Our History
Reprieve started as a small group of lawyers fighting capital punishment in the US.
Over the last quarter century, our mission expanded to confront the full playbook of state abuse across four continents.
How we started
In 1987, documentary-maker Paul Hamann filmed lawyer Clive Stafford Smith as he tried to prevent an execution from going ahead in Mississippi. The resulting film, 14 Days in May, was a devastating indictment of the death penalty, showing the state’s determination to kill a man who protested his innocence to the end.
Together, they resolved to broaden their fight against capital punishment, and in 1999 Reprieve was born, with a mission to confront the death penalty through private advocacy and public campaigning, as well as in courts of law.
After the 9/11 attacks and the “War on Terror” that followed, our mission expanded to confront the full playbook of state abuse – torture, rendition, unlawful detention, and extrajudicial executions.
Our fight expands
In, 2002, Reprieve became one of the first charities fighting for the rights of the men imprisoned without trial at Guantánamo Bay. We challenged the legal architecture of the “War on Terror” – beating the US Government in court, and eventually securing the release of more than 80 men.
In 2004, we took our fight global and now work with local partners to get people off death row in the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia and Africa.
From 2011, we held the UK Government to account for its role in torture and rendition, won justice for victims and campaigned for a judge-led inquiry into British complicity in these abuses.
In 2011, Reprieve began working with pharmaceutical companies to prevent their life-saving medicines from being used in lethal injection executions in the US. Multiple states have since stopped executing people because they cannot source drugs – and for some, that pause has opened the door to abolition altogether.
In 2014, Reprieve and partners launched a pioneering resentencing project in Malawi. Almost 200 people have been released from death row - most have returned to their villages after serving prison terms. Today, Malawi’s death row is empty.
Since 2017, we have been fighting for British men, women and children unlawfully detained in North East Syria, in prison camps dubbed “Europe’s Guantánamo”. We’re calling for them to be brought home to the UK and fighting against the racist citizenship stripping regime used by the Government to deprive them of fundamental rights.
In 2021, we prevented legislation from granting de facto immunity from prosecution for British troops accused of committing war crimes.
Since 2024, we have been campaigning for the UK to abolish citizenship stripping for the ‘public good’ – an extreme power, used in secret, that disproportionately targets people of colour.
In 2026, authoritarianism is on the rise and the rule of law under attack at home and abroad. The toolkit we’ve built over 25 years - fighting states through courts, investigations and campaigns - is exactly what this moment demands.
When states argue that some people have forfeited their legal rights and can therefore be detained, tortured or executed without due process, Reprieve steps in.
Twenty five years of fighting.
Here’s what that looks like in practice.
600
Stopped more than 600 executions
80
Won freedom for over 80 men from Guantánamo
1200
Secured access to justice for more than 1,200 people denied their right to a fair trial
100
Fought for more than 100 people indefinitely detained in North East Syria
Leave a legacy
The fight for justice is not quick. It is not easy. It takes time, tenacity and vision. But a future where no government can torture, detain or execute with impunity is possible – and worth building towards.
One way you can support Reprieve’s work is by leaving a gift in your Will.
Case studies
Country
Malawi
Case Type
Death Penalty
Outcome
Released
Where we work today
Reprieve is based in London (UK) and we proudly collaborate with a network of fellows, consultants and partners around the world to help people facing the death penalty and extreme human rights abuses committed in the name of “counter-terrorism” or “national security”.
