Annual reports on the death penalty
https://www.amnesty.org/en/search/death%20sentences%20and%20executions/?qcategory=1149&qtopic=2076
Citation format: Authoring Organization, Title: Subtitle in italics, by Author(s) Names (Location of Publication: Publisher, Month and year), page number(s) referenced, available online at URL.
Citation example 1 - Report 2025: Amnesty International, Death sentences and executions in 2024, (London: Amnesty International, Apr. 2025), 29, available online at https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/act50/8976/2025/en/.
Citation example 2 - Report 2024: Amnesty International, Death sentences and executions in 2023, (London: Amnesty International, May 2024), 21, available online at https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/act50/7952/2024/en/.
Citation example 3 - Report 2023: Amnesty International, Death sentences and executions in 2022, (London: Amnesty International, May 2023), 7, available online at https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/act50/6548/2023/en/.
Citation example 4 - Report 2022: Amnesty International, Death sentences and executions in 2021, (London: Amnesty International, May 2022), 40, available online at https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/act50/5418/2022/en/.
Annual world reports
https://www.amnesty.org/en/search/?qcategory=1149&qresource-type=2134
Citation format: Authoring Organization, Title: Subtitle in italics, by Author(s) Names (Location of Publication: Publisher, Month and year), page number(s) referenced, available online at URL.
Citation example 1 - World Report 2025: Amnesty International, The State of the World's Human Rights: April 2025, (London: Amnesty International, Apr. 2025), 49, available online at https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/8515/2025/en/.
Citation example 2 - World Report 2024: Amnesty International, The State of the World's Human Rights: April 2024, (London: Amnesty International, Apr. 2024), 48, available online at https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/7200/2024/en/.
Citation example 3 - World Report 2023: Amnesty International, Amnesty International Report 2022/23: The state of the world's human rights, (London: Amnesty International, Mar. 2023), 61, available online at https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/5670/2023/en/.
Citation example 4 - World Report 2022: Amnesty International, Amnesty International Report 2021/22: The state of the world's human rights, (London: Amnesty International, Mar. 2022), 200, available online at https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/4870/2022/en/.
Country-specific reports
Citation format: Authoring Organization, Title: Subtitle in italics, by Author(s) Names (Location of Publication: Publisher, Month and year), page number(s) referenced, available online at URL.
Citation example: Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia: "If We Had Money and a Lawyer, Maybe My Brother Would Be Alive": Saudi Arabia's Execution Crisis, (London: Amnesty International, July 2025), 12, available online at https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde23/9524/2025/en/.
News
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/
Citation format: Author [if available], Article title in italics, Amnesty International, Date, URL.
Citation example: Amnesty International, Japan: Cruel execution a stain on country's human rights record, June 27, 2025, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/06/japan-cruel-execution-a-stain-on-countrys-human-rights-record/.
Annual world reports
https://www.hrw.org/previous-world-reports
Citation format: Authoring Organization, Title: Subtitle in italics, by Author(s) Names [if available] (Location of Publication: Publisher, Month [if available] and year), page number(s) referenced, available online at URL.
Citation example 1 - World Report 2025: Human Rights Watch, World Report 2025: Events of 2024, (New York: Human Rights Watch, Jan. 2025), 546, available online at https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2025/01/World%20Report%202025.pdf.
Citation example 2 - World Report 2024: Human Rights Watch, World Report 2024: Events of 2023, (New York: Human Rights Watch, 2024), 61, available online at https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2024/01/World%20Report%202024%20LOWRES%20WEBSPREADS_0.pdf.
Citation example 3 - World Report 2023: Human Rights Watch, World Report 2023: Events of 2022, (New York: Human Rights Watch, 2023), 63, available online at https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2023/01/World_Report_2023_WEBSPREADS_0.pdf.
Citation example 4 - World Report 2022: Human Rights Watch, World Report 2022: Events of 2021, (New York: Human Rights Watch, 2022), 86, available online at https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2022/01/World%20Report%202022%20web%20pdf_0.pdf.
Citation example 5 - World Report 2021: Human Rights Watch, World Report 2021: Events of 2020, (New York: Human Rights Watch, 2021), 71, available online at https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2021/01/2021_hrw_world_report.pdf.
News
Citation format: Author [if available], Title in italics, Human Rights Watch, Date, URL.
Citation example 1: Human Rights Watch, Iran: Authorities Unleash Wave of Oppression After Hostilities with Israel - Widespread Arrests, Executions, Charges Against Minorities, Sept. 02, 2025, https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/09/02/iran-authorities-unleash-wave-of-oppression-after-hostilities-with-israel.
