Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide

Sharing knowledge, empowering human rights defenders, and building transnational communities to ensure justice for those facing the death penalty.

  • Take Action for Melissa Lucio

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  • Abraham Galeta

    Abraham Galeta, released nineteen years after being sentenced to death.

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  • A woman looking to the left

    Alice Nungu, survivor of domestic violence, freed from death row in Malawi with the assistance of the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide.

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  • Pamela Okoroigwe

    Pamela Okoroigwe, a visionary Nigerian lawyer trained at the
    Makwanyane Institute for Capital Defenders in 2017, now herself a trainer.

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Death Penalty

This map shows the status of the death penalty around the world. Retentionist countries have carried out at least one execution in the past ten years. De facto abolitionist countries have not carried out any executions in over ten years, but retain the death penalty in law. Countries that are abolitionist for common law crimes apply the death penalty only in times of war or other extraordinary circumstances. Abolitionist countries have eliminated the death penalty from their laws.

Abolitionist

Abolitionist for common law crimes

De facto abolitionist

Retentionist