We regularly organise inter-active training for local lawyers and NGOs, with the provision of relevant reference and resource material.  We also implement and participate in Judicial Colloquiums on human rights law and the death penalty.

Events

On 20th October 2011, we launched our Five Year Report at a reception at the House of Lords, hosted by Baroness Vivien Stern.

The Report provides a review of our work between 2006-2011, summarising some of the activities and key developments that have taken place. The full Report can be viewed here.

The event was attended by over 50 guests and photos from the event can be found here.

DPP 2nd Annual Lecture

On 13 January 2011, we organised and hosted a lecture delivered by Wilbert Rideau, an ex-death row prisoner, entitled ‘Crime, Punishment and Rehabilitation’. 

Wilbert was convicted and sentenced to death for killing a woman in 1961 in America’s segregated Deep South. Imprisoned for forty-four years in the most violent prison in America (of which twelve years were spent on death row), he was later described as “the most rehabilitated prisoner in America” (Life Magazine). Wilbert talked about his years in prison, how reading saved his sanity and transformed him from an ignorant, uneducated teenager to someone with a contribution to make to society. His life illustrates why we should try to save the lives of even the guilty on death row. 

The lecture also marked the official book launch of Wilbert’s extraordinary memoir, In the Place of Justice, published by Profile Books. 

The event, held at the Inner Temple, was attended by over 100 guests. Photos from the event can be found here. 

A few words from those who attended:

“Well done to the DPP for organising another stimulating evening with an engaging speaker.” Justice Nicholas Blake

“...Mr Rideau's story was both fascinating and horrifying.  But what impressed me most was the very dignified way Mr Rideau told it, without any sign of anger or bitterness; though in view of what he had been through, and having had the best years of his life, and more, unjustly taken away, he would have been fully justified in showing a great deal.  It was a very moving experience to hear him and I am most grateful.” John Watherston, former Registrar of the Privy Council

"Many congratulations on an event that goes from strength to strength." Rebecca Fraser

On the 21 of January 2010, we organised and hosted a lecture delivered by Professor Roger Hood CBE entitled ‘Towards Global Abolition of the Death Penalty: Progress and Prospects’, which provided an optimistic survey and analysis of the progress in relation to the restriction and abolition of the death penalty worldwide. The event, held at the Inner Temple, was attended by over 100 guests.Photos from the event can be found here. Professor Hood’s paper is available to download here.

 

Training

1. Africa

African Regional Strategy Meeting 2011

On 30 March 2011, we held a regional strategy meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. 27 participants from Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, United States of America, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe attended the meeting. The current status of the death penalty in the region was reviewed and current challenges considered. 

Photos of the meeting can be viewed here. 

In June 2010, we facilitated three training events in Kampala, Uganda, in partnership with the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI), an NGO based in Kampala, and the Judicial Studies Institute (JSI).  This includes a judicial colloquium a training day for prosecution and defence counsel, and a seminar for parliamentarians.

Professor Roger Hood presented on world wide trends in relation to the death penalty. Saul Lehrfreund presented a paper on international standards restricting the death penalty pending abolition.  Parvais Jabbar presented a paper on the use of sentencing principles and guidelines limiting capital punishment  pending abolition. At the judicial colloquium, a panel on the effects of the Kigula case on the principles and practices of sentencing was held. 

In February 2009, we organised a regional strategy meeting to bring together all partner organisations working with us in Africa. Appropriate regional strategies were defined and improved methods of co-operation between NGOs, human rights workers and national human rights organisations were promoted.

In partnership with the FHRI, we implemented a judicial colloquium held in Entebbe in September 2007, which was attended by members of the judiciary including the Chief Justice of Uganda and the President of the Court of Appeal. It was followed that same month by a separate training seminar for prosecution and defence lawyers in Kampala, attended by almost 150 lawyers. Both seminars focused on resentencing issues and the training was conducted by the Hon. Mr Justice Abdulai O. Conteh, the Chief Justice of Belize, Edward Fitzgerald QC and Keir Starmer QC.  Copies of our publication A Guide to Sentencing in Capital Cases, by Edward Fitzgerald QC and Keir Starmer QC were distributed free of charge to all participants. 

Malawi

The Malawi Human Rights Commission invited us to assist judges and lawyers in adjusting to the new discretionary capital sentencing system. In collaboration with the Malawi Human Rights Commission, we conducted a judicial colloquium held in Zomba in September 2007. This was followed by a separate training seminar for prosecution and defence lawyers held in Blantyre. As in Uganda, the training was conducted by the Hon. Mr Justice Abdulai O. Conteh, the Chief Justice of Belize, Keir Starmer QC and Joseph Middleton.  Copies of our publication A Guide to Sentencing in Capital Cases, by Edward Fitzgerald QC and Keir Starmer QC were distributed free of charge to all participants.  

2. The Caribbean

Caribbean Regional Strategy Meeting

Upon invitation by the British High Commissioner, we co-ordinated a regional strategy meeting on the death penalty in September 2010, in Bridgetown, Barbados at the Residence of the British High Commisioner. Our partners and legal experts from the Caribbean region, including participants from Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Guyana, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Jamaica, as well as international experts, attended the meeting. British Diplomats in the Caribbean Region were also in attendance. The current status of the death penalty in the region was reviewed and current challenges considered. All participants benefited from the exchange.  

