DPRU and DPP launch new report on the death penalty under abolitionist de facto (ADF) status

On 26 September 2025, the Death Penalty Research Unit (DPRU) and our partner organisation the Death Penalty Project (DPP) launched a new report on abolitionist de facto (ADF) countries: those that retain the death penalty in law but have not carried out an execution for 10 years or more. 

The report, titled Between Retention and Abolition: Making Sense of a Death Penalty without Executions, is the outcome of a two-year collaborative research project which has examined the concept of ADF status and the challenges faced by policymakers in ADF countries. This project was supported by funding from the Oxford Policy Engagement Network's Public Policy Challenge Fund and the Council of Europe. 

The report was formally launched at an event held at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, with the sponsorship of the Permanent Missions of Belgium, Benin, Costa Rica, France, Mexico, Mongolia, the Republic of Moldova and Switzerland. 

The DPRU's Professor Carolyn Hoyle and Daniel Cullen, and the DPP's Parvais Jabbar, presented the report's principal findings at the event, while opening remarks were provided by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk (via video) and the Director of Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Clare Ovey. 

The full report is available to read from the Death Penalty Project website.