Capital punishment in Norway at Akershus Fortress. In 1988 Norway signed on to protocol 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights which bans the use of capital punishment in peacetime and ratified protocol 13 which bans all use of capital punishment whatsoever in 2005. Norway generally opposes capital punishment outside of the country as well. The government has banished Mullah Krekar from Norway, but has not sent him to Iraq due to the possibility of him being charged with capital crimes in his home county. In the Martine Vik Magnussen case, Norway has declined to cooperate with the Yemenese government unless a guarantee
Capital punishment by country has a moratorium and has not conducted an execution since 1999. The absolute ban on the death penalty is enshrined in both the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (EU) and two widely adopted protocols of the European Convention on Human Rights of the Council of Europe, and is thus considered a central value. Of all modern European countries, San Marino, Portugal and the Netherlands were the first to abolish capital punishment, whereas only Belarus still practices capital punishment in some form or another. In 2012, Latvia became the last EU Member State to abolish capital punishment in Capital punishment by country Liberia) are not included. Non-independent territories are considered to be under the jurisdiction of their parent country – which leads to unexpectedly late abolition dates for the UK, New Zealand and the Netherlands, where Jersey (UK), the Cook Is (NZ), and the Netherlands Antilles, were the last territories of those states to abolish capital punishment, and all were rather later than the more well known abolitions on the respective mainlands. Defunct countries such as the GDR (East Germany), which abolished capital punishment in 1987 but was dissolved in 1990, are also not included. References are in the continental tables above Capital punishment by country completely free of executions. This century the following European countries have abolished capital punishment: Ukraine (2000), Malta (2000), Cyprus (2002), Turkey (2004), Greece (2004), Moldova (2005), Albania (2007), and Latvia (2012). Executions in Europe in 2017: Belarus (2) "Note: The tables can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon." Of the 14 independent countries in Oceania that are UN member or observer states: Only Papua New Guinea and Tonga have not formally abolished capital punishment despite not using the practice since 1975 and 1982 respectively. The most recent countries to abolish capital punishment in Oceania are Samoa (2004), Fiji Capital punishment in San Marino Capital punishment in San Marino Capital punishment is no longer applied in San Marino: the last execution was carried out in 1468, by hanging. San Marino is one of only two countries in the world to have carried out no executions since prior to 1800 (the other is Liechtenstein, where the last execution took place in 1785). San Marino was the first country in the world to abolish the death penalty for ordinary crimes, in 1848. In 1865, it became the second country in the world (and the first in Europe) to abolish the death penalty for all crimes, following Capital punishment in Europe Capital punishment in Europe The death penalty has been completely abolished in all European countries except for Belarus and Russia, the latter of which has a moratorium and has not conducted an execution since 1999. The absolute ban on the death penalty is enshrined in both the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (EU) and two widely adopted protocols of the European Convention on Human Rights of the Council of Europe, and is thus considered a central value. Of all modern European countries, San Marino, Portugal and the Netherlands were the first to abolish capital punishment, whereas only Capital punishment in Portugal Capital punishment in Portugal Portugal was a pioneer in the process of abolition of capital punishment. No executions have been carried out since 1846, with the formal abolishment of capital punishment for civil crimes occurring in 1867. The method of capital punishment used in Portugal was by hanging. Portugal was the first country in the world to begin the process to abolish the death penalty, abolishing it in stages – for political crimes in 1852, for all crimes except the military in 1867, and for all crimes in 1911. In 1916 Portugal entered in World War I and it was Capital punishment in the Philippines 20-year authoritarian rule, however, countless more people were summarily executed, tortured or simply disappeared for opposition to his rule. l After Marcos was deposed in 1986, the newly drafted 1987 Constitution prohibited the death penalty but allowed the Congress to reinstate it "hereafter" for "heinous crimes"; making the Philippines the first Asian country to abolish capital punishment. President Fidel V. Ramos promised during his campaign that he would support the re-introduction of the death penalty in response to increasing crime rates. The new law, drafted by Ramos, restored capital punishment. This law provided the use of the electric chair until Capital punishment debate in the United States and World War II. The movement in 1950s and 1960s shifted focus from legislation to the courts. Although public opinion remained in favor of execution (aside from during the mid-1960s when pro and anti opinions were roughly equal), judges and jurors executed fewer people than they did in the 1930s. The decline in executions gave strength to various new anti-capital punishment organizations. Among these groups were: a California-based Citizens Against Legalized Murder, the Ohio Committee to Abolish Capital Punishment, the New Jersey Council to Abolish Capital Punishment, California's People Against Capital Punishment, the New York Committee to Abolish Capital Punishment, Capital punishment in Wisconsin first state to abolish the death penalty for all crimes. In 2006, an advisory referendum showed 56 % of the Wisconsin voters in favor of reinstating capital punishment. The state legislature did not adopt any statute to apply the popular vote. Capital punishment in Wisconsin Capital punishment in Wisconsin was abolished in 1853. Wisconsin was one of the earliest United States states to abolish the death penalty, and is the only state that has performed only one execution in its history. Since its admission to the Union in 1848, as the 30th State, the only execution carried out in Wisconsin Capital punishment by country United Arab Emirates (1), Vietnam (unknown number). "Note: The tables can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon." Of the 49 independent states in Europe that are UN members or have UN Observer status: Abolition of death penalty is a pre-condition for entry into the European Union, which considers capital punishment a "cruel and inhuman" practice and "not been shown in any way to act as a deterrent to crime". Since 1999, Belarus has been the only recognized country in Europe to carry out executions. 