Citation example 2: Idriss Nassah, Zimbabwe Considers Abolishing Death Penalty - Parliament Should Amend Criminal Code, Protect Right to Life, Human Rights Watch, Feb. 15, 2024, https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/02/15/zimbabwe-considers-abolishing-death-penalty.
https://dpw.lawschool.cornell.edu/
The Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide provides transparent data on death penalty laws and practices around the world, publishes reports and manuals on issues of practical relevance to lawyers, judges, and policymakers, trains lawyers in best practices, and engages in targeted advocacy and litigation.
Cornell Center database
https://dpw.lawschool.cornell.edu/database/
This database is a good starting point for research (as it provides country-specific information on death penalty issues), but please do not cite it directly unless absolutely necessary. It is not updated regularly. Please use the database to identify sources that you should consult, such as a country's penal code or a news item about a change in the law. Go to those original sources and cite them in your footnotes, rather than the Cornell database.
Reports
https://dpw.lawschool.cornell.edu/publication-categories/research-reports/
Citation format: Authoring Organization, Title: Subtitle in italics, by Author(s) Names (Location of Publication: Publisher, Month and year), page number(s) referenced, available online at URL.
Citation example 1: Eleos Justice, Monash University and The Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide, Silently Silenced: State-Sanctioned Killing of Women, by Mai Sato and Sandra Babcock (Eleos Justice, Monash University and The Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide, Mar. 2023), 17-19, available online at https://dpw.lawschool.cornell.edu/publication/silently-silenced-state-sanctioned-killing-of-women/.
Citation example 2: The Sentencing Project, National Black Women's Justice Institute and The Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide, In the Extreme: Women Serving Life without Parole and Death Sentences in the United States, by Ashley Nellis (Washington: The Sentencing Project, Sept. 2021), 12, available online at https://dpw.lawschool.cornell.edu/publication/in-the-extreme-women-serving-life-without-parole-and-death-sentences-in-the-united-states/.
Citation example 3: The Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide and Harm Reduction International, "No One Believed Me": A Global Overview of Women Facing the Death Penalty for Drug Offenses, by Charlotte Andrews-Briscoe, Laura Douglas, Ariane Jacoberger, Delphine Lourtau, and Hailey Shapiro (The Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide and Harm Reduction International, Sept. 2021), 7, available online at https://dpw.lawschool.cornell.edu/publication/no-one-believed-me-a-global-overview-of-women-facing-the-death-penalty-for-drug-offenses/.
Manuals and guides
https://dpw.lawschool.cornell.edu/publication-categories/manuals-and-guides/
Citation format: Authoring Organization, Title: Subtitle in italics, by Author(s) Names (Location of Publication: Publisher, Month and year), page number(s) referenced, available online at URL.
Citation example: The Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide, Best Practices in Defending Women and Gender Minorities, by Sandra Babcock, Nathalie Greenfield, Bahar Mirhosseni, and Jessica Sutton (Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide: July 2025), 89, available online at https://dpw.lawschool.cornell.edu/publication/best-practices-in-defending-women-and-gender-minorities/.
https://deathpenaltyproject.org/
The Death Penalty Project is a legal action NGO using the law to protect prisoners facing execution.
News
https://deathpenaltyproject.org/news/
Citation format: Author, Article title in italics, The Death Penalty Project, Date, URL.
Citation example 1: The Death Penalty Project, High Court of Trinidad and Tobago criticises the State for "spitting in the face of the courts" over refusal to carry out fair death penalty resentencing, Jul. 01, 2025, https://deathpenaltyproject.org/high-court-of-trinidad-and-tobago-criticises-the-state/.
Citation example 2: The Death Penalty Project, From Exoneration to Execution: Japan fails to learn from historic miscarriage of justice case, Jul. 07, 2025, https://deathpenaltyproject.org/from-exoneration-to-execution-japan/.
Reports and studies
https://deathpenaltyproject.org/knowledge-resource/reports-and-studies/
Citation format: Authoring Organization, Title: Subtitle in italics, by Author(s) Names (Location of Publication: Publisher, Month and year), page number(s) referenced, available online at URL.
Citation example 1: The Death Penalty Project, The Death Penalty Project Annual Report 2024 (London: The Death Penalty Project, Feb. 2025), 10, available online at https://deathpenaltyproject.org/knowledge/the-death-penalty-project-annual-report-2024/.
