Death penalty : three South American neighbors still keep it
Like Guyana , Surinam y Trinidad and Tobago :
The American continent is mostly abolitionist. In 2011 and to date, U.S. He has been the only country on the continent that has applied the death penalty. However, positive results can be observed, as the abolition of the death penalty in Illinois and Connecticut and the establishment of a moratorium in Oregon.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights opposes the death penalty and is frequently pronounced against executions in the United States.
In the rest of the continent, Belize, Cuba, Jamaica, Guatemala, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad y Tobago and most of the Anglophone Caribbean islands have not abolished the death penalty. Commonwealth countries still maintain a de facto moratorium, following the jurisprudence “Pratt y Morgan” Privy Council of the Crown, whereby the application of the death penalty after five years of the sentence constitutes cruel and inhuman treatment.
World Map
One can note a downward trend in the number of death sentences and executions in the world. In 20 years old, more than fifty states have converted to abolitionism in the Law.
At present, 97 States have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, 8 have abolished it for ordinary crimes and 36 respect a moratorium on executions, en total 141 States.
On the other hand, the death penalty is still applied in 57 States and territories.
Since 2011, 23 States have carried out executions. While the number of countries carrying out executions decreases, the latest report from Amnesty International lists 676 executions 2011, compared to 527 in 2010 shows an increase in executions in the hard core of countries Retentionist, mainly Saudi Arabia, From Iran to Iraq. Also, the actual number is difficult to determine since there are available official statistics of certain states, such as China. The number of convictions, moreover, has decreased, passing 2024 in 2010 a 1923 in 2011.
Yearly, new countries decide to abolish the death penalty:
January, 2012, Mongolia ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which provides for the abolition of the death penalty.
Latvia abolished the death penalty for all crimes in January 2012.
Honduras and the Dominican Republic ratified the Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights to Abolish the Death Penalty, in November 2011 and January 2012 respectively.
In United States, Illinois and Connecticut became respectively the 16th and 17th states to abolish capital punishment in March 2011 and in April 2012.
North Africa and Middle East
Despite the optimism sparked by the Arab Spring, None of the 22 States in the region have abolished the death penalty. In 2011, were counted at least 558 performances in eight countries (Saudi Arabia, Autoridad Palestina, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iran, Siria y Yemen), of which several hundred in Iran, 68 Iraq, and at least 82 Saudi Arabia, a trend that has continued in 2012. No information available on the application of the death penalty in Libya 2011, but numerous reports describe extrajudicial killings by all parties to the conflict. Other countries have moratoriums in fact several years (Tunis from 1991, Morocco and Algeria from 1993, Lebanon since 2004 and Jordan from 2006).
Asia
Mongolia became effective abolition of the death penalty in March 2012, thus joining other states in the region abolitionists: Nepal, Timor Leste, Philippines and Cambodia. Several states maintain moratoriums made several years (Maldives from 1952, Sri Lanka desde 1976, Burma since 1988, Laos from 1989, South Korea since 1997, From India 2004). Pakistan continues to keep the moratorium in place since 2009.
In 2011, eight states have carried out executions: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, North Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, TAIWAN y Vietnam, although they are eighteen states that have pronounced death sentences. In the absence of official data, estimates account for thousands of executions per year in China. Japan ended a de facto moratorium maintained since a year and a half, with the hanging of the three men 29 March 2012. The country carried out further executions in August 2012.
Africa
17 of 48 States have abolished the death penalty in law and has been a positive trend in recent years. In 2009, Togo and Burundi have joined the ranks of abolitionist states. Benin abolished the death penalty in June 2012 and the Democratic Republic of Congo has declared in favor of a “moratorium irreversible” and one “gradual abolition” March 2012. In opposition to this positive trend, Botswana and Gambia carried out executions in 2012.
The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights appealed to the abolition of the death penalty during its 49th session 2011. He had created a working group on 2005.
Europe
Belarus is the only country on the continent that remains abolish capital punishment. Four people were executed from 2011, two in March 2012. Russia instituted a moratorium on executions in 1996.
Europe, the protocols 6 and 13 European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms also prohibit the death penalty in times of peace and war.
http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/es/asuntos-globales/derechos-humanos/pena-de-muerte-2734/la-pena-de-muerte-en-el-mundo/