2009 and 2015 were the first two years in recorded history when Europe was Capital punishment by country India executes criminals only in extreme cases. Only 26 executions have taken place in India since 1991, the last of the terrorist Yakub Memon in 2015. The European Union holds a strong position against the death penalty; its abolition is a key objective for the Union's human rights policy. Abolition is also a pre-condition for entry into the European Union. In Europe, only Belarus and the unrecognized Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic continue to actively use capital punishment. The capital punishment has been completely abolished in all European countries except for Belarus and Russia, the latter of which Capital punishment by country and not repeated here. Capital punishment by country The following is a summary of the use of capital punishment by country. Globally, 56 countries retain capital punishment, 106 countries have completely abolished it "de jure" for all crimes, 8 have abolished it for ordinary crimes (while maintaining it for special circumstances such as war crimes), and 28 are abolitionist in practice. Historically, capital punishment has been used in almost every part of the world. Currently, the large majority of countries have either abolished or discontinued the practice. Japan has the highest inequality-adjusted HDI (Human Development Index, of the United Nations Capital punishment by country Capital punishment by country The following is a summary of the use of capital punishment by country. Globally, 56 countries retain capital punishment, 106 countries have completely abolished it "de jure" for all crimes, 8 have abolished it for ordinary crimes (while maintaining it for special circumstances such as war crimes), and 28 are abolitionist in practice. Historically, capital punishment has been used in almost every part of the world. Currently, the large majority of countries have either abolished or discontinued the practice. Japan has the highest inequality-adjusted HDI (Human Development Index, of the United Nations Development Programme) of any Capital punishment in Montenegro the capital punishment remained in force. Constitution of FR Yugoslavia (which consisted of Serbia and Montenegro), adopted on 25 April 1992, abolished capital punishment for federal crimes (including genocide, war crimes, political and military offences), but the federal units kept the right to prescribe capital punishment for crimes under their jurisdiction (murder and robbery). In the drafting of the Constitution, the proposal to abolish capital punishment came from the Montenegrin members of the Drafting Commission. On 19 June 2002, the Montenegrin Parliament amended the Penal Code by deleting from it all references to capital punishment. As was stressed in the Capital punishment in Europe Belarus still practices capital punishment in some form or another. In 2012, Latvia became the last EU Member State to abolish capital punishment in wartime. As of 2017, in Europe, the death penalty for peacetime crimes has been abolished in all countries except Belarus, while the death penalty for wartime crimes has been abolished in all countries except Belarus and Kazakhstan. (Kazakhstan is a country situated partly in Europe and partly in Asia). In Russia the death penalty has been indefinitely suspended (under moratorium), therefore is uncommon but not unheard of. Except for Belarus, which carried out two executions in Capital punishment in Michigan Capital punishment in Michigan Capital punishment in Michigan was legal from statehood in 1837 until it was abolished in 1846 for murder. Michigan is one of the few U.S. states never to have executed anyone following admission into the Union (others include Alaska and Hawaii). Michigan's death penalty history is unusual, as Michigan was the first English-speaking government in the world to abolish the death penalty for ordinary crimes. The Michigan State Legislature voted to do so on May 18, 1846, which has remained in law ever since. Although the death penalty was formally retained as the punishment for treason Capital punishment as when countries shifted from authoritarianism to democracy, or when it became an entry condition for the European Union. The United States is a notable exception: some states have had bans on capital punishment for decades, the earliest being Michigan where it was abolished in 1846, while other states still actively use it today. The death penalty in the United States remains a contentious issue which is hotly debated. In retentionist countries, the debate is sometimes revived when a miscarriage of justice has occurred though this tends to cause legislative efforts to improve the judicial process rather than to abolish Capital punishment on Human Rights in February 2006. As a result, Europe is a continent free of the death penalty in practice, all states but Russia, which has entered a moratorium, having ratified the Sixth Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights, with the sole exception of Belarus, which is not a member of the Council of Europe. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has been lobbying for Council of Europe observer states who practise the death penalty, the U.S. and Japan, to abolish it or lose their observer status. In addition to banning capital punishment for EU member Capital punishment Council of Europe, which has 47 member states, has sought to abolish the use of the death penalty by its members absolutely, through Protocol 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights. However, this only affects those member states which have signed and ratified it, and they do not include Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan. The United Nations General Assembly has adopted, in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014, non-binding resolutions calling for a global moratorium on executions, with a view to eventual abolition. Although most nations have abolished capital punishment, over 60% of the world's population live in countries where Capital punishment in Belarus the 21st century. European Council members suggested in 2001 that Belarus abolish capital punishment before it can apply for membership in the Council. Belarus (as the Byelorussian SSR) signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1973. This convention, however, does not abolish the death penalty, but it imposes certain conditions on its implementation and use. Before execution all prisoners on death row are transferred to Minsk Detention Center No. 1 (СИЗО, or SIZO No. 1), in the country's capital Minsk. The method used to carry out the sentence is execution by shooting. The executioner is a member Capital punishment in Italy Capital punishment in Italy The use of capital punishment in Italy has been banned since 1889, with the exception of the period 1926-1947, encompassing the rule of Fascism in Italy and the early restoration of democracy. Before the unification of Italy in 1860, capital punishment was performed in almost all pre-unitarian states, except for Tuscany, where it was historically abolished in 1786. It is currently out of use as a result of the adoption of the current constitution, and defunct as of 1 January 1948. In Italy, the first pre-unitarian state to abolish the death penalty was the Grand Duchy Capital punishment in Ukraine Capital punishment in Ukraine Capital punishment was abolished in Ukraine in 2000. In 1995 Ukraine had entered the Council of Europe and thus (at the time) it was obliged to undertake to abolish the death penalty. The Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) introduced amendments to the then acting Criminal Code in 2000, according to which “death penalty” was withdrawn from the list of official punishments of Ukraine. Ukraine carried out its last execution in 1997 according to Amnesty International. Capital punishment in Ukraine existed soon after fall of the Russian Empire in 1917. Among of known people who was executed by Twenty-first Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland penalty has been abolished in law since 1990. It is furthermore a condition of the membership of any country of the European Union that it abolish capital punishment. Ireland is also party to a number of international agreements forbidding the death penalty. These include Protocol No. 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights which forbids capital punishment even during time of war. Article 15.5 to be renumbered as 15.5.1º and the insertion of a new subsection to Article 15.5: Addition of the highlighted text to the first sentence of Article 28.3.3º: Deletion of the highlighted text from Article 13.6: Capital punishment debate in the United States the Oregon Council to Abolish the Death Penalty, and the national Committee to Abolish the Federal Death Penalty. In addition to growing organizations, the movement also profited from growing European abolishment of the death penalty and from the controversial executions of Barbara Graham and Caryl Chessman. Success mounted in the late 1950s as Alaska, Hawaii, and Delaware abolished capital punishment. Oregon and Iowa followed their leads in the 1960s. Many other states added laws that restricted the use of the death penalty except in cases of extreme serious offenses. Abolitionists began to strongly challenge the constitutionality of the death penalty Capital punishment in Jordan Capital punishment in Jordan Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Jordan. The country had a moratorium on capital punishment between 2006 and 2014. 