October 10 marks World Day Against the Death Penalty, a moment to reflect and reiterate Amnesty International’s call to abolish the death penalty.
Violation of human rights
The death penalty is a violation of human rights, in particular the right to life and the right to live free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Both rights are protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN in 1948.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception – regardless of who is accused, the nature of the crime or if they are guilty or innocent.
California’s death row – and Governor Newsom’s time to act
Right now, we have an opportunity to make a real change when it comes to the death penalty in the U.S.
California stands at a historic crossroads. For nearly two decades, no executions have taken place, yet the state continues to have the highest number of people under sentence of death in the United States.
More than 550 people have death sentences in California. That’s more than 25% of all people with death sentences in the entire U.S.
Two months after taking office as governor of California, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-09-19 to establish an official moratorium on executions, repeal the state lethal injection protocol and dismantle the execution chamber at San Quentin prison. In his order, Governor Newsom described California’s death penalty system as “unfair, unjust, wasteful, protracted [which] does not make our state safer,” in which “death sentences are unevenly and unfairly applied to people of color, people with mental disabilities, and people who cannot afford costly legal representation.”
Governor Newsom has the power to directly grant clemency for about 40% of those with death sentences in California. He can ask the state Supreme Court to recommend commuting the death sentences for the others.
He has made his position against the death penalty very clear:
My ultimate goal is to end the death penalty in California.
Governor Newsom leaves office in January 2027. It is time for him to show his leadership and act.
URGE GOVERNOR NEWSOM TO COMMUTE ALL DEATH SENTENCES IN CALIFORNIA
Executions still occur in the rest of the U.S.
In 2025, the U.S. carried out 47 executions in 11 states, reaching the highest annual total since 2009. Florida drove the spike with 19 executions. South Carolina, Texas, and Alabama followed with five executions in each state. Other states that used the death penalty were Tennessee (3), Arizona (2), Indiana (2), Mississippi (2), Oklahoma (2), Missouri (1) and Louisiana (1). The U.S. was among the top five highest-executing countries of 2025.
So far in 2026, there have been 29 executions in the U.S. Furthermore, Tennessee attempted to execute two people in 2026, Tony Carruthers and Christa Pike, but both were botched in harrowing displays of cruelty. As of today, 113 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, and 145 are abolitionist in law or practice.