HC Deb 30 June 1983 vol 44 cc113-5W
Mr. Peter Bruinvels

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a list of all countries known to him to retain the death penalty for murder.

Mr. Mellor

The following table lists, according to their general geographical location, those countries or territories which are understood to have retained the death penalty for murder. It is based mainly on information available in 1979 which has been up-dated where later information has been received.

1. Africa

  • Algeria
  • Angola
  • Benin
  • Cameroon
  • Cental African Empire
  • Chad
  • Congo
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Ethiopia
  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea
  • Ivory Coast
  • Kenya
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Madagascar*
  • Malawi
  • Mali
  • Morocco
  • Namibia
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Rwanda
  • Seychelles*
  • Sierra Leone
  • Somali Democratic Republic
  • South Africa
  • Sudan
  • Tanzania
  • Tunisia
  • Uganda
  • Upper Volta
  • Zaire
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

2. Asia and Australasia

  • Afghanistan
  • Australia (retained in some State jurisdictions)
  • Bangladesh
  • China
  • Fiji
  • Hong Kong*
  • Indonesia
  • Japan
  • Kampuchea
  • Korea (Republic of South Korea)
  • Malaysia
  • Pakistan
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • Sri Lanka
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Tonga
  • Vietnam

3. Caribbean

  • Antigua
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Bermuda
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Cayman Islands
  • Cuba
  • Dominica
  • Grenada
  • Guyana
  • Haiti
  • Jamaica
  • Montserrat
  • St. Vincent
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Turks and Caicos'

4. Central and South America

  • Argentina
    • 115
  • Bolivia
  • Chile
  • El Salvador
  • Guatemala
  • Mexico
  • Nicaragua
  • Paraguay

5. Eastern Europe

  • Albania
  • Bulgaria
  • Czechoslovakia
  • German Democratic Republic
  • Hungary
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • USSR

6. Middle East

  • Egypt
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Jordan
  • Libya
  • Oman
  • People's Democratic Republic of Yemen
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Syria
  • Yemen Arab Republic

7. North America

  • USA (but some States have no death penalty laws in force)

8. Western Europe

  • Cyprus
  • Greece
  • Ireland* (Republic of Eire)
  • Liechtenstein*
  • Turkey

* Although the death penalty is retained in law, it has fallen into disuse.

Sources: The Council of Europe and "The Death Penalty", an Amnesty International report (pub. 1979).