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
NOVEMBER 17, 2014PakistanDEATH PENALTYPAKISTAN: HUSBAND OF CHRISTIAN WOMAN PLEADS FOR BLASPHEMY PARDON
The husband of a Christian woman who was sentenced to death four years ago under Pakistan’s blasphemy
NOVEMBER 14, 2014ItalyDEATH PENALTYZIMBABWE: RADICAL PARTY DELEGATION MEETS MINISTER OF JUSTICE ON THE VOTE FOR THE UN MORATORIUM
The second day of the Mission of Hands Off Cain and the Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty in Zimbabwe started with a meeting with the Hon. Emmerson Mnangagwa Minister of Justice and his staff to discuss the death penalty at the natio
NOVEMBER 13, 2014MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: 975 PRISONERS ON DEATH ROW AWAITING APPEALS
A total of 975 prisoners sentenced to death for various offences are awaiting appeals at the Court of
- NOVEMBER 10, 2014DEATH PENALTY
COLORADO (USA): HICKENLOOPER'S STANCE ON DEATH PENALTY DID NOT COST HIM RE-ELECTION
The death penalty was a focal point of Colorado's gubernatorial race and though most Coloradans support
- NOVEMBER 10, 2014ColoradoDEATH PENALTY
USA - Colorado. Hickenlooper's stance on death penalty did not cost him re-election.
USA - Colorado. Hickenlooper's stance on death penalty did not cost him re-election.
- NOVEMBER 6, 2014MarylandDEATH PENALTY
USA - Maryland. Attorney General Asks Court to Vacate Death Sentences.
USA - Maryland. Attorney General Asks Court to Vacate Death Sentences.
NOVEMBER 6, 2014IndonesiaDEATH PENALTYINDONESIA: NEW HUMAN RIGHTS MINISTER AGAINST DEATH PENALTY
The minister who will advise Indonesia's new president on whether to grant clemency to 2 Australians says he's personally against the death penalty.
NOVEMBER 4, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: 56-YEAR-OLD'S DEATH PENALTY COMMUTED TO LIFE TERM FOR CHILD RAPE, MURDER
A 56-year-old man, facing gallows for raping and murdering a three-year-old girl, has been spared death
OCTOBER 28, 2014SingaporeDEATH PENALTYSINGAPORE: MALAYSIAN DRUG TRAFFICKER ESCAPES DEATH PENALTY UNDER AMENDED LAWS
A 29-year-old Malaysian condemned to hang in 2009 for drug trafficking had his
OCTOBER 8, 2014United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTYUAE: DEATH PENALTY COMMUTED TO LIFE IN PRISON
The Dubai Court of Appeals has reduced the death sentence given by a lower court to a drug dealer to life
OCTOBER 1, 2014NigeriaDEATH PENALTYNIGERIA: DELTA STATE GOVERNOR FREES THREE ON DEATH ROW
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State granted pardon to three men awaiting execution to mark
SEPTEMBER 17, 2014BangladeshDEATH PENALTYBANGLADESH: TOP ISLAMIST PREACHER'S DEATH SENTENCE COMMUTED
Bangladesh's Supreme Court commuted the death sentence of Delwar Hossain Sayedee, a top Islamist
SEPTEMBER 9, 2014IndonesiaDEATH PENALTYINDONESIA: SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE FOR DRUG LORD FREDDY BUDIMAN
The Supreme Court of Indonesia decided to uphold the death sentence for Freddy Budiman, a convicted
- SEPTEMBER 5, 2014ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: COURT CHANGES DEATH SENTENCE TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT IN RAPE CASE
A higher court in central China's Hunan Province overturned a death sentence for 2 men convicted of raping
SEPTEMBER 2, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: REVIEW PLEA OF DEATH ROW CONVICTS TO BE HEARD IN OPEN COURT BY THREE-JUDGE BENCH
The Supreme Court of India ruled that review petitions against verdicts upholding death sentences will now
SEPTEMBER 1, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: PRESIDENT MUKHERJEE REJECTED 97% OF MERCY PETITIONS, BUT HE FAILED TO CURB CRIME
President Pranab Mukherjee of India has rejected 97% of the mercy petitions in his two-year tenure, as of
AUGUST 30, 2014EgyptDEATH PENALTYEGYPT: BADIE DEATH SENTENCE REDUCED TO LIFE
Egypt's Grand Mufti has commuted the death sentence handed to the Muslim Brotherhood's spiritual leader,
- AUGUST 28, 2014ColoradoDEATH PENALTY
USA - Colorado. Gov. Hickenlooper says he could decide to grant "full clemency" to Dunlap.
USA - Colorado. Gov. Hickenlooper says he could decide to grant "full clemency" to Dunlap.
- AUGUST 23, 2014TexasDEATH PENALTY
USA - Texas. Former Governor and FBI Director Support Clemency for Texas Death Row Inmate Max Soffar
USA - Texas. Former Governor and FBI Director Support Clemency for Texas Death Row Inmate Max Soffar
JULY 23, 2014GhanaDEATH PENALTYGHANA: PRESIDENT MAHAMA GRANTS PARDON TO 21 DEATH ROW INMATES
A statement issued by Deputy Minister of the Interior James Agalga said the President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana had granted amnesty to 1,104 prisoners in commemoration of 54th Republic Anniversary which fell on 1 July.
- JULY 18, 2014SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE: 2 CONVICTED DRUG TRAFFICKERS EXECUTED
Two Singaporeans, Tang Hai Liang, 36, and Foong Chee Peng, 48, had their death sentences carried out
- JULY 18, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: PRESIDENT REJECTS MERCY PLEAS OF SIX DEATH ROW CONVICTS
President Pranab Mukherjee of India rejected the mercy petitions of Nithari serial killer Surinder Koli and
- JULY 11, 2014ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA COMMUTES BUSINESSWOMAN'S SENTENCE TO LIFE
China commuted the fraud sentence of businesswoman Wu Ying -- once listed among its richest women but
- JULY 10, 2014DEATH PENALTY
USA - Florida. Eddie Davis was executed.
USA - Florida. Eddie Davis was executed.
JULY 3, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTYINDIA: SUPREME COURT COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF 26-YEAR-OLD YOUTH
the Supreme Court commuted the death sentence of a 26-year-old youth to life term for killing a woman
- JULY 2, 2014IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA: SUPREME COURT COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE OF POLICE CONSTABLE
the Supreme Court commuted the death sentence awarded to a police constable for murdering his wife and
- JUNE 12, 2014DEATH PENALTY
MISSOURI (USA): DEATH ROW INMATE JOHN WINFIELD GIVEN STAY OF EXECUTION
US district judge Catherine Perry granted a stay of execution for John Winfield, less than a week before his
- JUNE 12, 2014MissouriDEATH PENALTY
USA - Missouri. US district judge Catherine Perry granted a stay of execution for John Winfield
USA - Missouri. US district judge Catherine Perry granted a stay of execution for John Winfield
JUNE 9, 2014SyriaDEATH PENALTYSYRIA: PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD GRANTS AMNESTY AFTER RE-ELECTION
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad announced a wide-ranging amnesty, less than a week after he was re-elected to another seven-year term.
- JUNE 3, 2014MissouriDEATH PENALTY
USA - North Carolina. Innocence Inquiry Commission recommended judicial review for Willie Henderson Womble.
USA - North Carolina. Innocence Inquiry Commission recommended judicial review for Willie Henderson Womble.