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Schabas, William A. --- "International law and the abolition of the death penalty" [2019] ELECD 2538; in Steiker, S. Carol; Steiker, M. Jordan (eds), "Comparative Capital Punishment" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019) 217

Book Title: Comparative Capital Punishment

Editor(s): Steiker, S. Carol; Steiker, M. Jordan

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Section: Chapter 11

Section Title: International law and the abolition of the death penalty

Author(s): Schabas, William A.

Number of pages: 15

Abstract/Description:

Three international law issues relating to capital punishment are addressed in this chapter. The first concerns the tension between the reform of capital punishment, as international legal norms governing its practice become increasingly stringent. The second considers the validity of a category of states described as de facto abolitionist. It appears to be a very reliable predictor of permanent abolitionist status. The third examines the threats by the Philippines and Turkey, both of them abolitionist states, to return to capital punishment. Both states are blocked from doing this by treaty law. The situation poses a test for the effectiveness of international human rights law.