Citation example 2: The Death Penalty Project, The Death Penalty Project Annual Report 2023 (London: The Death Penalty Project, Mar. 2024), 18, available online at https://deathpenaltyproject.org/knowledge/the-death-penalty-project-annual-report-2023/.
https://www.monash.edu/law/research/eleos/home
Eleos engages in advocacy, evidence-based research, and teaching to advance efforts to restrict and abolish the death penalty across Asia.
Reports
https://www.monash.edu/law/research/eleos/research
Citation format: Authoring Organization, Title: Subtitle in italics, by Author(s) Names (Location of Publication: Publisher, Month and year), page number(s) referenced, available online at URL.
Citation example 1: Monash University, Eleos Justice and Capital Punishment Justice Project, State-Sanctioned Killing of Sexual Minorities: Looking Beyond the Death Penalty, by Mai Sato and Christopher Alexander (Monash University, Eleos Justice and Capital Punishment Justice Project, Feb. 2021), 29, available online at https://bridges.monash.edu/articles/report/State-Sanctioned_Killing_of_Sexual_Minorities_Looking_Beyond_the_Death_Penalty/14069318/3?_gl=1*1r4gqto*_ga*MjAyNzAzNjA2Mi4xNzU3MDkxNzE0*_ga_4G8QBQJPGS*czE3NTcwOTE3MTUkbzEkZzEkdDE3NTcwOTI0OTYkajU4JGwwJGgw&file=26686841.
Citation example 2: Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network, Monash University, Eleos Justice and Same Network, A deadly distraction: why the death penalty is not the answer to rape in South Asia, by Sara Kowal, Scott Walker, Zaman Ashraf and Mai Sato (Malaysia: Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network, May 2022), 15, available online at https://bridges.monash.edu/articles/report/A_Deadly_Distraction_Why_the_Death_Penalty_is_not_the_Answer_to_Rape_in_South_Asia/19786873/4?_gl=1*bf0nt0*_ga*MjAyNzAzNjA2Mi4xNzU3MDkxNzE0*_ga_4G8QBQJPGS*czE3NTcwOTE3MTUkbzEkZzEkdDE3NTcwOTI0OTYkajU4JGwwJGgw&file=35165350.
ECPM is a not-for-profit organization based in Paris. ECPM has been campaigning since 2000 for the universal abolition of the death penalty through advocacy, awareness-raising activities and by uniting international abolitionist forces.
Reports and analysis
https://www.ecpm.org/en/reports-and-analysis/
Citation format: Authoring Organization, Title: Subtitle in italics, by Author(s) Names (Location of Publication: Publisher, Month and year), page number(s) referenced, available online at URL.
Citation example 1: Iran Human Rights and ECPM, Annual Report on the death penalty in Iran 2024 (Iran Human Rights and ECPM, Feb. 2025), 20, available online at https://www.ecpm.org/app/uploads/2025/02/Annual-Report-on-the-Death-Penalty-in-Iran-2024.pdf.
Citation example 2: ECPM,10 questions on the death penalty for LGBTQIA+ people: a report on the application of the death penalty for consensual same-sex conducts, by Céline Martin (Paris: ECPM, Nov. 2022), 19, available online at https://www.ecpm.org/app/uploads/2023/06/10-questions-LGBT-GB-160623-bd.pdf.
https://www.fiacat.org/en/about-us
The International Federation of ACATs, FIACAT, is an international Christian non-governmental human rights organisation, set up in 1987, which works towards the eradication of torture and the abolition of the death penalty. The Federation brings together some thirty national associations, the ACATs, present in three continents.
Reports
https://www.fiacat.org/en/publications-en/reports
Citation format: Authoring Organization, Title: Subtitle in italics, by Author(s) Names (Location of Publication: Publisher, Month and year), page number(s) referenced, available online at URL.