11 executions were performed in 2015, and 15 executions were performed in 2017. The method of execution is hanging, previously shooting was the sole method. Between 2000 and the imposition of a moratorium in 2006 there had been 41 executions, either for murder, terrorism or sexual offences. In 2005 King Abdullah II of Jordan stated that: "in coordination with the European Union, we would like to modify our Penal Code. Jordan could soon become the first Capital punishment in the Middle East passed a bill introducing death penalty for terrorism. In Turkey, capital punishment was fully abolished in 2004 for all crimes. In Lebanon in 2008, then-Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar introduced a draft law to Parliament which would abolish the death penalty. While the law failed to pass, he continued to advocate for the abolition for the rest of his time in office. Farouk Ksentini, chairman of Algeria's National Advisory Commission for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights (CNCPPDH), stated in 2010 that he would advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. This aroused opposition from Islamist groups. Capital punishment Capital punishment in Michigan overturned in 2013 by a panel of the Sixth Circuit, but was later reinstated 12–4 by the full court sitting en banc. Capital punishment in Michigan Capital punishment in Michigan was legal from statehood in 1837 until it was abolished in 1846 for murder. Michigan is one of the few U.S. states never to have executed anyone following admission into the Union (others include Alaska and Hawaii). Michigan's death penalty history is unusual, as Michigan was the first English-speaking government in the world to abolish the death penalty for ordinary crimes. The Michigan State Legislature voted to do so on Capital punishment in Ukraine amendments to the then acting Criminal Code in April 2000 that (finally) withdrew capital punishment from the list of official punishments of Ukraine (in peace and wartime). Ukraine was the last Council of Europe member state that used to be part of the Eastern Bloc to abolish the death penalty. National Corps Ukrainian far-right political party supports bringing back the death penalty. The Donetsk People's Republic, an unrecognized state, introduced the death penalty in 2014 for cases of treason, espionage, and assassination of political leaders. There had already been accusations of extrajudicial execution occurring. Capital punishment in Ukraine Capital punishment Capital punishment in Malaysia to abolish it at a later date. Capital punishment in Malaysia Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Malaysia. It is a mandatory punishment for murder, drug trafficking, treason, and waging war against Yang di-Pertuan Agong (the King). Recently, the law was extended to include acts of terrorism. Any terrorists, and anyone who aids terrorists, financially or otherwise, is liable to face the death penalty. Since January 2003, the death penalty in Malaysia has been a mandatory punishment for rapists that cause death and child rapists. A 1961 law states that kidnapping carried a life sentence or a death sentence, Capital punishment by country country to use the death penalty; Singapore has the highest unadjusted HDI. The use of capital punishment is usually divided into the four categories set out below. , of the 195 independent states that are UN members or have UN observer status: Of the countries/regions categorized as 'very high' on the Human Development Index, 10 countries perform capital punishment: the United States, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Belarus, Oman, and Taiwan. In Malaysia, South Korea, and Russia, there is a moratorium. Qatar, the Bahamas, Barbados, and Brunei have a moratorium in practice. In Israel, Kazakhstan, and Capital punishment in Tonga the Convention on the Rights of the Child and a contemporary resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations. Tonga has ratified the CRC, which prohibits capital punishment for people aged under 18, regardless of the offence committed. Tonga's response during this cycle brought to light its determination to retain the death penalty. Despite being an abolitionist in practice, Tonga is essentially a retentionist state as it refuses to abolish capital punishment. Tonga joins 140 other countries which are abolitionist in law or practice. Of the Pacific Island countries, only Tonga and Papua New Guinea retain the death penalty. Capital punishment debate in the United States process. During this era, the movement diversified its efforts beyond those of litigation and lawyers, to include a wide range of organizations that attacked the death penalty legislatively. Some of the most influential organizations who continue to work against capital punishment today include Amnesty International USA, the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. The works of these organizations have brought about various restrictions on the use of capital punishment at the state level, including several statewide moratoriums and bans on capital punishment. As a result, some Capital punishment in New Mexico Capital punishment in New Mexico Capital punishment was abolished in the U.S. State of New Mexico in 2009. The law replaced the death penalty for the most serious crimes with life imprisonment and life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. This makes New Mexico the fifteenth state in the U.S. to abolish capital punishment. Since the death penalty was reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976 (in the case of "Gregg v. Georgia"), only one person has been executed in New Mexico. This was Terry Clark, who was put to death in 2001, by lethal injection, for the murder Capital punishment in Costa Rica America gives assurance that the death penalty will not be passed upon criminals surrendered by Costa Rica to the United States of America for any one of the crimes enumerated in the said treaty". Capital punishment in Costa Rica Capital punishment was abolished in Costa Rica in 1877. Costa Rica, one of many countries, banned capital punishment in 1882. Costa Rica was one of three countries to to abolish the death penalty for all crimes at the beginning of the 20th century. On November 7, 1969, Costa Rica attended the American Convention on Human Rights. Costa Rica and the United Capital punishment in Costa Rica Capital punishment in Costa Rica Capital punishment was abolished in Costa Rica in 1877. Costa Rica, one of many countries, banned capital punishment in 1882. Costa Rica was one of three countries to to abolish the death penalty for all crimes at the beginning of the 20th century. On November 7, 1969, Costa Rica attended the American Convention on Human Rights. Costa Rica and the United States signed an extradition treaty in November 10, 1922 concerning the death penalty. The Costa Rican Minister of Foreign Relations stated " that it is understood that the government of the United States of Capital punishment in West Virginia George Lecco and Valerie Friend, for the murder of a informant who was supplying federal law enforcement with information about the Leccos cocaine drug ring. Those verdicts and sentences were overturned in 2009 due to juror misconduct, and the retrials ended with life without parole and 35 years for Lecco and Friend respectively. Along with Iowa, West Virginia became the final pre-"Furman" state to abolish capital punishment in 1965. Capital punishment in West Virginia Capital punishment is abolished in the U.S. State of West Virginia since 1965. Prior to secession from the Confederacy and admission to the Union on June Capital punishment in Lithuania Capital punishment in Lithuania Capital punishment in Lithuania was ruled unconstitutional and abolished for all crimes in December 1998. Lithuania is a member of the European Union and the Council of Europe and has signed and ratified Protocol 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights on complete abolition of death penalty. From March 1990 to December 1998, Lithuania executed seven men. The last execution in the country occurred in July 1995, when Lithuanian