Commutations of sentence and acts of clemency
Archive theme
A death sentence can be turned into a prison sentence by an act of clemency: commutation, pardon, amnesty, remission. These rest with heads of state, courts and clemency boards, and not infrequently arrive within hours of an execution.
For the association they are a concrete front: every commutation is a life, and the countries that grant many of them are often the ones closest to a moratorium in fact. This page collects the news on commutations, pardons and acts of clemency.
Latest news
MAY 25, 2016BotswanaDEATH PENALTYBOTSWANA: PATRICK GABAAKANYE HANGED AT GABORONE CENTRAL PRISON
death row inmate Patrick Gabaakanye was hanged at Gaborone Central Prison, according to a statement
MAY 23, 2016Sri LankaDEATH PENALTYSRI LANKA: SIRISENA PARDONS 608 PRISONERS
Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena has granted a presidential pardon for 608 inmates from Prisons
MAY 10, 2016BangladeshDEATH PENALTYBANGLADESH: MATIUR RAHMAN NIZAMI HANGED
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami chief Matiur Rahman Nizami was hanged inside the Dhaka Central Jail after he was found guilty of genocide by International Crimes Tribunal.
- MAY 5, 2016BangladeshDEATH PENALTY
BANGLADESH: SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE OF JAMAAT-E-ISLAMI HEAD
Bangladesh’s Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of top Islamist party leader Motiur Rahman Nizami
APRIL 15, 2016PakistanDEATH PENALTYPAKISTAN: PRESIDENT TURNED DOWN 513 MERCY PETITIONS OVER LAST FIVE YEARS
The Pakistani president rejected as many as 513 mercy petitions of condemned prisoners over the last five
- APRIL 15, 2016DEATH PENALTY
USA - Georgia. Jonathen Jarrells had the death sentence reduced.
USA - Georgia. Jonathen Jarrells had the death sentence reduced.
MARCH 28, 2016MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: VIETNAMESE MOM ESCAPES GALLOWS, JAILED 20 YEARS FOR DRUG POSSESSION INSTEAD
A Vietnamese woman shed tears of joy in court after she was spared the gallows in Malaysia for allegedly
MARCH 22, 2016PakistanDEATH PENALTYPAKISTAN: MORE THAN 350 PRISONERS HANGED SINCE DECEMBER 2014, GOVERNMENT TELLS THE SUPREME COURT
In Islamabad, federal government notified the highest court of the 353 death row prisoners hanged in the country since December 2014.
MARCH 21, 2016NigeriaDEATH PENALTYNIGERIA: KILLER OF POLICEMEN IN BAYELSA GETS DEATH SENTENCE
Bayelsa State High Court has sentenced one of the killers of the eleven policemen at Lobia two community
- MARCH 16, 2016DEATH PENALTY
OHIO (USA): TOP COURT APPROVES ROMELL BROOM'S SECOND EXECUTION ATTEMPT AFTER BOTCHED INJECTIONS
The Ohio Supreme Court decided that the state can try again to put to death Rommell Broom, whose 2009 botched execution was called off after 2 hours.
MARCH 16, 2016OhioDEATH PENALTYUSA - Ohio. The Ohio Supreme Court decided that the state can try again to put to death Romell Broom
USA - Ohio. The Ohio Supreme Court decided that the state can try again to put to death Romell Broom
- MARCH 13, 2016ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA HEADLINES: CHINA DEFENDS HUMAN RIGHTS IN JUDICIAL PRACTICE
A more efficient and fairer justice system has improved human rights protection in China with many wrongful
MARCH 11, 2016IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SC COMMUTES DEATH PENALTY OF 3 CONVICTS IN DHARMAPURI BUS BURNING CASE
The Supreme Court of India commuted the death penalty of three convicts into life imprisonments, who
FEBRUARY 24, 2016BangladeshDEATH PENALTYBANGLADESH: TWO KILLERS OF RU PROFESSOR MOHAMMAD YUNUS GET DEATH SENTENCE REDUCED TO LIFE TERM FOLLOWING RETRIAL
The death sentence handed down to two militants of banned outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB)
- FEBRUARY 7, 2016Sri LankaDEATH PENALTY
SRI LANKA: PRISONERS ON DEATH ROW TO GET LIFE IMPRISONMENT
Following a set of recommendations made by a committee appointed to look into the death sentence issued on several convicts, it has been decided to convert the death sentence imposed on 34 of those convicts into life imprisonment.
