since the establishment of the modern state in 1929
- JANUARY 1, 2003Vatican CityDEATH PENALTY
The revised Vatican constitution that took effect on...
The revised Vatican constitution that took effect on February 22, 2001 removed the death penalty from the text of the Fundamental Law, equivalent to a constitution, which dates back to the 1929 creation of the modern Vatican city-state
- JANUARY 1, 2003United KingdomDEATH PENALTY
The United Kingdom abolished the death penalty for...
The United Kingdom abolished the death penalty for murder on December 18, 1969 when both Houses of Parliament voted to remove a clause in the Murder Act 1965 restricting the abolition of the death penalty to five years
- JANUARY 1, 2003United KingdomDEATH PENALTY
There were 865 executions in Britain during the first...
There were 865 executions in Britain during the first 64 years of the 20th century
- JANUARY 1, 2003MinnesotaDEATH PENALTY
Minnesota abolished the death penalty in 1911
Minnesota abolished the death penalty in 1911
- JANUARY 1, 2003West VirginiaDEATH PENALTY
West Virginia abolished the death penalty in 1965
West Virginia abolished the death penalty in 1965
- JANUARY 1, 2003MassachusettsDEATH PENALTY
Massachusetts does not have the death penalty
Massachusetts does not have the death penalty
- JANUARY 1, 2003MaineDEATH PENALTY
Maine does not have the death penalty, having abolished...
Maine does not have the death penalty, having abolished it in 1887
- JANUARY 1, 2003AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
Australia is a world leader in seeking the abolition...
Australia is a world leader in seeking the abolition of capital punishment
- JANUARY 1, 2003North DakotaDEATH PENALTY
North Dakota does not have the death penalty
North Dakota does not have the death penalty
- JANUARY 1, 2003MississippiDEATH PENALTY
In 2002 Bills were proposed for the abolition of the...
In 2002 Bills were proposed for the abolition of the death penalty and the introduction of forced labour; for the suspension of the death penalty from 2003 and for its abolition in 2013; for the introduction of a moratorium so as to allow a commission to
- JANUARY 1, 2003AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
The death penalty was formally abolished in Australia...
The death penalty was formally abolished in Australia in 1985
- JANUARY 1, 2003ArgentinaDEATH PENALTY
Art. 18 of the Constitution provides for "the complete...
Art. 18 of the Constitution provides for "the complete abolition of the death penalty for political motives." A constitutional amendment, passed in 1994, recognizes international treaties signed by Argentina as equivalent to constitutional norms
- JANUARY 1, 2003IsraelDEATH PENALTY
The country has been abolitionist for ordinary crimes...
The country has been abolitionist for ordinary crimes since 1954