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Death Penalty

Working for Worldwide Death Penalty Abolition

The Advocates for Human Rights opposes the use of the death penalty anywhere and everywhere.

We serve on the Steering Committee of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, an alliance of more than 160 NGOs, bar associations, local authorities, and unions from around the globe. We work with member organizations to train advocates and work to eliminate and reduce the scope of application of the death penalty, including fact-finding and advocacy at the United Nations.

Read about the twenty most common human rights violations connected to the death penaltyTo learn more about examples of these human rights violations in specific countries, read our submissions to international human rights mechanisms.

Education

The Advocates educates about the death penalty. We have produced the Death Penalty Abolition Toolkit, consisting of an international fact sheet, U.S. fact sheet, quiz, take action guide, resource guide, glossary, and testimonials. Our staff and volunteers frequently make presentations and participate in panels about the death penalty. Request a training or presentation by filling out this form.

Information and Research

Check the legal status of the death penalty in your country and others using this guide from our partners at the World Coalition. To access more detailed country-specific reports, visit the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide database.

Advocacy

World Day Against the Death Penalty (every October 10th) is a day for everyone, including human rights defenders, NGOs, politicians, and members of civil society, to collectively apply pressure, raise awareness, and advocate for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty. The World Day Against the Death Penalty has been observed globally every 10th of October since the World Coalition established it in 2003. Each year highlights a specific death penalty-related issue. The focus of the 2023 World Day Against the Death Penalty is the connection between torture and the death penalty. Some governments use torture to extract confessions from suspects in capital cases. Others subject people on death row to detention conditions that amount to torture. Others use methods of execution that result in a torturous death.

If you would like to learn more about World Day Against the Death Penalty, visit the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty's website for updated information.

Legal Tools and Resources

The Advocates for Human Rights does not represent individuals who have been sentenced to death. If you are looking for legal assistance in the United States, the American Bar Association maintains a list of resources for death penalty representation by state. For legal assistance outside of the United States, contact a World Coalition member organization. Our pro bono partners at Fredrikson & Byron have created a guide on representing individuals facing the death penalty.


Friday, November 11, 2022

Intl Mechanism Submission

One-pager on sovereignty amendment

We created this one-pager explaining the flaws in a proposed amendment to a resolution in the UN General Assembly calling for a global moratorium on the death penalty.


Recent Posts

Read about The Advocates' work on the death penalty.