What is the situation of the death penalty in Asia?
Despite more than two-thirds of countries worldwide having abolished the death penalty in law or practice, Asia has remained the region with the highest number of executions.
- In 2021, at least 462 executions were carried out across the continent (not including executions in China) and more than 1,175 people were sentenced to death (figures from China, Iran, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Syria and Thailand were not disclosed).
- In 2022, the continent witnessed a very high number of executions carried out in particularly appalling contexts, notably in Iran (500++), Myanmar (2) where executions resumed after a 34 year-moratorium and Singapore, that executed 11 death row prisoners, after a 3-year pause, in contravention with international law, notably when executing a death row prisoner suffering from mental disability.
ADPAN, established in 2006, aims to integrate and connect regional abolitionist organisations to make Asia a deathpenalty free zone. Therefore, this seminar provides a platform for in-depth exchanges among abolitionists from various Asian countries and to explore strategies.
Opening ceremony and program of the seminar
Minister without Portfolio Luo Bing-cheng, Vice Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, Taiwan Wang Jung-chang, and legislator Chiu Hsien-Chih, a victim of wrongful conviction in Taiwan, will speak at the Opening Ceremony on May 26th. Su Chien-ho, a victim of wrongful execution in Taiwan, will also share his personal experience to inspire other participants. The two-day seminar will engage national human rights institutions, NGOs, legal experts, and former death row inmates, to discuss the challenges and opportunities on the path to abolition of the death penalty in Asia.
Useful resources
