Malawi work
Since 2014, Reprieve and partners fought to get 193 people off death row.
Now, with death row standing empty, we are pushing for the complete abolition of the death penalty.
Add your name to our official record off opposition to the death penalty
In 2007, Malawi’s Constitutional Court abolished the mandatory death penalty. Previously, capital punishment was the only available sentence for some offences – the court ruled that this violated people’s right to a fair trial. It was a moment of hope for everyone on death row, as each person was now entitled to have their sentence re-examined.
But by 2014, only one person had actually had their sentence reviewed, and the Malawi Human Rights Commission recognised that something had to change.
This is where Reprieve and our partners came in – and where a decade-long project that would help hundreds of people began.
What is the mandatory death penalty?
The mandatory death penalty is where execution is the only sentencing option for certain crimes.
Once a person is convicted, the judge must impose death, they have no room to consider mitigating factors, such as personal circumstances, or the context of the offence.
What we did
We visited the men and women on death row, interviewing them to learn their stories.
We worked with experts to provide essential mental health assessments.
We worked alongside legal aid lawyers to develop strategic arguments, which have been so successful that Malawi now has some of the best law on mitigation in the world.
Alongside a team of investigators, we researched and gathered evidence that would convince the court not to give a death sentence.
We took cases to court, and got our clients off death row.
For everyone who remained under sentence of death, we pushed for commutations — and we won them, ensuring no one was left behind.
We’ve applied the lessons as a blueprint in Malaysia and Kenya after they abolished the mandatory death penalty.
What have we achieved through resentencing projects
1200
people
in Malawi freed from death row.
950
people
In Malaysia no longer facing death sentences.
5,000
people
In Kenya able to challenge death sentences.
Stand with us
What next?
Thanks to this work, support is building and the argument around abolition is gaining ground. Together with our partners, we are working to end the death penalty for good.
From Malawi to Malaysia to the USA, Reprieve and our partners fight for people facing execution and win.
Help us keep going until the death penalty is gone for good.
