Death sentences and executions 2010

Amnesty International, 2011, 49 pages

In the last decade, more than 30 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Fifty-eight countries worldwide now retain the death penalty for ordinary crimes, and less than half of these carried out executions in 2010. Across all regions of the world, the last 10 years have seen important progress made on the global journey towards abolition.

In 2010, the global trend towards abolition was again confirmed. The President of Mongolia announced an official moratorium on executions in January, and a bill that would abolish the death penalty has been put before the Mongolian Parliament. Gabon abolished the death penalty in February. More states than ever before voted at the UN in favour of a worldwide moratorium on executions. Even in states where support for the death penalty remains strong, positive steps towards restricting its use were recorded. But in the face of this clear progress, many of the states that carried out executions in 2010 did so in clear violation of international law and standards, despite their claims to the contrary in front of international human rights bodies.

This report analyzes some of the key developments in the worldwide application of the death penalty in 2010, citing figures gathered by Amnesty International on the number of death sentences handed down and executions carried out during the year.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception, regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or the method used by the state to carry out the execution.