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 10, 2001RussiaDEATH PENALTY
In an open letter on International Human Rights Day,...
In an open letter on International Human Rights Day, Amnesty International urged members of the Russian State Duma (parliament) to take steps towards fully abolishing the death penalty
- DECEMBER 10, 2001RussiaDEATH PENALTY
A group of Russian State Duma deputies from the Union...
A group of Russian State Duma deputies from the Union of Right Forces (SPS) faction said it intends to propose a bill to abolish the death penalty from the Criminal Code
- NOVEMBER 22, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
While a majority of lawmakers favour abolition of the...
While a majority of lawmakers favour abolition of the death penalty, the nation's largest group of attorneys said it opposed the move
- NOVEMBER 16, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Lee Jun-yeong, one of 29 artists featured in "Invitation...
Lee Jun-yeong, one of 29 artists featured in "Invitation to Life" at Insa-dong's Hakojae Gallery, described herself as "oriented toward inner revolution" rather than political activism
- NOVEMBER 14, 2001BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
Stephane de Loecker, the Belgian representative at...
Stephane de Loecker, the Belgian representative at the UN Third Committee debate on human rights, speaking on behalf of the European Union said the abolition of the death penalty would help further respect human rights
- NOVEMBER 10, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan urged the head of Korean...
Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan urged the head of Korean legislature to support a special bill aimed at abolishing capital punishment
- NOVEMBER 8, 2001BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
At the UN Third Committee hearing for calls for priority...
At the UN Third Committee hearing for calls for priority attention to incorporating human rights treaty provisions into domestic law, the European Union welcomed the recent signatures and ratifications of the Second Optional Protocol to the International
- NOVEMBER 5, 2001SerbiaDEATH PENALTY
YUGOSLAVIA ABROGATES THE DEATH PENALTY
November 5, 2001: the Chamber of Citizens of Yugoslavia’s Federal parliament voted to replace capital punishment in the Criminal Code with a prison sentence of forty years.
- OCTOBER 31, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Controversy over the death penalty in Korea was rekindled,...
Controversy over the death penalty in Korea was rekindled, as 154 lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties presented a bill aimed at abolishing capital punishment
- OCTOBER 31, 2001RussiaDEATH PENALTY
The Russian prosecution service will implement the...
The Russian prosecution service will implement the lifting of the moratorium on the death penalty if the State Duma passes legislation to this effect, First Deputy Prosecutor General Yuri Biryukov told the Duma
- OCTOBER 30, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
A majority of South Korean ruling and opposition lawmakers...
A majority of South Korean ruling and opposition lawmakers submitted a bill to abolish the death penalty
- OCTOBER 26, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan demanded an end to the death...
Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan demanded an end to the death penalty during a visit to death row inmates at the Seoul Detention Center in Gyeonggi province
- OCTOBER 18, 2001JapanDEATH PENALTY
Japan must abolish the death penalty in order to eliminate...
Japan must abolish the death penalty in order to eliminate the possibility of people mistakenly being put to death on false charges, senior Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmaker Shizuka Kamei said
- OCTOBER 5, 2001RussiaDEATH PENALTY
Russia is ready to cooperate in the search for and...
Russia is ready to cooperate in the search for and punishment of international terrorists, Dmitry Kozak, deputy head of the presidential administration said in Washington, where he was holding meetings with the US Congress and Supreme Court
- OCTOBER 4, 2001RussiaDEATH PENALTY
The 24th conference of European Justice Ministers opened...
The 24th conference of European Justice Ministers opened in Moscow
- SEPTEMBER 24, 2001TürkiyeDEATH PENALTY
Turkish MPs opened debate on abolishing the death penalty...
Turkish MPs opened debate on abolishing the death penalty and making far-reaching constitutional reforms to boost their drive to join the EU
- SEPTEMBER 20, 2001IrelandDEATH PENALTY
What happens in the US with regard to capital punishment...
What happens in the US with regard to capital punishment will be crucial for its abolition world-wide, according to a UN consultant on the death penalty
- SEPTEMBER 19, 2001UkraineDEATH PENALTY
Members of Parliament decided to revise the process...
Members of Parliament decided to revise the process and outcome of the vote on the abolition of the death penalty
- AUGUST 3, 2001SerbiaDEATH PENALTY
The Serbian Justice Ministry has drawn up draft amendments...
The Serbian Justice Ministry has drawn up draft amendments to the Penal Code of Serbia
- JULY 5, 2001RussiaDEATH PENALTY
Eighty percent of Russians think that the death penalty...
Eighty percent of Russians think that the death penalty is permissible, the Public Opinion Foundation said based on a June 30 poll of 1,500 village and town residents nationwide
- JUNE 25, 2001United StatesDEATH PENALTY
Europe's leading human rights institution threatened...
Europe's leading human rights institution threatened to revoke observer status from the United States and Japan unless they stop all executions "without delay" and move to repeal the death penalty
- JUNE 22, 2001FranceDEATH PENALTY
Speakers of parliaments from four continents called...
Speakers of parliaments from four continents called for a global ban on capital punishment at the first world congress against the death penalty
- JUNE 18, 2001ItalyDEATH PENALTY
Hands Off Cain launched its 2001 Reporton the death penalty
Hands Off Cain launched its 2001 Reporton the death penalty
- JUNE 7, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
A group of religious leaders met with the leaders of...
A group of religious leaders met with the leaders of political parties to seek their support for a campaign to abolish the death penalty
- JUNE 5, 2001IrelandDEATH PENALTY
An American murderer on death row called on the Irish...
An American murderer on death row called on the Irish people to abolish the death penalty in the June 7 referendum
- JUNE 4, 2001JapanDEATH PENALTY
Six Diet members from various political parties opposing...
Six Diet members from various political parties opposing capital punishment met with Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama to request that she make efforts to have the death penalty abolished and allow them to tour execution sites, Justice Ministry officials s
- MAY 29, 2001RussiaDEATH PENALTY
In his report on the human rights situation in Russia...
In his report on the human rights situation in Russia in 2000, Ombudsman Oleg Mironov said that on the abolition of the death penalty, sociological surveys and opinion polls indicate that 71% of respondents considers capital punishment the most effective
- MAY 15, 2001LebanonDEATH PENALTY
At a conference organized by the Université Saint Joseph...
At a conference organized by the Université Saint Joseph Law School to discuss the death penalty in Europe, Italian Ambassador Guiseppe Cassini cited Cesare Beccaria's essay, "On Crimes and Punishments" (1764) questioning whether the death penalty is usef
- APRIL 26, 2001ThailandDEATH PENALTY
Mark Tarmthai, a philosophy lecturer at Chulalongkorn...
Mark Tarmthai, a philosophy lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, speaking at a seminar on the death sentence and drug problems organised by Amnesty International (Thailand) and the Union of Civil Liberty, said the government should set up a committee to
- MARCH 30, 2001FranceDEATH PENALTY
French President Jacques Chirac speaking to the UN...
French President Jacques Chirac speaking to the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, called for the universal abolition of the death penalty and a general moratorium on executions