mafia boss Boris Dekanidze was put to death. In the Lithuanian SSR, the criminal code provided for death penalty in 16 articles. After the declaration of Capital punishment in Canada more often than to the wealthy. He refuted the notion that state-sponsored killing acted as a deterrent to murder and cautioned against the possibility of mistake. In 1950, an attempt was made to abolish capital punishment. Ross Thatcher, at that time a Cooperative Commonwealth Federation Member of Parliament, moved Bill No. 2 in order to amend the Criminal Code to abolish the death penalty. Thatcher later withdrew it for fear of Bill No. 2 not generating positive discussion and further harming the chances of abolition. In 1956, the Joint Committee of the House and Senate recommended the retention of capital Capital punishment in the Philippines 2017, where it did not appear to have enough votes to pass. In a 2017 poll, 67% of Filipinos supported the death penalty. The Philippines was the only country aside from the United States that used the electric chair, due to its being introduced during the US colonial period. Until its first abolition in 1987, the country reverted to using death by firing squad. After re-introduction of the death penalty in 1993, the country switched to lethal injection as its sole method of execution. Capital punishment in the Philippines Capital punishment in the Philippines has a varied history and is Capital punishment in Wisconsin Capital punishment in Wisconsin Capital punishment in Wisconsin was abolished in 1853. Wisconsin was one of the earliest United States states to abolish the death penalty, and is the only state that has performed only one execution in its history. Since its admission to the Union in 1848, as the 30th State, the only execution carried out in Wisconsin was that of immigrant farmer John McCaffary, who was hanged on August 21, 1851 in Kenosha County for drowning his wife in a backyard cistern. Wisconsin abolished the death penalty in 1853, just two years after McCaffary's execution becoming just the Capital punishment Latin ' from ', "head") in this context alluded to execution by beheading. Fifty-six countries retain capital punishment, 106 countries have completely abolished it "de jure" for all crimes, eight have abolished it for ordinary crimes (while maintaining it for special circumstances such as war crimes), and 28 are abolitionist in practice. Capital punishment is a matter of active controversy in several countries and states, and positions can vary within a single political ideology or cultural region. In the European Union, Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits the use of capital punishment. The Capital punishment in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. The only retentionist country in Europe is Belarus. The death penalty was overwhelmingly practised in poor and authoritarian states, which often employed the death penalty as a tool of political oppression. During the 1980s, the democratisation of Latin America swelled the ranks of abolitionist countries. This was soon followed by the fall of Communism in Europe. Many of the countries which restored democracy aspired to enter the EU. The European Union and the Council of Europe both strictly require member states not to practise the death penalty (see Capital punishment in Europe). Public support Capital punishment in Islam in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Iran and Mauritania. Capital punishment in Islam Capital punishment in Islam was traditionally regulated by Sharia, the religious law in Islam. Crimes which could result in capital punishment included murder. In the modern era most Muslim-majority countries adopted criminal legal codes based on European models. Legal forms of capital punishment vary among Islamic countries. The Quran states, However, there is no Quranic verse supporting the method of stoning in Islam. The roots of this method of execution are to be explored in pre-Islamic religions, especially in Judaism and Torah, in which stoning Capital punishment in Belarus March 11, 2004, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Belarus came to the conclusion that two articles of the Criminal Code were incompatible with the Constitution of Belarus. The Court stated that either the President or the National Assembly could make the decision to suspend or completely abolish the death penalty. Subsequently, in October 2005, the Parliament adopted an amendment to the Criminal Code declaring that the continued use of the death penalty was on a temporary basis only. Capital punishment in Belarus Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Belarus. It carried out at least four executions in Capital punishment in Jordan country in the Middle East without capital punishment." In 2006 the Jordanian cabinet launched a plan to limit the number of capital offences from sixteen to ten. In 2008 and 2010 Jordan abstained to vote on the United Nations moratorium on the death penalty. In November 2014 the Jordanian cabinet formed a committee to explore whether Jordan should reinstate the application of capital punishment. On 21 December 2014 eleven persons were hanged, all men which were convicted of murder in 2005 and 2006. These were the first executions since June 2006, 122 sentences of capital punishment had been handed out Capital punishment in Islam Capital punishment in Islam Capital punishment in Islam was traditionally regulated by Sharia, the religious law in Islam. Crimes which could result in capital punishment included murder. In the modern era most Muslim-majority countries adopted criminal legal codes based on European models. Legal forms of capital punishment vary among Islamic countries. The Quran states, However, there is no Quranic verse supporting the method of stoning in Islam. The roots of this method of execution are to be explored in pre-Islamic religions, especially in Judaism and Torah, in which stoning is a frequent method of execution. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoning#In_Judaism> <http://www.cjcj.org/uploads/cjcj/documents/comparative_study_0.pdf> That said, capital Capital punishment debate in the United States members of Quakers, Mennonites and other peace churches opposed the death penalty as well. Perhaps the most influential essay for the anti-death penalty movement was Cesare Beccaria's 1767 essay, "On Crimes and Punishment". Beccaria's strongly opposed the state's right to take lives and criticized the death penalty as having very little deterrent effect. After the American Revolution, influential and well-known Americans, such as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Rush, and Benjamin Franklin made efforts to reform or abolish the death penalty in the United States. All three joined the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons, which opposed capital punishment. Capital punishment in Europe Marina Schuster. formula_1Only used once, at the very last execution in Sweden The only European country that executes criminals is Belarus, as that country is not party to the European Convention on Human Rights. Executions in Belarus are carried out by shooting. Capital punishment in Russia has been indefinitely suspended, although it still remains codified in its law. There exists both an implicit moratorium established by the President Yeltsin in 1996, and an explicit one, established by the Constitutional Court of Russia in 1999 and which was most recently reaffirmed in 2009. Russia has not executed anyone in peacetime since Capital punishment in the Czech Republic capital punishment became prohibited by the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, which became part of the Czechoslovak constitutional law and since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia remains part of the Czech constitutional law. Capital punishment in the Czech Republic is simultaneously prohibited by international legal obligations arising from the Czech Republic's membership of both the Council of Europe and the European Union. Capital punishment in the Czech Republic Capital punishment ("trest smrti" in Czech) is forbidden by the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms of the Czech Republic (part of the constitutional law of the Czech