International efforts to abolish the death penalty took center stage at the Human Rights Council on Tuesday, February 25 as UN human rights chief Volker Türk condemned a sharp rise in global executions over the past two years.
He told the Member States that “While a number of countries argue that it lies within their national sovereignty, from my perspective, it is incompatible with human dignity and the right to life.”
Türk insisted that capital punishment had “no place” in modern society and highlighted that the leading executioners in recent years included Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and the United States.
According to the latest UN data, 1,153 executions were carried out in 16 countries in 2023, marking a staggering 31% increase from 2022 — the highest figure recorded in eight years. “That followed a 53 percent increase in executions between 2021 and 2022,” the High Commissioner explained.
However, these figures do not account for China, where transparency regarding capital punishment remains elusive. “I call on the Chinese authorities to change this policy and join the trend towards abolition,” Türk urged.
A concerning aspect of this rise in executions is that more than 40% of capital punishments were imposed for drug-related offenses — a clear violation of international human rights law, which reserves the death penalty for the “most serious crimes.” Nearly all such executions took place in Iran, marking a significant increase over the past two years.
Despite the grim statistics, there is positive momentum toward ending the death penalty, particularly in the Global South. A total of 113 countries have now abolished capital punishment completely, including Zimbabwe, which passed a law ending executions at the end of 2024. The African continent continues to make strides, with 26 other nations also removing the death penalty from their legal frameworks.
Judicial reforms play a crucial role in reducing death sentences, Türk emphasized. He praised Malawi and Malaysia for implementing measures that allowed courts to commute executions to lesser sentences, reinforcing the need for fair trials and preventing wrongful convictions.
Türk called on governments to work toward a full abolition of capital punishment, implement moratoriums, and ensure that if the death penalty is applied, it is strictly limited to the most heinous crimes.
Zimbabwe’s Journey Toward Abolition
Addressing the Council, Zimbabwe’s Attorney General, Virginia Mabiza, provided insights into the country’s transition away from capital punishment. She explained that the death penalty had been introduced during colonial rule in the 18th century and remained in place even after Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980.
In 1999, more than 56% of Zimbabweans supported keeping capital punishment. However, between 1980 and 2005, 105 executions were carried out.
“Since then, no other executions have been carried out in Zimbabwe. This can be attributed to policy decisions coupled with judicial discretion against capital punishment.”
Over the years, the number of crimes punishable by death has steadily decreased. Initially, offenses such as conspiracy and attempted robbery could result in capital punishment. However, by 2013, only murder convictions could lead to a death sentence, in line with a UN General Assembly resolution aimed at reducing the scope of capital punishment.
Mabiza also cited multiple instances where the Zimbabwean Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment violated a prisoner’s human rights. In many cases, courts “commuted death sentences to life imprisonment,” further cementing Zimbabwe’s move toward complete abolition.
With international pressure mounting and more nations embracing the global trend against the death penalty, the call for an end to capital punishment continues to gain strength. The UN remains firm in its stance that executions have no place in the 21st century.
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