Two Japanese men were executed on 2 August and a Chinese national was executed on 26 December. More than 70% of the world’s countries have abolished capital punishment in law or practice. Death sentences were known to have been imposed after proceedings that did not meet international fair trial standards in countries including Bahrain, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Viet Nam and Yemen. In the United States, the Governor of California established an official moratorium on executions in the US state with biggest death row population, and New Hampshire became the 21st US state to abolish the death penalty for all crimes. At least 13 public executions were recorded in Iran. … At the end of 2019, 106 countries (a majority of the world’s states) had abolished the death penalty in law for all crimes, and 142 countries (more than two-thirds) had abolished the death penalty in law or practice. The death penalty is the ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights. Of the people executed, three were from the same family, one was a child at the time of the crime and was about 17 when he was sentenced to death. We, the undersigned, are calling on Florida to end the use of the death penalty in the Sunshine State. This is the lowest number of executions that Amnesty International has recorded in at least a decade. This ranking comes as no surprise to Brian Evans, Amnesty International's acting director on the Death Penalty Abolition Campaign, who said the same countries are … In recent decades, there has been a clear trend away from capital punishment, as many countries have either abolished the death penalty or discontinued its use. Speaking at the event was the Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations, Juan Sandoval Mendiolea. Iraq almost doubled the number of executions from at least 52 in 2018 to at least 100 in 2019, while Saudi Arabia executed a record number of people – 184 -- in 2019 compared to 149 people in 2018. Is the battle to abolish the death penalty being won? Since 1990, an average of three countries each year have abolished the death penalty, and today over two-thirds of the world’s nations have ended capital punishment in law or practice. Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Tajikistan continued to observe official moratoriums on executions. Amnesty International believes than the death penalty should be abolished, once and for all. The Philippines attempted to reintroduce the death penalty for “heinous crimes related to illegal drugs and plunder”. Excluding China, 86% of all reported executions took place in just four countries – Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt. The number of executions in Japan was down from 15 in 2018, when the country reported its highest yearly figure since 2008, to three in 2019. Privacy Policy Executions in Iraq almost doubled from at least 52 in 2018 to at least 100 in 2019, while Saudi Arabia executed a record number of people from 149 in 2018 to 184 in 2019. Refunds of donations. #NoBanNoWall Protest Resources & Toolkits. Overall recorded executions in the region increased by one compared to 2018. At least two executions were recorded in Belarus in 2019, compared to at least four in 2018. The following methods of execution were used across the world in 2019: beheading, electrocution, hanging, lethal injection and shooting. Florida has executed almost 100 people since the US Supreme Court approved new death penalty laws in 1976. Both rights are protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN in 1948. At least 1,227 new death sentences across 17 countries were known to have been imposed, a 12% increase compared to 2018. Barbados also removed the mandatory death penalty from its Constitution. The death penalty, both in the U.S. and around the world, is discriminatory and is used disproportionately against the poor, minorities and members of racial, ethnic and religious communities. There were 707 recorded death sentences in 2019, a 40% drop compared to 2018, when 1,170 death sentences were recorded in the region. Trinidad and Tobago was the only country to retain the mandatory death penalty for murder.   |   More than 40% of all recorded executions were carried out in Texas, which remained the leading executing state in the country (from 13 to nine). The number of death sentences the Iraqi authorities imposed during the course of the year was also significantly lower -- at least 87 in 2019 compared to at least 271 in 2018. Use of the death penalty worldwide has continued to shrink, and use of the death penalty has also been increasingly curtailed in international law. At least 11 exonerations of prisoners under sentence of death were recorded in two countries: USA and Zambia. This regional total, as in previous years, does not include the thousands of executions that were believed to have been carried out in China and is affected by ongoing secrecy in this country as well as in North Korea and Viet Nam. A new in-depth investigation by Amnesty International, also published today, shows that the Chinese authorities enforce an elaborate secrecy … Recorded death sentences rose by 53% from at least 212 in 2018 to 325 in 2019. There is a wealth of mounting evidence that proves this fact. Together with Iran, they accounted for 92% of the total number of recorded executions in the region. Amnesty International did not report any executions in Afghanistan, Taiwan and Thailand, despite having done so in 2018. 