Republic) and is simultaneously Religion and capital punishment Vatican had officially given support to a 2015 United Nations campaign against the death penalty. During a U.N. Human Rights Council meeting concerning the abolishment of capital punishment, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi declared that "The Holy See Delegation fully supports the efforts to abolish the use of the death penalty." The Archbishop stated: On August 2, 2018, Pope Francis changed Catechism of the Catholic Church 2267 to the following: Various Orthodox churches have issued statements opposing capital punishment, including the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Orthodox Church in America, the Greek Orthodox Church, and the Georgian Orthodox Church. National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty St. Louis and Columbia, twenty-one affiliate groups, and individuals across the state who support abolition of the death penalty. The coalition organizes opposition to the death penalty, works with state legislators to pass a moratorium, educates state residents, monitors events pertaining capital punishment, advocates alternatives other than death as punishment for crimes; and supports death row prisoners, victims and their family members as well as others affected by the action of death penalty. Other Affiliate groups in the United States not listed above can be found at the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty website. With its "Stop Killing Capital punishment in Rhode Island Law section 11-23-2. Many pieces of legislation have been introduced since then to reinstate the death penalty for specific crimes, but none have passed. Capital punishment in Rhode Island Rhode Island was one of the earliest states in the United States to abolish capital punishment, having abolished it for all crimes in 1852. The death penalty was reintroduced in 1872, but it was never carried out before being abolished again in 1984. Of all the states, Rhode Island has had the longest period with no executions, none having taken place since 1845. Rhode Island performed 52 executions from 1673 to Capital punishment in Rhode Island Capital punishment in Rhode Island Rhode Island was one of the earliest states in the United States to abolish capital punishment, having abolished it for all crimes in 1852. The death penalty was reintroduced in 1872, but it was never carried out before being abolished again in 1984. Of all the states, Rhode Island has had the longest period with no executions, none having taken place since 1845. Rhode Island performed 52 executions from 1673 to February 13, 1845, but only seven took place after statehood. Half of the executions occurred on July 19, 1723, when 26 sailors were hanged Capital punishment in Ireland Peadar Cowan; in 1956 by Thomas Finlay; in 1960 by Frank Sherwin; in 1962 by Stephen Coughlan. In each case the relevant minister dismissed the suggestion. Seán MacBride expressed personal support for abolition even while a minister in a government that oversaw the 1948 execution of William M. Gambon. In 1951–52, MacBride's Dáil motion that a Select Committee consider whether to abolish the death penalty was defeated by 63 votes to 23. In 1956, the Seanad passed a motion "That in the opinion of Seanad Eireann the Government should consider the question of introducing legislation to abolish capital punishment or Capital punishment by country (2015), and Nauru (2016). "Note: The tables can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon." The table below lists in chronological order the 105 independent states, that are either UN members or have UN observer status, that have completely abolished the death penalty. In the hundred years following the abolition of capital punishment by Venezuela in 1863 only 11 more countries followed, not counting temporary abolitions which were later reversed. From the 1960s onwards, abolition became far more popular. 4 countries abolished capital punishment in the 1960s (a record up to that time for any decade), 11 in the Capital punishment in Montenegro Capital punishment in Montenegro Capital punishment in Montenegro was first prescribed by law in 1798. It was abolished on 19 June 2002. The last execution, by shooting, took place on 29 January 1981, and the two last death sentences were pronounced on 11 October 2001. Montenegro is bound by the following international conventions prohibiting capital punishment (dates of ratification are given in parentheses): Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (6 September 2001), as well as Protocols No. 6 and No. 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights (3 March 2004). According to Art. Capital punishment in the United States Capital punishment in the United States Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the United States, currently used by 30 states, the federal government, and the military. Its existence can be traced to the beginning of the American colonies. The United States is the only Western country currently applying the death penalty. It is one of 54 countries worldwide applying it, and was the first to develop lethal injection as a method of execution, which has since been adopted by five other countries. The Philippines has since abolished executions, and Guatemala has done so for civil offenses, leaving the USA Capital punishment in the United States a moratorium in place, as the state had not executed anyone since Gary M. Heidnik in 1999. Capital punishment in the United States Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the United States, currently used by 30 states, the federal government, and the military. Its existence can be traced to the beginning of the American colonies. The United States is the only Western country currently applying the death penalty. It is one of 54 countries worldwide applying it, and was the first to develop lethal injection as a method of execution, which has since been adopted by five other countries. Capital punishment by country 1970s, and a further 10 in the 1980s. After the end of the Cold War, many more countries followed. 35 countries abolished capital punishment in the 1990s, with 9 in 1990 alone, and a further 23 in the 2000s. 11 countries have abolished so far in the 2010s. Since 1985, there have been only 6 years when no country has abolished the death penalty: 1988, 2001, 2003, 2011, 2013 and 2014. Note: Where a country has abolished, re-instated, and abolished again (e.g. Philippines, Switzerland, Portugal) only the later abolition date is included. Countries who have abolished and since reinstated (e.g. Capital punishment in the Czech Republic Capital punishment in the Czech Republic Capital punishment ("trest smrti" in Czech) is forbidden by the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms of the Czech Republic (part of the constitutional law of the Czech Republic) and is simultaneously prohibited by international legal obligations arising from the Czech Republic's membership of both the Council of Europe and the European Union. Historically the capital punishment was legal, and was used, when the Czech Republic was part of Czechoslovak Federation, until the punishment was abolished by amendment of the federal criminal code in 1990. The last execution was carried out in 1989. Capital Capital punishment in the United Kingdom those territories where it had up until recently been legal. The last executions in an overseas territory, and indeed the last on British soil, took place in Bermuda in 1977, when two men, Larry Tacklyn and Erskine Burrows, were hanged for the 1973 murder of the territory's then Governor Sir Richard Sharples. In 1991, the British government extended an Order in Council to its Caribbean territories the effect of which was to abolish capital punishment for murder: Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The British government was unable to extend the Capital punishment in the United Kingdom Capital punishment in the United Kingdom Capital punishment in the United Kingdom was used from ancient times until the second half of the 20th century. The last executions in the United Kingdom were by hanging, and took place in 1964, prior to :capital punishment being abolished for murder (in 1965 in Great Britain and in 1973 