Death penalty around the world
On average, there is an execution somewhere in the world every four hours. The next one could be in:
00:00:59
Somewhere, someone is running out of time. Join the movement to end the death penalty now.
The death penalty is cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, and a violation of human rights – but every day people are put to death in countries around the world.
In Saudi Arabia, 47 people have been executed in just one day. In Pakistan, hundreds are hanged, including juveniles and the mentally ill. In Egypt, activists and journalists face death sentences in wave after wave of repression. In the US, states are using untested combinations of misused medicines to kill prisoners, while passing secrecy laws to hide their tracks.
So-called ‘crimes’ that are punished by execution include homosexuality, adultery and blasphemy. Authoritarian regimes across the world use the death penalty and torture as tools to silence those who dare to oppose them.
The battle between human rights and the death penalty has many frontlines – and we’re on all of them. Our lawyers and investigators go to the places where executions are happening and stop them. In doing so, we protect human rights, save lives and challenge whole systems of injustice.
With us are thousands of activists across the world who believe that protecting human rights means standing up for the most vulnerable. Together, we fight for those facing execution and other extreme human rights abuses with a combination of legal action and public pressure.
Facts from the front line
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Which countries execute the most people?
These seven countries executed thousands between them in 2016.
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5 so-called ‘crimes’ punishable by death
From pre-marital sex to attending protests - five 'crimes' that you can be executed for around the world.
Videos
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Video: Death Penalty FAQs
Why defend people on death row? What if someone’s guilty? Clive Stafford Smith and Maya Foa answer frequently asked questions.
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Video: “I just received my Black Warrant."
David Morrissey reads the words of Aftab Bahadur, an artist executed in Pakistan.
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Video: Last Words
David Tennant and others read the last words of past and present prisoners on death row.
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Video: Bring Andy Home
Rory Bremner contrasts Boris Johnson's words and actions on the case of Andy Tsege, a British dad on death row in Ethiopia.
The stories
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"I have watched while six of my clients die"
Clive Stafford Smith explains why the horror of execution will never make the world a better place.
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Hope after 1000 days on death row
Andy Tsege's partner Yemi writes about her hope that Andy will soon be freed and returned to their three children
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Stories of three men executed in Bahrain
Abbas was a school teacher, and was just 27 when executed. He was targeted because of his family’s links to political opposition.
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Britain’s cash and Bahrain’s firing squads – 5 things we’ve learned
Amid torture, politically-motivated death sentences and executions there are worrying signs that Britain is helping to prop up Bahrain’s death penalty system.
The countries
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Spotlight on Bahrain
Bahrain has made a dangerous return to the death penalty, carrying out their first executions in 7 years this January.
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Spotlight on Pakistan
Since resuming executions in December 2014, the Pakistani authorities have gone on an unprecedented killing spree.
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Spotlight on Saudi Arabia
Beheading in Chop Chop Square, crucifixion and juvenile executions. ‘Crimes’ punishable by death include adultery and apostasy.
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Spotlight on Egypt
Reprieve has been tracking the dramatic rise in death sentences in Egypt, including the case of Irish schoolchild Ibrahim Halawa.
