Death Penalty

The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights, and that’s why Amnesty International opposes it in all cases and works to abolish it.

We are making tremendous progress – today, 19 states in the U.S. and two-thirds of the countries in the world have abolished the death penalty.

The Problem

Human rights violations

All people have the right to life, and we all have the right to be free from cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment. These are human rights that people have, regardless of whether they have been convicted of crimes.

A Broken System

The flaws in the death penalty are too deep to fix.

• The risk of executing an innocent person can never be eliminated. More than 150 people sent to death row in the U.S. have later been exonerated, and others have been executed despite serious doubt about their guilt.
• There is no evidence that the death penalty deters crime or improves public safety.
• The death penalty is applied disproportionally against people of color and poor people.
• In some countries, the death penalty is used by people in power to punish their political opponents.

Amnesty In Action

Changing lives and policies

Amnesty International has helped delay or overturn death sentences in individual cases, and has helped abolish the death penalty in several states in the U.S. and in other countries.

• We campaign to stop executions of specific individuals in the U.S. and around the world. Take action in urgent cases today.
• Join the campaign to stop executions in Ohio: Sign this petition to Governor Kasich.
• We conduct research on the use of the death penalty around the world, to shine a light on this human rights abuse and to fuel reform. Read our most recent annual report on the death penalty world wide.
• We mobilize grassroots activists to pass legislation abolishing the death penalty and defeat legislation that would reinstate it. E-mail us at [email protected] to get more involved.

Case Study

Ivan Teleguz