Citation example 1: ACAT Belgique, ACAT Bénin, ACAT Burundi, ACAT Cameroun, ACAT Canada, ACAT Congo, ACAT Côte d'Ivoire, ACAT Allemagne, ACAT France, ACAT Mali, ACAT Niger, ACAT RDC, ACAT Suisse, ACAT Suède, ACAT Tchad, ACAT Togo, ACAT Royaume-Uni, Academic University for Non-Violence and Human Rights (AUNOHR), Centre Adaleh pour l'étude des droits de l'Homme, American Constitution Society?(ACS), Association Justice et Miséricorde?(AJEM), Centre de Bahreïn pour les droits de l'homme (BCHR), Death Penalty Focus (DPF), Ensemble contre la?peine de mort?(ECPM), FIACAT, Coalition allemande pour l'abolition de la peine de mort (GCADP), Greater Caribbean for Life (GCL), Legal Awareness Watch (LAW), Ligue des droits de l'Homme (LDH), Organisation Mondiale contre la torture (OMCT), Omega Research Foundation, Pax Christi Uvira, Penal Reform International?(PRI), Prisoners Future Foundation?(PFF), Redress, Réseau académique international pour l'abolition de la peine de mort?(REPECAP), SALAM for Democracy and Human Rights?(SALAM DHR), Syndicat national des agents de la formation et de l'éducation du Niger (SYNAFEN), Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP), Centre des droits de l'Homme?«?Viasna?», Witness to Innocence (WTI), Coalition mondiale contre la peine de mort (WCADP), The death penalty and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (FIACAT, July 2023), 4, available online at https://www.fiacat.org/en/publications-en/reports/thematic-reports/3003-the-death-penalty-and-the-prohibition-of-torture-and-other-cruel-inhuman-or-degrading-treatment-or-punishment.
Citation example 2: ACAT Italia and FIACAT, ACAT Italia and FIACAT's alternative report for the adoption of a list of issues prior to reporting on Italy by the Committee against torture (FIACAT, June 2020), 11, available online at https://www.fiacat.org/en/publications-en/reports/geographic-reports/europe/2896-cat-adoption-of-a-list-of-issues-before-the-review-of-italy.
FIDH is an international human rights NGO federating 188 organisations from 116 countries. Since 1922, FIDH has been defending all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Reports
https://www.fidh.org/spip.php?page=filactu&rapport=rapport&lang=en
Citation format: Authoring Organization, Title: Subtitle in italics, by Author(s) Names (Location of Publication: Publisher, Month and year), page number(s) referenced, available online at URL.
Citation example: FIDH, The Death Penalty In Japan, A Practice Unworthy of a Democracy (FIDH, May 2003), 2, available online at https://www.fidh.org/en/issues/human-rights-defenders/The-Death-Penalty-In-Japan-A.
Press releases
Citation format: Press Release, Name of Organization, Title of Press Release (Date of Release). Available online at URL.
Citation example: Press Release, FIDH, Summary executions in Gaza: Complaint filed against dual national snipers in France (July 01, 2025). Available online at https://www.fidh.org/en/region/europe-central-asia/france/summary-executions-in-gaza-complaints-filed-against-dual-national.
Harm Reduction International is an international NGO dedicated to reducing the negative health, social and legal impacts of drug use and drug policy. Promotes the rights of people who use drugs and their communities through research and advocacy to help achieve a world where drug policies and laws contribute to healthier, safer societies.
Reports
https://hri.global/publications?publication-type=report&themes=&dateinput=&search=
Citation format: Authoring Organization, Title: Subtitle in italics, by Author(s) Names (Location of Publication: Publisher, Month and year), page number(s) referenced, available online at URL.
Citation example: Harm Reduction International, The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2024, by Giada Girelli, Marcela Jofré, and Ajeng Larasati (Harm Reduction International, 2025), 24, available online at https://hri.global/flagship-research/death-penalty/the-death-penalty-for-drug-offences-global-overview-2024/.
News
Citation format: Author, Article title in italics, Harm Reduction International, Date, URL.
Citation example: Ajeng Larasati, UNODC Should Stand Against the Use of the Death Penalty for Drug Offenses, Harm Reduction International, Oct. 10, 2024, https://passblue.com/2024/10/10/unodc-should-stand-against-the-use-of-the-death-penalty-for-drug-offenses/.
The ICJ is a non-governmental organization of leading judges and lawyers from all legal traditions, working to build a world based on human rights standards and the rule of law.
Reports
Citation format: Authoring Organization, Title: Subtitle in italics, by Author(s) Names (Location of Publication: Publisher, Month and year), page number(s) referenced, available online at URL.
Citation example: International Commission of Jurists, One year after resolution 56/16, the human rights situation remains dire and domestic accountability efforts inadequate (Geneva: International Commission of Jurists, Sept. 2025), 4, available online at https://www.icj.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/HRC-Report_EN.pdf.
PGA, a non-governmental, multi-party, international network of legislators acting in their individual capacity, informs and mobilizes parliamentarians in all regions of the world to advocate for human rights and the Rule of Law, democracy, human security, inclusion, gender equality and justice, including climate justice.
