1 March 2011 — This day marks the occasion in 1847 when the U.S. state of Michigan became the first English-speaking territory in the world to abolish capital punishment. The death penalty is a violation of human rights, as stated in Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In 2009, the last year for which worldwide data is available, there were at least 714 known executions in 18 countries. This figure does not include executions in China, which were estimated to be in the thousands. China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the United States were the five countries who carried out the most executions.

International law related to capital punishment is evolving. There is currently only one universal treaty banning executions and aiming for the total abolition of the death penalty: The Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The Protocol, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989, requires states that have ratified it to renounce definitely the use of the death penalty. As of February 2011, it has been ratified by 73 states and signed by 35 others. In December 2010, the General Assembly passed its third resolution calling upon all countries to establish a moratorium on the death penalty.

Sources: Amnesty International.