Barbados

In 2009, the Executive Directors were invited to lead discussions on the death penalty at a seminar held at the Residence of the British High Commissioner of Barbados.  The seminar was designed for members of the local diplomatic corps and colleagues from other British High Commissions in the Caribbean were also invited to participate.  The seminar was organised in order to provide an overview of global trends and developments in relation to the abolition of the death penalty; provide an overview of the law and key line rulings regarding the death penalty in the Caribbean; and to provide an overview of discretionary sentencing systems operating in the Eastern Caribbean, Jamaica, Bahamas and Belize since the abolition of the mandatory death penalty and the implications and issues for Barbados. 

Trinidad

In collaboration with the University of the West Indies, a conference was held in Trinidad in March 2009, for key stakeholders in government, parliament, the executive, the judiciary, the legal services and other interested parties. Papers were represented at the conference by Professor Roger Hood, Douglas Mendes SC and Professor Jeffrey Fagan from Columbia University, New York.  The broad purpose of the conference and related research was to explore the case for legislation to be introduced to abolish the mandatory death penalty based on the research findings of Professor Roger Hood and Dr Florence Seemungal in their 2006 Report on Homicide in Trinidad & Tobago.  Click here for further details of the reports. 

3. Asia

China

Country Profile:
 
China retains the death penalty for ordinary crimes and carries out the highest number of executions in the world.  In 2007, China carried out over 470 (reported) executions and imposed over 1860 death sentences, although these figures represent an absolute minimum due to China’s refusal to publish statistics in relation to the death penalty.  In 2008, the reported figures rose to at least 1718 executions and over 7003 death sentences.  The numbers of executions and death sentences imposed in 2009 is unknown. China voted against both the 2007 and 2008 UN General Assembly Resolutions on the adoption of a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.  China has signed but not ratified the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and is not a party to the Second Optional Protocol aiming at the abolition of the death penalty (1989).

We were asked to advise and enter into dialogue with governments, judges, lawyers and human rights workers in seeking to ensure China's compliance with international human rights standards. We are currently working on a three-year programme in partnership with the Great Britain China Centre and the Irish Centre for Human Rights on reform of the death penalty. This involves developing and implementing strategies designed to ensure compliance with the ICCPR, and steps that need to be taken to restrict and ultimately abolish the death penalty in China. In June 2007, we contributed to the launch seminar in Beijing and in August 2007, we coordinated a themed workshop held in Beijing for the Legislative Affairs Committee of the National Peoples' Congress. In June 2009, we implemented two workshops held in Beijing and Guangzhou for judges of the Supreme People’s Court, and for provincial judges who also have the discretion to impose the death sentence. Professor Roger Hood, Professor Martin Wasik, Saul Lehrfreund MBE and Parvais Jabbar presented papers at the workshop. Copies of the papers delivered at the three workshops can be found here. 

Taiwan

Country Profile:

Taiwan retains the death penalty for ordinary crimes.  Taiwan imposed at least 8 death sentences in 2008 and 7 sentences in 2009.   Amnesty International has reported that President Ma Ying-jeou made a commitment to Amnesty in June 2008 not to lift their moratorium on executions, which had been implemented since 2005.  Despite Taiwan's de facto moratorium, 4 prisoners were executed on 30 April 2010.  As of May 2010, there are  40 prisoners on death row.

In September 2008, the Executive Directors of The Death Penalty Project visited India to conduct a scoping exercise, with a view to developing programmes with local partner organisations designed to reform and restrict the implementation of death penalty. This was followed two months later in November 2008, by a similar scoping exercise in Taiwan at the invitation of the BTCO.  The Executive Directors made a further visit to Taiwan in June 2009, in response to the decision to endorse the ICCPR. See the News and Training sections for further information.

In November 2009, the Executive Directors conducted a training seminar at the Judges and Prosecutors’ Training Institute in Taipei, Taiwan. Parvais Jabbar presented his paper on the development of sentencing principles in cases where the death penalty may be imposed.  Saul Lehrfreund discussed the development of international standards that regulate the imposition of the death penalty, focusing specifically on the ICCPR.  During their visit, the Executive Directors also held meetings with, amongst others, the British Trade and Cultural Office and the Taiwan Alliance against the Death Penalty. (If you would like to see a copy of the papers presented by the Executive Directors, please email Nicola at nicola.goldfinch-palmer@smab.co.uk).  

Japan

Country Profile:

Japan retains the mandatory death penalty for ordinary crimes, including homicide and treason.  In 2008, Japan imposed 27 death sentences and executed 15 people.  In 2009, 7 executions were carried out and 34 death sentences were imposed.  Although Japan has been a party to the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) since 1979, it has neither signed nor ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR aiming at the abolition of the death penalty (1989).

Upon invitation by the British Embassy and the EU Taskforce, the Executive Directors visited Japan in November 2010 to conduct a scoping exercise similar to the exercise carried out in Taiwan, in order to assess opportunities for collaboration.  They met with the Ministry of Justice, lawyers and NGOs with the aim of assisting in raising awareness on the debate on the death penalty in Japan. This visit was built upon their visit to Japan in November 2009, during which they met with representatives of the British Embassy to discuss the potential for The Death Penalty Project to assist with the ongoing debate on the reform of the death penalty in Japan. For more information, please see the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website here.