Abolish the death penalty
Moratorium on executions now!
In October 2008 the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly will debate the death penalty and the implementation of the 2007 UNGA resolution calling for a moratorium on executions.
Learn more about the UNGA resolution on the death penalty.
The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state. This cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment is done in the name of justice.
It violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or the method used by the state to kill the prisoner.
Trend towards abolition
Trend towards abolition
Amnesty International monitors developments around the application of the death penalty worldwide. The graph above is based on figures that Amnesty International publishes every year.