We believe the death penalty, however administered, will almost always violate universally accepted and absolute human rights, namely, the right to life and the right not to be subject to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
What we do
The work of The Death Penalty Project originally began in 1992 concentrating on appeals in individual capital cases from the Caribbean and applications to international human rights tribunals. Since 2003 we have also been assisting lawyers and NGOs in a number of African and Asian countries in criminal and constitutional cases being brought on behalf of prisoners facing the death penalty. The organisation aims to achieve its objectives in four main ways:
- Free legal representation and advice. For individual prisoners under sentence of death in Caribbean countries who have exhausted all other domestic appeals we will provide pro bono representation in applications to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, which is still the final Court of Appeal for all English-speaking Caribbean countries, save for Barbados, Belize and Guyana. For prisoners in other jurisdictions, or for jurisdictions that do not retain the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as their final Court of Appeal, we provide legal advice in criminal appeals and constitutional challenges to the death penalty.
- Strategic litigation. Cases are brought before regional and international human rights tribunals seeking appropriate remedies where there are violations of international human rights law. This serves to promote minimum fair trial guarantees, and to develop human rights standards restricting the imposition and implementation of the death penalty.
- Consultation and training. We advise and enter into discussion with governments, members of the legal profession and NGOs in any jurisdiction on questions of domestic and international human rights law concerning the imposition and application of the death penalty.
- Research. Our ground-breaking legal work is consolidated through research studies, publications, training and education, particularly for those members of the legal profession involved in the defence and prosecution of capital cases as well as members of the medical profession involved in assessments in capital cases. We also coordinate Judicial Colloquiums and themed workshops for members of the Judiciary.
LATEST NEWS
All prisoners serving life sentence in Belize to be re-sentenced following major decision of the Caribbean Court of Justice
April 2018At least 44 prisoners currently serving life sentences in Belize will be re-sentenced following an ...
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Split Decision (Private Eye on the JCPC’s judgment in Jay Chandler)
March 2018As reported in Private Eye Issue No.1466 (23 March- 5 April 2018) Privy Council judges ...
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UK judges uphold death sentence of Trinidad prisoner despite him “more likely than not” having serious mental illness
March 2018The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) has rejected the appeal of death row ...
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Singapore public opinion survey shows low support for the mandatory death penalty
March 2018Research by the National University of Singapore has revealed that the Singaporean public favours a ...
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