World Day Against the Death Penalty was launched in 2003 by the Coalition Against the Death Penalty, and has been held on 10 October every year since then.
The day is a focus for international action against capital punishment, with the ultimate goal of the worldwide abolition of the death penalty.
The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty is an alliance of more than 120 international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), bar associations, local authorities and unions. Its ultimate objective is to obtain the universal abolition of the death penalty.
Established by organizations who participated in the first international Congress against the death penalty (Strasbourg, 2001), the Coalition aims to encourage the establishment of national coalitions, the organization of common initiatives and the coordination of international lobbying efforts to sensitize states that still maintain the death penalty.
This year’s World Day focuses on the progress made in the past 10 years and on challenges ahead. The last decade has seen a large increase in the number of countries that have officially abolished the death penalty or eliminated the use of the death penalty in practice:
• 141 countries are abolitionist in law or in practice;
• 97 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes;
• 36 countries have abolished the death penalty in practice;
• 8 countries have abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes.
According to Amnesty International, 21 countries recorded executions in 2011, compared to 31 countries 10 years ago. Even the USA, one of the worst offenders in the use of the death penalty, has shown progress as individual states have abolished or limited the death penalty.
Many other countries have also abolished the death penalty in the past decade, including: Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Bhutan, Burundi, Cook Islands, Gabon, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Mexico, the Philippines, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Togo, Turkey and Uzbekistan.
However, further work needs to be done to build on the progress made, according to the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty:
• Promote national legislation abolishing the death penalty.
• Increase ratifications of the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty.
• Support international standards calling for the abolition or restricted use of the death penalty.
• Support adoption of the 2012 UN General Assembly Resolution on a moratorium: in December 2012, the UN General Assembly will vote on a fourth resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty. Source: World Coalition Against the Death Penalty .
For more information visit, www.worldcoalition.org/worldday.htm.
