As abolitionists prepare to gather in Paris for the World Congress Against the Death Penalty (30 June-2 July), the global landscape is defined by a sharp contrast between an excessive use of capital punishment, rooted in authoritarian rhetoric of “tough on crime,” on the one hand, and significant legislative progress towards abolition on the other.
Amnesty International report on death sentences and executions in 2025, published in May, confirms worrying trends: in 2025, the number of executions increased by 78% compared to 2024, with at least 2,707 people executed across 17 countries (this figure excludes China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Viet Nam, due to a lack of available data). Among these, Iranian authorities carried out at least 2,159 executions, making extensive use of the death penalty to instill fear. Equally concerning are the sharp increases in executions in Kuwait (where the rate tripled), and in Egypt, Singapore and the United States (where they doubled).
Amnesty’s report also points to the extensive use of the death penalty for drug-related offences, which represented 46% of the executions (1,257) in 2025, and is retained in at least 35 countries. On the occasion of the 2026 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (26 June), Parliamentarians for Global Action joined 62 civil society organizations’ call on the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and its Member States to unequivocally condemn the use of the death penalty for drug-related offences and to uphold international human rights obligations, including by adopting concrete measures to restrict the use of the death penalty with a view to its full abolition.
Parliamentarians continue to drive progress towards abolition. In Lebanon, the Human Rights Committee and the Justice Committee recently approved a bill aimed at abolishing the death penalty, submitted by PGA member Hon. Georges Okais MP, among others. Although Lebanon has observed a moratorium on executions since 2004, this recent legislative push demonstrates to align Lebanon’s penalty system with international human rights conventions and to uphold the country’s compliance with human rights. The bill now needs to be adopted in the plenary session of the National Assembly.
In the United States, PGA member, Senator Dick Durbin, has reintroduced a bill to ban the federal death penalty. This initiative comes in response to the restoration of federal executions via executive order by the current U.S. administration (which lifted the previous moratorium), and to recent announcements regarding the reintroduction of firing squads and the expansion of execution methods to include electrocution and lethal gas for federal executions (methods already used in some states). The bill was introduced in the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives.
Commitment of parliamentarians is pivotal to the long-term success of the abolitionist movement. The Philippines recently celebrated 20 years since the abolition of the death penalty, a milestone achieved and maintained by legislators, including PGA members, who have resisted attempts to reinstate capital punishment. These efforts underscore that resolute legislative action remains a vital driver for a future without the death penalty.
Positive developments:
India:
o In a judgement, the Supreme Court of India reiterated that capital punishment may be imposed only where life imprisonment is “unquestionably foreclosed.” India is a retentionist country that retains the death penalty for ordinary crimes.
Lebanon:
o The Human Rights and Justice Committees approved a bill to abolish the death penalty. The National Human Rights Commission also called on Lebanese authorities to consider accession to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty. Lebanon is a retentionist country, but has observed a moratorium since 2004.
Trinidad and Tobago:
o In a judgement, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council directed that Trinidad and Tobago must introduce mental health assessments for defendants accused of serious crimes, particularly in capital cases.
United States:
o Senator Dick Durbin reintroduced a bill to ban the federal death penalty.
Setbacks
Iran:
o According to Iran Human Rights NGO, at least 44 protesters have been sentenced to death in Iran, among them two women and three teenagers under 18 at the time of arrest. All were convicted in relation to Iran’s January 2026 protests.
o Since the beginning of the year, at least 363 executions have been recorded.
Jordan:
o Six men were executed by hanging, which represents the first mass execution since 2017.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:
o At least 65 Ethiopian migrants are at risk of execution in Saudi Arabia for drug-related offenses.
o In a statement, civil society organizations reported that, since 2015, executions have surpassed 2,000, among which 42% of the individuals were foreign nationals. They call for an immediate halt to executions in Saudi Arabia and a comprehensive review of all cases in line with the country’s international obligations.
Singapore:
o UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed alarm at the continuing spike in executions for drug-related offences in Singapore, and called for an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty.
o A human rights defender faces charges for his alleged participation in candlelight vigils commemorating death row prisoners that were held without police permit.
United States:
o U.S. Justice Department has directed federal prisons to expand methods of executions, including firing squads, gas asphyxiation and electrocution.
o From April-June 2026, a total of 9 executions were recorded, included:
§ 5 in Florida
§ 2 in Texas
§ 1 in Oklahoma
§
1 in Arizona
New Reports and Resources:
Council of Europe (CoE):
o The Council of Europe’s Observatory on history teaching in Europe conducted a study examining whether education systems could be providing a stronger foundation for supporting abolition. It finds that although examples of capital punishment are widely taught, the reasons for its abolition are often absent.
Death Penalty Project and the University of Dhaka:
o New research exposes systemic failures in the effectiveness and quality of legal representation in capital cases in Bangladesh.
Inter-American Commission for Human Rights (IACHR):
o 2025 Annual Report details developments in relation to the abolition of the death penalty in all Member States, and calls on countries, notably Barbados, to abolish capital punishment.
Droit et Paix, Network of Cameroonian Lawyers Against the Death Penalty (RACOPEM), and Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM):
o A Fact-finding mission report highlights the experience of those sentenced to death in Cameroon, as well as their families and lawyers.
Iran Human Rights NGO (IHRNGO) and Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM):
o Annual report on the Death Penalty in Iran reveals an unprecedented escalation in the Islamic Republic’s use of the death penalty in 2025, with more than 1,600 executions, an increase of 68% compared to 2024.
United Nations and Human Rights Council:
o The Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions published a report “The death penalty from the perspective of the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment and the protection of human dignity.” It demonstrates that severe physical pain and psychological distress are an inherent part of the design and implementation of all capital punishment, and states unequivocally that the practice must be abolished immediately.
Universal Periodic Review – 52nd session:
o During the 52nd session, States notably recommended to Niger, Singapore, and Somalia to abolish the death penalty.