We are greatly concerned by the news that the Government of Singapore has issued at least five execution notices since 12 April 2024, all cases in relation to drug offending. Transformative Justice Collective, a member of the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network, reports that in four of these five cases, the execution was stayed at the last minute. This leaves one person on death row at imminent risk of execution. The mental anguish persons on death row and their families experience in circumstances where execution warrants are issued is unimaginable.   Of particular concern is that it appears ..read more

April 10, 2024 Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) and 83 Iranian and international organisations and groups have called for joint action to stop drug-related executions, urging UNODC to make “any cooperation with the Islamic Republic contingent on a complete halt on drug-related executions”. They have announced the start of a mass international campaign in this regard. The death penalty or state murder is the Islamic Republic’s most important tool for instilling societal fear to maintain power. Executions in Iran increased dramatically following the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising, with at least 834 p ..read more

On 23 April 2024 the Constitutional Court of Taiwan will hear a challenge on the constitutionality of the death penalty in the country. Amnesty International Taiwan and the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty are among several non-governmental organizations intervening in the case, in support of the full abolition of the death penalty. The constitutional challenge arises from the case filed by Wang Xinfu (Petition No. 2022), the oldest person on Taiwan’s death row, consolidated with petitions by 37 others. The Constitutional Court has set 23 April to hear arguments on several questions ..read more

When President Biden won the 2020 election, he became the first successful U.S. presidential candidate to publicly oppose the death penalty. As part of his promise to work toward abolition, the Biden campaign noted that “Over 160 individuals who’ve been sentenced to death in this country since 1973 have later been exonerated.” In 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a moratorium on federal executions, recognizing, among other things that “[s]erious concerns have been raised about the continued use of the death penalty across the country.” The President, his campaign, and the DO ..read more

While Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) maintains a firm stance on the effectiveness of the death penalty in managing drug trafficking in Singapore, the article presents evidence suggesting that the methodologies and interpretations of these studies might not be as substantial as portrayed. The “Life-saving benefits” of the death penalty  Singapore is one of the rare executioner countries responding to international criticism regarding its use of the death penalty. Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) claims that capital punishment acts as a deterrent in relation to capital ..read more

The Death Penalty Information Center’s 2023 report highlights a rising trend towards abolition in the US, evidenced by a decrease in states conducting executions and heightened backing for individuals asserting innocence. In 2023, the United States witnessed 24 executions, 21 death sentences, and three exonerations, reflecting this evolving trend.  Ongoing shift towards Abolition Public opinion in the US is increasingly leaning towards skepticism the fair application of the death penalty. After the Gallup Crime Survey has asked for opinions about the fairness of the death penalty applicat ..read more

In February 2024, Armenia’s ratification of Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms concerning the abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances entered into force. Armenia was already abolitionist for all crimes and a State Party to the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty.  Protocol No. 13 to the ECHR entered into force on 1 July 2003 and has been ratified 45 of the 46 Member States of the Council of Europe. Azerbaijan signed it in March 2023 but has yet to ratify it.  The Wor ..read more

Kenya is one of a few target countries for the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty’s “Gender and the Death Penalty” campaign; a campaign that is being conducted in collaboration with its member organisations in the country, namely the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Kenya) and the Kenya Human Rights Commission. Although Kenya has not carried out execution since 1987, the death penalty still exists in its laws for offenses like murder, robbery with violence, treason, and mutiny. As of February 2024, there are 101 people on death row including two women (ICJ ..read more

The Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP) held a series of events including an international seminar, prison visit, and meetings that took place from 19-22 September 2023 to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Scholars, NGO workers, and government representatives from the United Kingdom, the United States, Switzerland, Lithuania, India, South Korea, Malaysia, and Taiwan exchanged about the research on the treatment of death row prisoners in Taiwan, the development of legislation protecting the rights of victims, and constitutional litigation related to the death penalty across different ..read more

The ACHPR (African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights) 77th Public Ordinary Session was held in Arusha, Tanzania from 20 October – 9 November 2023. State delegations, international and regional institutions, and NGOs flocked to Arusha, also the seat of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty attended with many member organizations: CHESO (Children Education Society), FHRI (Foundation for Human Rights Initiative), the FIACAT (International Federation of ACATs), LHRC (Legal and Human Rights Centre), Pax Christi Uvira, PRI (Penal Reform I ..read more