DEATH PENALTY KILLS PEOPLE,
NOT CRIME
The death penalty is never the solution. We believe that the state must not have the right to take anyone’s life in the name of justice. Regardless of the crimes committed, no one should suffer this ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. There is no credible evidence that the death penalty even has any unique deterrent effect. The death penalty kills people, not crime.
- It was a mere 33 years ago, in 1990, that Ireland abolished capital punishment for all crimes.
- When Amnesty International was founded in 1961 only ten countries had legally ended executions.
- Today that figure stands at 112
There is still much to be done to bring this practice to a complete end. 55 states around the world, continue to execute people. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty unconditionally, in all cases and under any circumstances. We will continue to fight for the complete end to capital punishment, not just in practice but in law.
With 125 UN member states — more than ever before — calling for a moratorium on executions, Amnesty International has never felt more hopeful that this abhorrent punishment can and will be relegated to the annals of history. But 2022’s tragic figures remind us that we can’t rest on our laurels. We will continue to campaign until the death penalty is abolished across the globe.
The positive momentum continued as Liberia and Ghana took legislative steps toward abolishing the death penalty, while the authorities of Sri Lanka and the Maldives said they would not resort to implementing death sentences. Bills to abolish the mandatory death penalty were also tabled in the Malaysian Parliament.
As many countries continue to consign the death penalty to the dustbin of history, it’s time for others to follow suit