in Northern Ireland). Although unused, the death penalty remained a legally defined punishment for certain offences such as treason until it was completely abolished in 1998. In 2004 the 13th Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights became binding on the United Kingdom, Capital punishment in Washington (state) moratorium. All death penalty cases that come to Inslee will result in him issuing a reprieve, not a pardon or commutation. On January 16, 2017, Governor Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson introduced legislation to abolish the death penalty in Washington state. Though the legislation failed to pass, Governor Inslee stated a commitment to ending capital punishment in the future. On October 11, 2018, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled the current death penalty statute unconstitutional, on the ground that it resulted in racial bias, thus abolishing capital punishment in the state. It became the 20th state in the nation Capital punishment in Kazakhstan Kazakhstan sentenced mass-murderer Ruslan Kulikbayev to death for terrorism after he was convicted of killing ten people (including 8 policemen) in a shooting attack against police officers in Almaty. Kulikbayev is currently the only person under a sentence of death in Kazakhstan. Capital punishment in Kazakhstan Capital punishment in Kazakhstan has been abolished for ordinary crimes, but is still permitted for crimes occurring in special circumstances (such as war crimes). Kazakhstan, Russia, and Belarus are the only European countries which have not abolished capital punishment for all crimes (Russia retains it in law, but has "de-facto" abolished it through a Capital punishment in Romania not be reinstated as long as the present constitution is in force. Romania is also subject to the European Convention on Human Rights (since May 1994) and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (since January 2007), both abolitionist documents. Ahead of the 2000 presidential election, Corneliu Vadim Tudor, who finished in second place, made reintroduction of capital punishment a major plank of his campaign. Capital punishment in Romania Capital punishment in Romania was abolished in 1990, and has been prohibited by the Constitution of Romania since 1991. The death penalty has a long and varied history in Capital punishment in France sentenced to death and awaiting execution took place in 1959 when, after De Gaulle's inauguration, all sentences were commuted (amnesty is not an executive clemency, rather it is an Act of Parliament). The first official debate on the death penalty in France took place on 30 May 1791, with the presentation of a bill aimed at abolishing it. The advocate was Louis-Michel Lepeletier of Saint-Fargeau and the bill was supported by Maximilien de Robespierre. However, the National Constituent Assembly, on 6 October 1791, refused to abolish the death penalty. On 26 October 1795, the National Convention abolished capital punishment, but Capital punishment in the Maldives Capital punishment in the Maldives Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the Maldives, but the last execution (as of May 2018) was carried out in 1954, when the country was a British colony. The only legal method of execution is lethal injection, although hanging has been proposed. Crimes punishable by death include murder, adultery, apostasy, terrorism and treason - however the punishment is not mandatory for any crime. The death penalty is a legal punishment for defendants over seven years old. Currently, it is believed that there are about 17-20 individuals under a sentence of death in the Maldives, Capital punishment in Sudan Capital punishment in Sudan Capital punishment in Sudan is legal under Article 27 of the Sudanese Criminal Act 1991. The Act is based on Sharia law which prescribes both the death penalty and corporal punishment, such as amputation. Sudan has moderate execution rates, ranking 8th overall in 2014 when compared to other countries that still continue the practice, after at least 29 executions were reported (although it is expected that over 100 occurred). Even though Sudan's legal systems have been drawn from various other jurisdictions, capital punishment has always existed in the country. During the last 100 years there have Capital punishment in the Soviet Union Capital punishment in the Soviet Union Capital punishment was a legal penalty in the Soviet Union for most of the country's existence. The legal justification of capital punishment was found in Article 22 of the Fundamental Principles of Criminal Legislation, which stated that the death penalty was permitted "as an exceptional measure of punishment, until its complete abolition". According to Western estimates, in the early 1980s Soviet courts passed around 2,000 death sentences every year, of which two-thirds were commuted to prison terms. The death penalty was not applied to minors or pregnant women. The first person to be sentenced Capital punishment in Brunei Capital punishment in Brunei Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Brunei, although no executions have occurred since the country gained independence in 1984. The last execution in Brunei occurred in 1957, when the country was still a protectorate of Great Britain. Capital crimes in Brunei include murder, terrorism, drug trafficking, abetting suicide, arson, kidnapping, treason, mutiny, and perjury. In April, 2014, Brunei introduced a new penal code which implemented elements of Sharia law and instituted the death penalty (by stoning) for adultery, sodomy, rape, apostasy, blasphemy, and insulting Islam. The legal methods of execution in Brunei are hanging and, Capital punishment in Kazakhstan Capital punishment in Kazakhstan Capital punishment in Kazakhstan has been abolished for ordinary crimes, but is still permitted for crimes occurring in special circumstances (such as war crimes). Kazakhstan, Russia, and Belarus are the only European countries which have not abolished capital punishment for all crimes (Russia retains it in law, but has "de-facto" abolished it through a moratorium. In addition to war crimes, Belarus retains the death penalty for ordinary crimes too, and actively uses it). The legal method of execution in Kazakhstan is shooting, specifically a single shot to the back of the head. Kazakhstan is not a Capital punishment in Yemen Capital punishment in Yemen Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Yemen. Yemen has one of the highest execution rates per capita in the world. Capital punishment is typically carried out by shooting, and occasionally in public. In addition to being the only individual in the country with the authority to grant clemency, the President of Yemen must ratify all executions passed down by any court before they are carried out. Like most countries, the Yemeni legal system exists within the framework of a three-tier structure. At the lowest level of jurisprudence are the courts of first instance, established to Capital punishment in the United States 2018, Washington state became the 20th state to abolish capital punishment when its state Supreme Court deemed the death penalty unconstitutional on the grounds of racial bias. Since "Furman", 11 states have organized popular votes dealing with the death penalty through the initiative and referendum process. All resulted in a vote for reinstating it, rejecting its abolition, expanding its application field, specifying in the state constitution that it is not unconstitutional, or expediting the appeal process in capital cases. 