The Death Penalty

Stop the Death Penalty: The World Decides
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In an historic vote at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Third Committee's 62nd session, on 15 November 2007, resolution L29 calling for a global moratorium on executions was adopted by 99 countries in favour, 52 against and 33 abstentions.The General Assembly is expected to endorse the decision in a plenary session in December. The landmark decision has cross-regional support and was co-sponsored by 87 states from around the world.

Read more about the UNGA voting results:
Breakthrough UN resolution on global moratorium on executions (News feature, 15 November 2007)
UNGA Resolution on the moratorium on the use of the death penalty (PDF, 2 pages, 29.6 KB)
UNGA vote on 15 November 2007 (opens in a new window)

Campaigning materials on the UNGA:
Download the Amnesty International poster (PDF, 1 page, 266 KB)
Download the focus sheet (PDF, 4 pages, 309 KB)
Open letter from Amnesty International Secretary General Irene Khan to UN member states calling for a global moratorium on executions (10 October)
The death penalty v. human rights - Why Abolish the Death Penalty? (Report summary, September 2007)
Global moratorium on executions now (22 August 2007)

Three men publicly executed in Iran
© APGraphicsBank
The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. It violates the right to life. It is irrevocable and can be inflicted on the innocent. It has never been shown to deter crime more effectively than other punishments.

Amnesty International works for an end to executions and the abolition of the death penalty everywhere.

Progress has been dramatic. In 1977 only 16 countries had abolished the death penalty for all crimes. Today the figure stands at 90.

Amnesty International is a member of the World Coalition against the Death Penalty.

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