2015 was a year of extremes – the number of executions worldwide skyrocketed, but here in the United States executions dropped to their lowest in decades. Canada has been a fully abolitionist country since the 10th of December 1998. Ending the death penalty became another key campaign for Amnesty International in 1980, when only nine countries had abolished capital punishment. Recorded executions in Pakistan in 2019 represented the same total as in the previous year with at least 14 men hanged in the country. It makes a public spectacle of an individual’s death. Permissions Amnesty opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception – regardless of who is accused, the nature or circumstances of the crime, guilt or innocence or method of execution. (Amnesty International) On April 10, 2019, Amnesty International presented the findings from its annual global report on the death penalty at the United National Secretariat in New York.. "The death penalty is incompatible with fundamental human rights," the secretary general of Amnesty's branch in Germany, Markus N. Beeko pointed out, adding that it "should be abolished worldwide." Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature or circumstances of the crime; guilt, innocence or other characteristics of the individual; or the method used by the state to carry out the execution. You can use this tool to change your cookie settings. 102 people executed between January … Amnesty International is the world's largest human rights organization, and our model of grassroots campaigning achieves remarkable results on issues from women's human rights to the death penalty. Today, there are 140. Amnesty International help fight abuses of human rights worldwide. However, the death penalty continues to exist in many parts of the world, especially in countries with large populations and those with authoritarian rule. Four countries – Botswana, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan – carried out 25 executions in 2019. Seven countries – Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen – were known to have carried out executions last year. Learn more about death penalty statistics and key arguments: Fight injustice and help create a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. Executions in Iran fell slightly from at least 253 in 2018 to at least 251 in 2019. This was mainly due to a sharp increase in the use of the death penalty in Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The Middle East and North Africa region reported a 16% increase in the number of executions, from 501 in 2018 to 579 in 2019, bucking the trend that has seen a decline in the region’s recorded use of the death penalty since 2015. It is among the top three executioners worldwide, surpassed only by China and Iran, in Amnesty International’s latest global death penalty report. Your choice regarding cookies on this site For the 11th consecutive year, the USA remained the only country to carry out executions in the region. Dying with dignity in the age of coronavirus, Turkey: Arrest of human rights leader makes mockery of Erdogan’s “Human Rights Action Plan”, Death penalty 2019: Saudi Arabia executed record number of people last year amid decline in global executions, Global Report, Death Sentences and Executions 2019, China: Parents of missing Uyghur children describe horror of family separation, Facebook building Instagram platform for children under 13, Israel/ OPT: Court date set to hear Amnesty petition to lift punitive travel ban on staff member. On that date all remaining references to the death penalty were removed from the National Defence Act – the only section of law that since 1976 still provided for execution under the law. The Death Penalty and Deterrence May 18, 2017 In April 2012, The National Research Council concluded that studies claiming that the death penalty affects murder rates were “fundamentally flawed” because they did not consider the effects of noncapital punishments and used “incomplete or … For a second year in a row, South Sudan saw an alarming increase in executions, putting to death at least 11 people in 2019; the highest recorded number in any year since the country’s independence in 2011. 1 talking about this. China remained the world’s leading executioner – but the true extent of the use of the death penalty in China is unknown as this data is classified as a state secret; the global figure of at least 657 excludes th… The death penalty in the U.S. is unjust, costly, discriminatory and used disproportionately against the poor and minorities. In his opening remarks, Mendiolea expressed his gratitude for organizations like Amnesty … The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights.” “Death Penalty Q&A,” www.amnesty… Amnesty International calls for end to the death penalty worldwide IT'S regarded as inhumane, barbaric and cruel. Conversely, Nebraska and Ohio did not put anyone to death in 2019 after carrying out executions in 2018 (one in each state). Despite that, that last executions in Canada were made under the Criminal Code, in 1962 when Ronald Turpin and Today, two-thirds of countries in the world … Here are 10 reasons why it’s time to abolish the death penalty now: 1. Cookie Statement Barbados removed the mandatory death penalty from its constitution while Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Guatemala, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia did not have anyone on death row