20 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have abolished the death penalty for all crimes. Below is a Capital punishment in Sudan states that Sudan sees no reason to abolish the death sentence. Article (27)(1) of the 1991 Act states that: "execution is either by hanging or stoning or in the same manner as the commitment of murder by the perpetrator, and may be as a hudud punishment or in retribution or approximation, and may be with crucifixion Generally, however, the punishment is executed by hanging. For a person charged with a capital crime in Sudan there are a number of procedural guarantees they should receive: These guarantees are only available at trial stage meaning that during the investigation period individuals may Capital punishment in Russia Capital punishment in Russia Currently, Capital punishment in Russia is not allowed. There exists both an implicit moratorium established by President Boris Yeltsin in 1996, and an explicit one, established by the Constitutional Court of Russia in 1999 and most recently reaffirmed in 2009. Russia has not executed anyone since 1996. In medieval Russia capital punishment was extremely rare, and was even banned in many, if not most, principalities. The Law of Yaroslavl (c. 1017) put restrictions on what crimes warranted execution. Later, the law was amended in much of the country to completely ban capital punishment. The Russian Empire Capital punishment in Malaysia laws during the 2018 Malaysian general election. The Government's announcement to abolish capital punishment was welcomed by Kumi Naidoo, Amnesty International's Secretary General, who called on the Malaysian Parliament to consign the death penalty to the history books. The following is a list of the criminal offences that carry the death penalty: Only High Courts had jurisdiction in capital cases. Appeals to the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court are automatic. The last resort for the convicted is to plead pardon for clemency. Pardons or clemency were granted by the Ruler or Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of the state Capital punishment in Mongolia because under Article 1, paragraphs 1 and 2, of the Covenant, “No one within the jurisdiction of a State Party to the present Protocol shall be executed,” and “Each State Party shall take all necessary measures to abolish the death penalty within its jurisdiction.” Capital punishment was formally removed from statutes by a 2015 Act, which took effect on July 1, 2016. On October 16, 2017, the newly elected president Khaltmaagiin Battulga announced that he had created an expert group to reinstate the death penalty for premeditated murder committed with aggravating circumstances and rape with aggravating circumstances. In late November, National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty organization formed in 1992 that advocates through education to abolish capital punishment. It has local chapters in Albany, Buffalo, Ithaca, Long Island, Mid-Hudson, Nassau County, New York City, Rochester, Syracuse, and Westchester. In 2007, the NYADP was successful in gaining abolition of the death penalty by the state legislature. Most of the bill's supporters wanted to establish a sentence of life without parole as the alternative. The NYADP has stated that they have revamped their mission statement to bring together victims, law enforcement, advocates for the mentally ill, restorative justice practitioners, and families of the incarcerated, around policies that address Capital punishment United States, 18 states and the District of Columbia ban capital punishment. Abolitionists believe capital punishment is the worst violation of human rights, because the right to life is the most important, and capital punishment violates it without necessity and inflicts to the condemned a psychological torture. Human rights activists oppose the death penalty, calling it "cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment". Amnesty International considers it to be "the ultimate, irreversible denial of Human Rights". Most countries, including almost all First World nations, have abolished capital punishment either in law or in practice. Notable exceptions are the United States, China, India, Capital punishment in Connecticut that would abolish the death penalty, although it would not retroactively apply to the eleven current Connecticut death row inmates or those convicted of capital crimes committed before the repeal went into effect. The bill was vetoed by Governor Jodi Rell. On April 11, 2012, the Connecticut House of Representatives voted to repeal capital punishment for future cases (leaving past death sentences in place). The Connecticut Senate had already voted for the bill, and on April 25 Governor Dannel Malloy signed the bill into law That made Connecticut the 17th state in the US without a death penalty, and the Capital punishment in the United Kingdom not expected to pass, the margin of its defeat (243 to 362) was much wider than expected. Later in the same Parliament, the Criminal Justice Bill provided an opportunity on 11 May 1982 for several new clauses to be proposed which would have reinstated capital punishment. The first, which simply declared that "A person convicted of murder shall be liable to capital punishment", was tabled by Edward Gardner, and rejected by 195 to 357. It was followed by an alternative under which capital punishment would be available "as the penalty for an act of terrorism involving the loss of human Capital punishment in Jordan with the council’s view on it." Several categories of persons are excluded from being subjected to capital punishment. These are those under the age of 18, pregnant women, the mentally ill and mentally retarded. Capital punishment in Jordan Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Jordan. The country had a moratorium on capital punishment between 2006 and 2014. 11 executions were performed in 2015, and 15 executions were performed in 2017. The method of execution is hanging, previously shooting was the sole method. Between 2000 and the imposition of a moratorium in 2006 there had been 41 executions, either for Capital punishment in Brazil Capital punishment in Brazil Capital punishment is a long unused form of punishment in Brazil. Its last recorded use was in 1876. Although virtually abolished, it is still possible during wartime, according to the Article 5, XLVII, "a", of the Federal Constitution. Brazil is the most populous country in the world that does not retain the death penalty in practice (Mexico is the most populous to have abolished it entirely). Brazil's president-elect Jair Bolsonaro supports the revival of capital punishment for crimes such as murder and rape. The last execution carried out by Brazil was of the black slave Francisco, Capital punishment in Europe committed under special circumstances (war-crimes). See also Capital punishment in Cyprus. The Donetsk People's Republic introduced the death penalty in 2014 for cases of treason, espionage, and assassination of political leaders. There had already been accusations of extrajudicial execution occurring. Capital punishment in Europe The death penalty has been completely abolished in all European countries except for Belarus and Russia, the latter of which has a moratorium and has not conducted an execution since 1999. The absolute ban on the death penalty is enshrined in both the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (EU) and two widely adopted Capital punishment in New Zealand Capital punishment in New Zealand Capital punishment in New Zealand first appeared in a codified form when it became a British territory in 1840, and was first employed in 1842. It was last used in 1957, abolished for murder in 1961, and abolished altogether, including for treason, in 1989. During the period that it was in effect, 85 people were executed. The method of execution was always by hanging. At first, there were many possible execution sites all around the country, but later, the only two cities where hangings were carried out were Wellington (the capital) and Auckland (now the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty Western and Eastern areas of the state. The NC Moratorium hosts a campaign that is non-partisan, housing members that are Democrats and Republicans. The mission of the campaign is to abolish the Death penalty and to eliminate "the arbitrariness, racial disparities, hidden evidence and classist approach that has characterized NC's death penalty since its inception" as quoted on the North Carolina Coalition for a Moratoriums' official website. The campaign states that it needs a moratorium in North Carolina to temporarily suspend executions while the legislature reconstructs the Capital Punishment process. , North Carolina has put a hold on executions as Capital punishment in Rhode Island for piracy. Rhode Island has never executed a female offender. Hanging was the most commonly used form of execution; five