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Zimbabwe takes historic decision to abolish the death penalty
Today, the President of Zimbabwe has signed the Death Penalty Abolition Act (2024), removing the death penalty in law, following approval by the Senate of the Bill introducing abolition. This is a significant step, recognising the death penalty as an affront to dignity and the right to life. Zimbabwe has not carried out any death sentences for nearly two decades,…
PRESS RELEASE: DNA expert evidence relied on by prosecution to convict a man of murder over 10 years ago was fundamentally flawed
Today, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council formally quashed Julian Washington’s conviction for murder and attempted murder, after he spent over 10 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. To secure Julian’s conviction, the prosecution in Bermuda relied upon the testimony of a DNA expert at trial. The jury were told Julian’s DNA was found on…
PRESS RELEASE: Constitutional Court sets Taiwan on an irrevocable path to abolishing the death penalty
Today, the Constitutional Court of Taiwan delivered a judgment restricting the use of the death penalty, ruling that Taiwan’s current use of the punishment violates due process rights guaranteed under the Constitution. Whilst it is disappointing that the court did not abolish the death penalty in its entirety, today’s judgment strengthens defendants’ rights to a fair trial and will ensure…
PRESS RELEASE: British National sentenced to death in DRC
Today, a military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) sentenced a British National to death, Mr Youssouf Ezangi. This decision has raised serious concerns that the DRC has violated international law, as the country reinstates its use of the death penalty after a 20-year hiatus. Prosecutors in the DRC sought the death penalty for a group of…
PRESS RELEASE: Catalogue of errors leads to a miscarriage of justice in St Kitts and Nevis
After a legal battle spanning 20 years, the Privy Council has today quashed Nardis Maynard’s conviction, calling it a miscarriage of justice. Today’s judgment exposes the systemic failures of the justice system and the litany of errors in Nardis’ case to date. Failures in Nardis’s case Nardis was convicted in St Kitts and Nevis in 2004 for the murder of…
Strengthening the Abolitionist Movement: Launch of the Global Consortium for Death Penalty Abolition
Despite a growing number of countries worldwide joining the abolitionist movement every year, bringing the prospect of universal abolition closer to reality, the death penalty remains a significant human rights concern. In 2023 alone, Amnesty International recorded 1,153 executions (excluding China, North Korea and Vietnam, due to unavailable data), marking a 31% increase from the previous year and the highest…
PRESS RELEASE: British National at risk of the Death Penalty in DRC
Today a court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) decided that a British National, Mr Youssouf Ezangi, should be tried in a military tribunal, in breach of his constitutional rights. Mr Ezangi faces charges that may result in a death sentence. Refusing bail for the accused, the trial has been adjourned to 1 July 2024 where the prosecution…
PRESS RELEASE: Privy Council overturns murder and armed robbery convictions in 2015 joint enterprise trial in The Bahamas
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council has unanimously allowed an appeal from The Bahamas, quashing Anton Bastian’s conviction for murder and armed robbery. Following a hearing on 15 April 2024, the Privy Council found that the evidence relied upon at trial was “…so tenuous as to be incapable of supporting a safe conviction for murder.” The Board ruled that…
PRESS RELEASE: Systemic failures in DNA testing leads to release of Bermudan man wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for more than 10 years
In a rare act, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the highest court in Bermuda, ordered the immediate release of Julian Washington on bail. A final order will follow quashing his conviction, on the basis of fresh evidence undermining the safety of his original conviction for murder over 10 years ago. The appeal, originally listed to be heard in…
DW: Will Taiwan abolish the death penalty this year?
This article was originally published in Deutsche Welle (DW), 24 April 2024. A Taiwanese court ruling could lead to the island’s abolition of capital punishment. But given strong public support for the death penalty, the court may have to sail against the wind to reach a consensus. Taiwan‘s Constitutional Court on Tuesday debated the island’s death penalty and discussed whether it violates the…
Future of the death penalty in Taiwan to be determined by historic legal challenge
On 23rd April 2024, the Taiwan Constitutional Court will decide if the death penalty is a lawful punishment. The Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty, a coalition of abolitionist NGOs and research institutes, brought the landmark challenge to the Taiwan Constitutional Court assisting 37 individuals currently on Taiwan’s death row. UK NGO The Death Penalty Project was invited by…
The Telegraph: Will Africa be the next continent to abolish the death penalty?
This article was originally published in The Telegraph, but Ben Farmer and Petra Thronycroft, 16 April 202 4. Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s cabinet agreed to abolish the death penalty CREDIT: JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP via Getty Image When a young independence fighter called Emmerson Mnangagwa was caught and tried in 1965 in what was then Rhodesia, the judge made it clear his…
