Abolish the Death Penalty
The death penalty is the ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights. By working towards the abolition of the death penalty worldwide, Amnesty International USA's Death Penalty Abolition Campaign looks to end the cycle of violence created by a system riddled with economic and racial bias and tainted by human error. Please join us in taking action against the death penalty.
Earl Wesley Berry is scheduled to be executed in Mississippi on Wednesday May 21, 2008 for the 1987 murder of Mary Bounds. His execution may go forward despite evidence that he has mental retardation, which, if the case, would render his execution unconstitutional. » More actions
Percy Levar Walton, who suffers from serious mental illness, and has been described as "floridly psychotic", is scheduled on June 10th to become the 100th person executed in Virginia. He was sentenced to death in 1997 for the murders of Elizabeth and Jesse Hendrick, and Archie Moore. Urge Virignia Governor Tim Kaine to halt the execution of this severely mentally ill man. » More actions
Virginia residents: Join our week of action to prevent Virginia's 100th execution!
TAKE ACTION! Urge China's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to Abolish the Death Penalty Based on public reports, Amnesty International estimates that at least 1,010 people were executed and 2,790 sentenced to death in 2006 in China. The death penalty violates the Olympic ideal of preserving human dignity.
» Download the petition (PDF) to Prime Minister Wen Jiabao urging him to respect the Olympic ideal, and to take positive steps towards abolishing the death penalty in China.
» Learn more about the death penalty in China
Troy Davis Update
On March 17, 2008 the Georgia Supreme Court decided 4-3 to deny a new trial for Troy Anthony Davis, despite significant concerns regarding his innocence. Today's stunning decision by the Georgia Supreme Court to let Mr. Davis' death sentence stand means that the state of Georgia might soon execute a man who well may be innocent. Please take action today by calling on the Georgia Board of Pardon and Paroles to commute the death sentence for Troy Anthony Davis.
» TAKE ACTION! Send a letter to the Georgia Board of Pardon and Paroles
» Listen to Troy tell his story
» Help get more support! Download the petition
» Read AIUSA's press release
» Learn more about Troy Davis
Activists Turn Out in Support of Troy Davis
Activists rallied in Savannah last summer and in Atlanta on Martin Luther King Day on behalf of Troy Davis.
Amnesty International activists and others continue to rally in support of Troy Davis, on death row in Georgia despite strong evidence of his innocence. To commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Davis' sister Martina Correia spoke about the case at the annual march in Atlanta on January 21, 2008.
Human Rights Goals
- Seek Understanding - Mental Illness
- The execution of those with mental illness or "the insane" is clearly prohibited by international law and virtually every country in the world. Despite these standards, and constitutional law, the USA continues to execute people with diagnosed schizophrenia, those that suffer from severe delusions, and others with clinically-labeled mental illnesses.
- Prevention Not Punishment: Educating the Public on the Intersection of the Death Penalty and Severe Mental Illness
- ABA Recommendation
- The Execution of Mentally Ill Offenders
- USA: Supreme Court tightens standard on 'competence' for execution, an analysis of the recent Supreme Court ruling in Panetti v. Quarterman
- Cruel and Inhumane: Executing the Mentally Ill, article from Amnesty Magazine
- Learn More About State Sponsored Killing in the USA
- Since 1977, over 1,000 people have been executed in the U.S.; there are currently around 3,500 men and women on death row across the country. Grassroots activists throughout the USA play an essential role in advocating against this human rights violation through monitoring cases, mobilizing around upcoming events, and lobbying for anti-death penalty legislation.
- More Information on the Death Penalty (including pending executions)
- Facts and Figures (including executions by year, state, method)
- Encourage Worldwide Abolition
- Around 135 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. On average, in the past decade more than three countries a year have abolished the death penalty for all crimes. Despite international human rights standards, some nations still execute people. Around the world, the death penalty is used as a tool of political repression and a means to forever silence political opponents or eliminate politically 'troublesome' individuals. » Learn more
- In 2006, 91 per cent of all known executions took place in six countries: China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan and the USA.
- International law prohibits the use of the death penalty for crimes committed by juveniles, yet the execution of child offenders continues in a few countries, particularly Iran.
- International Human Rights Standards