executions were carried out by an unknown method. Gas inhalation was authorized after 1973, but it was never used. Rhode Island is the only state to have adopted that method and not used it. In January 1838, a report entitled, “Report of the Committee On the Abolishment of Capital Punishments” was made by the General Assembly Committee to Revise the Penal Code. The recommendation was to abolish capital punishment. On December 31, 1843, Amasa Sprague, the brother of former Rhode Capital punishment in Belarus death penalty. Following a referendum on the issue, the Belarusian government took steps to change the way capital punishment is imposed and carried out. International organisations, such as the United Nations, have criticised the methods Belarus uses when carrying out capital punishment. The use of capital punishment is one factor keeping the country out of the Council of Europe. Article 24 of the Constitution of Belarus states that: As per the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, capital punishment can be imposed for the following acts: Most of the death penalty convictions were for murder committed under aggravating circumstances. Capital punishment in Serbia Capital punishment in Serbia Capital punishment was used from the creation of the modern Serbian state in 1804. On 26 February 2002, Serbian Parliament adopted amendments striking the death penalty from the Criminal Code. The last execution, by shooting, took place on 14 February 1992, and the last death sentences were pronounced in 2001. Serbia is bound by the following international conventions prohibiting capital punishment (dates of ratification are given in parentheses): Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (6 September 2001), Protocols No. 6 and No. 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights Capital punishment in Jersey to the 13th Protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights providing for the total abolition of the death penalty. Both of these laws came into effect on 10 December 2006. Capital punishment in Jersey Jersey is a state in which capital punishment has been abolished. Until the 19th century, hangings were carried out on Westmount ( (gallows hill); "Jèrriais": Mont ès Pendus (hill of the hanged men)) in Saint Helier. The last such execution was carried out on 3 October 1829, when Philippe Jolin was hanged for murder. The following execution, that of François Bradley on 11 October 1866, Capital punishment in Europe 2018, the last executions by a European country occurred in Kazakhstan in 2003, and Ukraine in 1997. The Council of Europe has two main instruments against capital punishment: Protocol no.6 and Protocol no.13. The Protocol no.6 which prohibits the death penalty during peacetime has been ratified by all members of the Council of Europe, except Russia (which has signed, but not ratified). Protocol no.13 prohibits the death penalty in all circumstances (including for war crimes). All member states of the Council of Europe have ratified it, except Azerbaijan and Russia, which have not signed it, and Armenia, which has signed Capital punishment in Aruba perceived as exclusively applying to judges. Capital punishment in Aruba Capital punishment in Aruba has been prohibited by Article I.4 of the Constitution of Aruba since January 1, 1986, the day Aruba became a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its own right. The inclusion of a capital punishment prohibition in the constitution was following the example provided by the 1983 constitution of the Netherlands, but rather than putting it in the judiciary section like the example, it was put in the basic rights, following the related Article I.3 about the inviolability of the body, to ensure Catholic Church and capital punishment "torture" which, in the name of correct procedure, tends to last many years, and which oftentimes leads to illness and insanity on death row.In 2017, Francis made comments that were interpreted by Ed Morrissey as implying that the death penalty a mortal sin. However, this has not been confirmed by the church. The Vatican had also officially given support to a 2015 United Nations campaign against the death penalty. During a U.N. Human Rights Council meeting concerning the abolishment of capital punishment, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi declared that "The Holy See Delegation fully supports the efforts to abolish the use of Capital punishment in Brunei since 2014, stoning. Currently, it is estimated that there are about 6 individuals on death row in Brunei. The last known death sentence was handed out in 2017, and one death sentence was commuted in 2009. Capital punishment in Brunei Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Brunei, although no executions have occurred since the country gained independence in 1984. The last execution in Brunei occurred in 1957, when the country was still a protectorate of Great Britain. Capital crimes in Brunei include murder, terrorism, drug trafficking, abetting suicide, arson, kidnapping, treason, mutiny, and perjury. In April, 2014, Brunei introduced Capital punishment in the Cook Islands Zealand law at the time (New Zealand abolished capital punishment for treason in 1989). The Cook Islands announced the removal of its provisions for capital punishment in 2007, without ever having put them into use. The chosen method of execution in the Cook Islands was hanging. Capital punishment in the Cook Islands Capital punishment in the Cook Islands, a state in free association with New Zealand, was officially part of the legal system until 2007, although had never actually been put into practice. Under Cook Islands law, capital punishment only ever applied to the crime of treason, for which it Capital punishment in Aruba Capital punishment in Aruba Capital punishment in Aruba has been prohibited by Article I.4 of the Constitution of Aruba since January 1, 1986, the day Aruba became a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its own right. The inclusion of a capital punishment prohibition in the constitution was following the example provided by the 1983 constitution of the Netherlands, but rather than putting it in the judiciary section like the example, it was put in the basic rights, following the related Article I.3 about the inviolability of the body, to ensure that the prohibition would not be Capital punishment Belarus and Kazakhstan have now abolished the death penalty in all circumstances ("de jure", and Russia "de facto"). Poland is the most recent country to ratify the protocol, on 28 August 2013. The Protocol no.6 which prohibits the death penalty during peacetime has been ratified by all members of the European Council, except Russia (which has signed, but not ratified). There are also other international abolitionist instruments, such as the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which has 81 parties; and the Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights to Abolish the Death Capital punishment in New Zealand Green Party voters at 19%, but the strongest support came from New Zealand First voters at 84%. Capital punishment in New Zealand Capital punishment in New Zealand first appeared in a codified form when it became a British territory in 1840, and was first employed in 1842. It was last used in 1957, abolished for murder in 1961, and abolished altogether, including for treason, in 1989. During the period that it was in effect, 85 people were executed. The method of execution was always by hanging. At first, there were many possible execution sites all around the country, but later, Capital punishment in Papua New Guinea contrary, there was also strong opposition for the re-introduction of capital punishment. Amnesty International pleaded that PNG addressed the deterioration of law and order in other ways and declared that Amnesty International "opposed the death penalty in all cases on the grounds that it is a violation of the human right to life." In 2010, Manfred Nowak undertook a comprehensive review of PNG's use of "torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" and subsequently recommended that PNG took immediate steps to abolish the death penalty. Following this, Nowak also suggested that PNG become party to the International