FEBRUARY 2, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: COURT QUASHES DEATH SENTENCE FOR 'APOSTATE' POET
A court in Saudi Arabia overturned a death sentence against a Palestinian poet convicted of apostasy, giving him eight years in prison instead, his lawyer said.
JANUARY 10, 2016ZimbabweDEATH PENALTYZIMBABWE: 15 DEATH ROW INMATES HIRE BITI'S FOR CONSTITUTIONAL COURT FIGHT
Opposition politician and Harare lawyer Tendai Biti has been hired by 15 death row prison inmates to
- JANUARY 1, 2016EswatiniDEATH PENALTY
The Criminal Law and Procedure Act No.67 of 1938, as amended in 1975...
The Criminal Law and Procedure Act No.67 of 1938, as amended in 1975...
- JANUARY 1, 2016MoldovaDEATH PENALTY
Moldova abolished the death penalty for all crimes in December 1995...
Moldova abolished the death penalty for all crimes in December 1995 but the Constitution retains it for crimes committed during war or with an inevitable threat of war.
- JANUARY 1, 2016TanzaniaDEATH PENALTY
Tanzania still retains the death penalty as one of punishments under...
Tanzania still retains the death penalty as one of punishments under...
- JANUARY 1, 2016SudanDEATH PENALTY
The 1991 penal code based on Sharia law prescribes both the death penalty and corporal punishment.
The 1991 penal code based on Sharia law prescribes both the death penalty and corporal punishment.
- JANUARY 1, 2016NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
Death sentences are mandatory for murder but also non lethal offences
Death sentences are mandatory for murder but also non lethal offences
- JANUARY 1, 2016ZambiaDEATH PENALTY
The Zambian penal code, section 43, foresees that the death penalty...
The Zambian penal code, section 43, foresees that the death penalty...
- JANUARY 1, 2016NigerDEATH PENALTY
Capital crimes are: premeditated murder, torture, aggravated theft, treason and offences against the State. Niger has not imposed the death penalty since 1976.
Capital crimes are: premeditated murder, torture, aggravated theft, treason and offences against the State. Niger has not imposed the death penalty since 1976.
- JANUARY 1, 2016BotswanaDEATH PENALTY
The death penalty has been on the books in Botswana since its independence from Great Britain in 1966.
The death penalty has been on the books in Botswana since its independence from Great Britain in 1966.
- JANUARY 1, 2016AlgeriaDEATH PENALTY
Algeria’s laws prescribe the death penalty for a range of crimes including ordinary crimes.
Algeria’s laws prescribe the death penalty for a range of crimes including ordinary crimes.
- JANUARY 1, 2016MaliDEATH PENALTY
Death sentences are given in Mali for serious crimes such as assassinations...
Death sentences are given in Mali for serious crimes such as assassinations...
- JANUARY 1, 2016CameroonDEATH PENALTY
Cameroon applies the death penalty for treason.
Cameroon applies the death penalty for treason.
- JANUARY 1, 2016MauritaniaDEATH PENALTY
High treason, premeditated murder and torture are capital crimes.
High treason, premeditated murder and torture are capital crimes.
- JANUARY 1, 2016IndiaDEATH PENALTY
The death penalty is provided for by the Penal Code and by Art. 21 of the Constitution
The death penalty is provided for by the Penal Code and by Art. 21 of the Constitution