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HANDS OFF CAIN’S 2016 REPORT
August 3, 2016: The worldwide trend towards abolition, underway for more than fifteen years, was again confirmed in 2015 and the first six months of 2016.
There are currently 160 countries and territories that, to different extents, have decided to renounce the death penalty. Of these: 104 are totally abolitionist; 6 are abolitionist for ordinary crimes; 6 have a moratorium on executions in place and 44 are de facto abolitionist (i.e. Countries that have not carried out any executions for at least 10 years or countries which have binding obligations not to use the death penalty).
Countries retaining the death penalty worldwide have gradually declined over the last ten years: in 2016, as of 30 June, there were 38 retentionist countries, compared to 54 in 2005.
In 2015, executions were carried out in 25 countries, compared to 22 in 2014 and 26 in 2008.
In 2015, there were at least 4.040 executions, compared to at least 3.576 in 2014 and at least 5,735 in 2008. The increase in executions as compared to 2014 is explained by increases recorded in Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
In the first six months of 2016, at least 1.685 executions were carried out in 17 Countries and territories.
In 2015, there were no recorded executions in 3 countries where executions were carried out in 2014: Belarus, Equatorial Guinea and Palestine (Gaza Strip). In the first six months of 2016, there were no recorded executions in 7 countries – Chad, Egypt, Jordan, India, Indonesia, Oman and United Arab Emirates –where executions were carried out in 2015.
On the other hand, 5 countries, which had not carried out executions in 2014, resumed them in 2015: Indonesia (14), Chad (10), Bangladesh (4), Oman (2) and India (1). Another 3 countries, which had not carried out executions in 2015, resumed them in the first six months of 2016: Botswana (1), Belarus (1) and Palestine (Gaza Strip) (3).
It could not be confirmed if judicial executions took place in Syria in 2015, as well as in North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Vietnam and Yemen in the first six months of 2016.
In 2015 and the first six months of 2016, another 6 States joined the list of total or de facto abolitionist countries: Côte d’Ivoire, Fiji, Mongolia, Nauru and Suriname completely abolished the death penalty; Zimbabwe can be considered de facto abolitionist country, after ten consecutive years without carrying out executions.
In the United States, in May 2015 Nebraska became the nineteenth State of the federation to abolish the death penalty, and the seventh to do so in eight years. In three other States – Washington, Colorado, Pennsylvania e Oregon – the Governors granted a stay of executions and essentially put executions on hold because of concerns about the death penalty system.
In 2015 and in the first six months of 2016, significant political and legislative steps towards abolition or a de facto moratorium on capital punishment have been seen in 43 countries.
In 5 countries – Burkina Faso, Guinea, Kenya, South Korea and Uganda – have announced or proposed laws for the abolition of the death penalty in the Constitution or criminal codes and Vietnam reduced the number of capital crimes.
During the Universal Periodic Review by the UN Human Rights Council, 8 countries – Guyana, Laos, Liberia, Malawi, Niger, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan and Thailand accepted recommendations and/or announced steps towards abolition of the death penalty.
Twelve other countries have confirmed their policy of de facto moratorium on the death penalty or executions in place for many years: Bahrein, Central African Republic, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo; Eritrea, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Morocco, Papua Nuova Guinea, Qatar, Tunisia and Zambia.
In the Caribbean Region, in 6 countries – Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Guatemala, Jamaica and Saint Lucia – no new death sentences were imposed and death rows were still empty at the end of 2015. In 5 other countries of the region – Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – no new death sentences were issued and death row inmates were a few units.
Furthermore, collective commutations of death sentences or suspension of executions indefinitely were granted in 7 countries: Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Swaziland.
On the other hand, 5 countries, which had not carried out executions in 2014, resumed them in 2015: Indonesia (14), Chad (10), Bangladesh (4), Oman (2) and India (1). Another 3 countries, which had not carried out executions in 2015, resumed them in the first six months of 2016: Belarus (1), Botswana (1) and Palestine (Gaza Strip) (3).
Chad and Oman resumed executions after, respectively, 12 and 6 years of de facto moratorium.
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