On March 25, on the sidelines of PGA’s 46th Annual Forum in Mexico-City, parliamentarians from Jamaica, Nigeria, The Gambia, Pakistan and the Netherlands gathered for a parliamentary workshop on the death penalty, united by a shared conviction on the universality of human rights. In a volatile geopolitical landscape, where competing priorities threaten to push the issue of capital punishment to the margins, legislators from retentionist and abolitionist in practice countries discussed concrete strategies to overcome national obstacles to abolition, replicate successful models, and support the abolitionist movement in their countries. As Sen. Boris Dittrich (The Netherlands), convenor of PGA’s campaign, explained, the goal was to identify concrete steps parliamentarians can take, individually and collectively, to dismantle a structurally repressive system, incompatible with the right to life and the prohibition against torture and ill-treatment.
Acting when progress meets regression:
Although more than two-thirds of UN member states have now abolished the death penalty in law or practice, Ms. Asunta Vivó Cavaller and Mr. Rajiv Narayan, co-executive directors of the International Commission against the Death Penalty (ICDP), warned parliamentarians: “progress is real, but not irreversible. Sustained political commitment is essential.” Recent data confirms that while the number of countries imposing the death penalty continues to decline, alarming setbacks persist. This includes record execution figures in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and the United States, alongside threats to reinstate or expand capital punishment, as recently in Israel with the adoption of the discriminatory Death Penalty for Terrorists Law or in the Maldives, which is planning to introduce a death penalty bill for drug-related offences.
To counter this regression and keep abolition on the political agenda, ICDP co-executive directors encouraged parliamentarians to collaborate across party lines to reform legislation, repeal laws, establish moratoria, and propose constitutional amendments. They also reminded legislators of their role in oversight and monitoring human rights obligations, which strengthens engagement and paves the way for abolition. Suriname offers a compelling example: following meetings with experts, parliamentarians fully committed to drafting and revising a bill to abolish the death penalty, later adopted and promulgated in 2015. Countries can choose another path to achieve abolition by ratifying the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty, as Kazakhstan did in 2022 after having observed a long-term moratorium.
Hidden crisis: Gender, discrimination and prison conditions
The workshop raised awareness about the intersection between gender-based violence and the death penalty. Ms. Bahar Mirhosseni, Distinguished Legal Fellow and Director of Legal Advocacy at the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide, presented findings indicating that at least 1,000 women are sentenced to death worldwide. Many – or most of them – are survivors of gender-based violence and/or victims of socio-economic deprivation. In the United States of America for example, 96% of the women sentenced to death have experienced gender-based violence. In some countries, women sentenced to death for drug-related offences are often migrant workers, face economic insecurity, or are under coercive relationships. Despite these patterns, courts rarely recognize gender-specific mitigating circumstances, further exacerbating discrimination. Linguistic analyses also reveal the gender differences in treatment during judicial processes and police interrogations, leading to the construction of unjust narratives. Ms. Mirhosseni recommended that parliamentarians address systemic biases to ensure fair trial, but emphasized that, given the current failure to eradicate such prejudices, the ultimate priority remains to abolish the death penalty.
Ms. Tracey Cui, researcher at the Center for Prisoner’s Rights Japan, provided parliamentarians with deeper insight into the conditions faced by death row inmates, including women, through an overview of the situation of Japan’s death row, which in 2025 comprised 108 individuals, including six women. The documentation and research conducted by the NGO highlighted gender-based violence and mistreatment, including constant surveillance, a practice deemed illegal by the Tokyo Supreme Court in 2025. Despite the 2025 ruling, in 2026, the Osaka Bar Association protested against the constant surveillance of a woman who had spent over 20 years on death row. Ms. Cui explained that violence against women remains deeply entrenched in the Japanese criminal justice system, with no consideration for their specific needs and a failure to recognize gender-based violence during trials. She stressed the need for further research to inform the public, enable informed judgments on capital punishment, and address the impact of gender in relation to death penalty cases.
Human stories behind the death penalty
Malaysian lawyer Khaizan Shariza Ab. Razak delivered a powerful testimony, highlighting her frontline commitment to the abolition of the death penalty. With the abolition of the mandatory death penalty in Malaysia, 1,020 persons have benefited from the review of their sentences. Her pro bono legal team facilitated the release of individuals, 20% of whom had spent more than 20 years on death row. Among them, one man was released in October 2024 after a documentary film exposed his wrongful conviction. She emphasized that most clients come from marginalized communities and, even after release, they continue to face stigma and employment struggles. She highlighted the critical lack of mental health specialists in Malaysia, noting that many clients suffer from mental and other health issues, requiring support and assistance upon release from prison. “Policy change has to work in tandem with legislative reform,” she said. Structural reforms from different ministries are needed, particularly in education, poverty, and health, including mental health.
Answering a question on public opinion, she noted a significant shift in attitudes towards drug-related offences and the death penalty in Malaysia over the past decade. Human stories, when effectively communicated, can shift perceptions and reshape attitudes.
From Debate to Action: Strategies for Parliamentarians
The final session transformed discussion into concrete action plans, parliamentarians identified strategies they can use to advance abolition of the death penalty:
- Engaging in public debate to shift public discourse and keep the question of the death penalty on the agenda;
- Forming parliamentary caucuses across political lines to build coalitions;
- Tabling parliamentary questions to demand government transparency on related data, the position of the government on the question, or push for any progress on the question;
- Drafting legislative bills to reduce the scope or abolish the death penalty, establish a moratorium as a first step towards full abolition, or improve prison conditions, including for women;
- Seizing legislative opportunities, such as constitutional reforms, to embed abolition permanently;
- Promoting the ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR or other relevant regional treaties; and
- Engaging in global diplomacy, including by promoting votes in favor of the UN General Assembly Moratorium Resolution.
Several parliamentarians underscored the difficulty and persistent sensitivity surrounding the issue, particularly when certain cases deeply affect public opinion. As an example, Hon. Bamidele Salam, MP (Nigeria) warned against rising religious and political pressure to extend the death penalty to cases of abduction and rape, demonstrating the need for continued awareness-raising since the death penalty has never been a deterrent and only perpetuates the cycle of violence and discrimination, without ever addressing the root causes of crime. Despite different contexts, participating parliamentarians agreed that these strategies could be implemented at national and regional levels. Hon. Heatha Miller, MP (Jamaica), pledged to collaborate with Jamaican advocacy groups against the death penalty to promote a private members’ bill. Ms. Fatoumatta Njai, MP (The Gambia), highlighted the current inconsistency between law and practice in her country: while the death penalty remains in Gambian legislation, it is no longer applied. She stressed the need for legislators to address this issue and work towards removing all references to capital punishment from the Gambian Constitution through a constitutional amendment.
Such commitments are essential to ensure continued progress, as parliamentarians are key actors in achieving the universal abolition of the death penalty. Sustained attention to the intersectional elements of criminal justice systems and prison conditions is essential in implementing systems geared toward rehabilitation and reintegration, guided by humanity rather than retribution.