and no reports of new death sentences. By working towards the abolition of the death penalty worldwide, Amnesty International aims to end the cycle of violence created by a system riddled with economic and racial bias and tainted by human error. Amnesty International USA opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. Merch Store 2021 Virtual AGM Urgent Actions Member Center Amnesty International Amnesty International was founded in London in July 1961 by English barrister Peter Benenson. Outside the USA, the progress towards ending the use of the death penalty continued. Furthermore, the astronomical costs associated with putting a person on death row – including criminal investigations, lengthy trials and appeals – are leading many states to re-evaluate and re-consider having this flawed and unjust system on the books. The number of countries that imposed death sentences increased to 18 from 17 recorded in 2018. countries had completely abolished the death penalty by the end of 2019, people were executed in 2019 (excluding China) – down 5% from 2018, of people were likely executed in China, but the numbers remain classified. Like our page for updates on human rights and the death penalty in Arkansas from Amnesty International. Today, Amnesty International released its annual report on the use of the death penalty worldwide. Amnesty International USA Responds to Andrea Sahouri Being Found Not Guilty. Amnesty International recorded commutations or pardons of death sentences in 24 countries: Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco/Western Sahara, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Singapore, Sudan, Thailand, UAE, USA, Zambia, Zimbabwe.   |   Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases, regardless of innocence or guilt. Gambia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, the Russian Federation and Tajikistan continued to observe official moratoriums on executions. Without a figure for Viet Nam, the number of recorded executions (29) showed a slight decrease due to drops in Japan (from 15 to three) and Singapore (from 13 to four). Death Penalty and Race May 18, 2017 In a 1990 report, the non-partisan U.S. General Accounting Office found “a pattern of evidence indicating racial disparities in the charging, sentencing, and imposition of the death penalty.” Although Bangladesh resumed executions (two), hiatuses were reported in Afghanistan, Taiwan and Thailand, which all executed people in 2018. Amnesty International holds that the death penalty breaches human rights, in particular the right to life and the right to live free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Kazakhstan, Kenya and Zimbabwe either took positive steps or made pronouncements in 2019 which may lead to the abolition of the death penalty. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. Both rights are protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN in 1948. The death penalty has occupied a place in the Malaysian criminal justice system since the British colonial administration, when the mandatory death penalty was originally enforced for murder. Most executions took place in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt – in that order. We oppose the use of the death penalty in every single case. The cookies do not identify you. But if you're still not convinced the death penalty is wrong, here are five points that may change your mind. “Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception. Amnesty International recorded at least 2,307 death sentences in 56 countries compared to the total of 2,531 reported in 54 countries in 2018. Death penalty At Amnesty International, we firmly believe that no one – including any government – has the right to take away someone else’s life. The number of executions (from 25 to 22) and death sentences (from 45 to 35) recorded in the US decreased compared to 2018. In the United States, public support for the death penalty has declined in recent years, and Amnesty International continues to work at the state and federal level to push to end it once and for all. Bangladesh and Bahrain resumed executions last year, after a hiatus in 2018. No matter what the crime, who the alleged criminal is, or the method proposed to execute them – we will always stand against it. Yes.   |   Amnesty International recorded commutations or pardons of death sentences in 29 countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Botswana, China, Egypt, Guyana, India, Iran, … In 2019 2581 people were under sentence of death in the United States, and in the modern era of the death penalty over 1,500 people have been executed by U.S. states and the federal government. Amnesty International holds that the death penalty breaches human rights, in particular the right to life and the right to live free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Executions across the globe fell 5% worldwide in 2019 to the fewest in more than a decade, despite a record number of executions in Saudi Arabia, Amnesty International reported in the human rights organization’s Global Report: Death Sentences and Executions in 2019. At least six people – four in Iran, one in Saudi Arabia and one in South Sudan – were executed for crimes that occurred when they were below 18 years of age. For the first time in almost a decade, the Asia-Pacific region saw a decrease in the number of executing countries, with seven countries carrying out executions during the year.