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The Death Penalty Project’s Co-Executive Directors Saul Lehrfreund and Parvais Jabbar Appointed to the House of Lords
The Death Penalty Project’s Co-Founders and Co-Executive Directors, Saul Lehrfreund MBE and Parvais Jabbar MBE, have been appointed to the House of Lords as life peers. Their appointments recognise more than three decades of leadership and advocacy dedicated to defending the rights of some of the world's most marginalised people, advancing access to justice and challenging the use of the…
Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom, granted a posthumous pardon
Ruth Ellis was the last woman to be executed in Britain. In 1955, she was hanged at Holloway Prison after being convicted of the murder of her partner, David Blakely. Just days before the 71st anniversary of her execution on 13 July 2026, the King has accepted the Government's advice to grant her a posthumous conditional pardon.
British Citizen Returned to the UK After 18 Months Living Under a Sentence of Death in the DRC
For 18 months, British citizen Youssouf Ezangi was detained under a sentence of death in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He had faced serious human rights violations. In March 2026, Mr Ezangi was returned from the DRC to a prison in the United Kingdom.
PRESS RELEASE: Murder charge dropped after State misconduct deemed abuse of process
On 10 February 2025, the High Court in Antigua ruled that it would be unfair to allow the criminal proceedings against Methoni Vernon to continue after concerns were raised about a 2016 covert police operation to bring Mr Vernon from Dominica to Antigua. In an application to the Court, Mr Vernon’s legal team accused the Antiguan State of conducting an…
PRESS RELEASE: The Death Penalty Project condemns Taiwan’s unlawful execution of Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱)
Yesterday evening, at 10:02pm in Taiwan, Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱) was executed summarily and unlawfully. He and his legal team were given less than four hours’ notice of his execution, which took place while an appeal was still pending – an indefensible disregard for the right to life and the due process of law enshrined in the Taiwanese Constitution. Minister of…
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: 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: 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…
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…
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…
Focus on Africa podcast – Why African countries are saying no to the death penalty
Our Co-Executive Director, Parvais Jabbar, was interviewed by BBC Africa’s Focus on Africa podcast speaking on the crucial development in Zimbabwe this week that the Cabinet backs a proposed Private Member’s Bill that will abolish the death penalty. Listen now 02:39 – 14:30. https://deathpenaltyproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/FocusOnAfrica-20240208-WhyAfricanCountriesAreSayingNoToTheDeathPenalty.mp3
