We work in more than 20 countries around the world, with a particular focus on the Commonwealth. We are prepared to work wherever the death penalty is imposed, though we never work anywhere without an invitation. Partnership is at the heart of what we do.
The overall global trend continues toward universal abolition of the death penalty. However, the world has witnessed a sharp spike in the number of executions over the past few years, primarily due to a small number of hardline retentionist states, including the United States, Iran, Saudi Arabia and China.
Browse our summaries of some of the places we work to find out where we are finding hope, experiencing headwinds and taking action against hardliners.
The Caribbean, where our work first began five decades ago, remains stalled in abolitionist de facto status. Alongside legal practitioners, we continue to explore routes to full abolition. In particular, our current work challenging the legality of the death penalty in Guyana and St Kitts and Nevis could result in the death penalty being outlawed in these jurisdictions – and would have a wider regional effect.
Explore our spotlight countries:
The African continent continues to take great strides towards abolition, with Sierra Leone, Ghana and Zimbabwe all abolishing in the past five years. In the countries we work, we are encouraged by the Botswanan government’s desire for evidence-based dialogue about criminal justice. 4,000+ people are on death row in Nigeria, but upcoming elections present an opportunity to position abolition as a priority and build on recent marked progress in the country.
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Capital punishment in Asia is complex and varied – though still widely practiced. We have witnessed backwards steps in East Asia, with Japan and Taiwan returning to executions. It has only reinvigorated our efforts to prevent further executions and de-escalate the politicisation of the death penalty. While death sentences for drug-related crime remain a critical concern in Southeast Asia, the tide could be slowly turning.
Explore our spotlight countries:
