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The Universal Periodic Review takes place in Geneva. The United Kingdom recognises Palau’s progress on human rights issues since its 2016 review, including in the field of domestic violence with the criminalisation of marital rape. Furthermore, we pay tribute to Palau’s continued democratic values which are demonstrated through an independent media and judiciary and the continued fight against corruption. We encourage Palau to continue its engagement with the UK and other members of the international community in order to advance democracy and human rights internally. We recommen...

At the end of 2020, 108 countries (a majority of the world’s states) had abolished the death penalty in law for all crimes and 144 countries had abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Amnesty International recorded commutations or pardons of death sentences in 33 countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lesotho, Malaysia, Morocco/Western Sahara, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad ...

Amnesty International recorded 483 executions in 18 countries in 2020, a decrease of 26% from 657 recorded in 2019. This figure represents the lowest number of executions that Amnesty International has recorded in the past decade.

Background: Research into capital punishment has focussed on the length of time it will take to abolish. It will take decades or centuries. A key moment in the movement to abolish the death penalty was the 1980s when the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR was developed. This was also the decade that the last significant changes were made to the United Nations drug conventions. At the time, awareness of the issue of capital punishment for drug offences was increasing around the world as more people were getting executed. This article looks at how western countries and the United Nations resp...

Government uses human rights review to reinforce the status quo 16/03/2021 (Geneva, Paris) The Maldivian government has failed to make progress on key human rights commitments during the latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR), FIDH and its member organization Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN) said today. “Instead of using this UPR cycle to make bold human rights commitments, the Maldivian government adopted a conservative approach that reinforces the status quo and risks leaving important issues unaddressed.” Adilur Rahman Khan, FIDH Secretary-General During the Maldives’ third UPR,...