Publications
https://www.pgaction.org/resources/
Citation format: Authoring Organization, Title: Subtitle in italics, by Author(s) Names (Location of Publication: Publisher, Month and year), page number(s) referenced, available online at URL.
Citation example 1: The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and Parliamentarians for Global Action, Addressing the gender dimension of the death penalty: Coaction between Parliamentarians and Civil Society (New York: Parliamentarians for Global Action, 2021), 2, available online at https://www.pgaction.org/resources/addressing-gender-dimension-death-penalty.html.
Citation example 2: The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and Parliamentarians for Global Action, How to Work with Parliamentarians for the Abolition of the Death Penalty, by Marion Chahuneau (Montreuil: The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, Sept. 2021), 19, available online at https://www.pgaction.org/resources/how-to-work-with-parliamentarians-for-the-abolition-of-the-death-penalty.html.
Penal Reform International is a non-governmental organization working globally to promote criminal justice systems that uphold human rights for all and do no harm.
Resources
https://www.penalreform.org/resource/
Citation format: Authoring Organization, Title: Subtitle in italics, by Author(s) Names (Location of Publication: Publisher, Month and year), page number(s) referenced, available online at URL.
Citation example 1: Penal Reform International, Women Beyond Walls, and the Global Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status, From Poverty to punishment: Examining laws and practices which criminalise women due to poverty or status worldwide (Penal Reform International, Women Beyond Walls, and the Global Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status, Mar. 2025), 18, available online at https://www.penalreform.org/resource/from-poverty-to-punishment/.
Citation example 2: Penal Reform International and the Thailand Institute of Justice, Global Prison Trends 2025 (Penal Reform International and the Thailand Institute of Justice, May 2025), 14, available online at https://www.penalreform.org/resource/global-prison-trends-2025/.
Reprieve is a legal action NGO. They are investigators, lawyers and campaigners fighting for justice. They defend people who are facing human rights abuses, often at the hands of governments.
Research
https://reprieve.org/uk/policy-research/
Citation format: Authoring Organization, Title: Subtitle in italics, by Author(s) Names (Location of Publication: Publisher, Month and year), page number(s) referenced, available online at URL.
Citation example 1: Reprieve and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, From uprisings to executions: The death penalty in Bahrain, ten years on from the Arab Spring (Reprieve and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, 2021), 9, available online at https://reprieve.org/uk/2021/07/27/death-penalty-in-bahrain/.
Citation example 2: Reprieve and Migrant CARE, Worked to Death: A study on migrant workers and capital punishment (Reprieve and Migrant CARE, Aug. 2021), 13, available online at https://reprieve.org/uk/2021/11/23/worked-to-death/.
The Death Penalty Information Center is a U.S. nonprofit organization providing the media, policymakers, and the general public with data and analysis on issues concerning capital punishment and the people it affects.
Reports
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/research-facts/reports
Citation format: Authoring Organization, Title: Subtitle in italics, by Author(s) Names (Location of Publication: Publisher, Month and year), page number(s) referenced, available online at URL.
Citation example 1: The Death Penalty Information Center, The Death Penalty in 2024: Death Sentences and Executions Remain Near Historic Lows Amid Growing Concerns about Fairness and Innocence, by Robin M. Maher and Anne Holsinger (The Death Penalty Information Center, 2024), 11-15, available online at https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/research/analysis/reports/year-end-reports/the-death-penalty-in-2024.
Citation example 2: The Death Penalty Information Center, Lethal Election: How the U.S. Electoral Process Increases the Arbitrariness of the Death Penalty, by Robin M. Maher and Leah Roemer (The Death Penalty Information Center, 2024),14, available online at https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/research/analysis/reports/in-depth/lethal-election.
Execution database
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/facts-and-research/data/executions
This is a comprehensive and frequently updated database on executions in the U.S. It is possible to filter results by state, region, race of executed, gender of executed, age, race of victim, and gender of victim.
Women
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/death-row/women
They have a specific section on women facing a death sentence, providing data and other resources on this topic.
News
Citation format: Author, Article title in italics, The Death Penalty Information Center, Date, URL.
Citation example: The Death Penalty Information Center, ACLU Report Shows How Death Penalty Jury Selection Discriminates Against Black Americans, Women, and People of Faith, July 08, 2025, https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/aclu-report-shows-how-death-penalty-jury-selection-discriminates-against-black-americans-women-and-people-of-faith.
Methods of execution
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/methods-of-execution
This section of the website provides information on methods of execution authorized by states.
