On 13 August 1964, Peter Allen and Gwynne Evans made British judicial history, although not in a way they would have appreciated. They were the last people executed in the United Kingdom. Throughout the 1960s there was growing support in the British Parliament for the abolition of capital punishment, and it was finally abolished for ordinary crimes in 1969.
The global abolition of the death penalty is a long-term human rights objective for the British Government. Of the 195 independent states that are members of the UN or have UN observer status, only 40 still maintain the death penalty in both law and practice (in other words have carried out a judicial execution in the last ten years). In 2013, there were 778 reported executions (although these figures are incomplete as there are no available figures for China, Egypt or Syria). We consider that the death penalty undermines human dignity and there is no evidence that it works as a deterrent. There is also the horrible consequence of not being able to correct errors – much of the impetus in the UK for the abolition was because of notorious cases of wrongful execution.
The British Government and the Holy See are united in their opposition to the death penalty. Successive Popes have spoken out against it. Pope Francis has made the defence of the dignity of the human being one of the cornerstones of his teachings, and has spoken of the “inalienable value of human life” and appealed for “the dignity and centrality of every individual always be safeguarded, with respect for fundamental rights”. Many Catholic organisations, such as the Community of Sant’Egidio, also campaign for the abolition of the death penalty.
The number of countries who still carry out executions is slowly decreasing. This year the UN will vote again on a non-binding resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium. The overall global consensus is in favour of abolition, and we will continue to support this.