DPRU launches 'Foreign Nationals on Death Row' database

In recognition of the extreme plight of foreign nationals on death row and their particular vulnerabilities, the Death Penalty Research Unit (DPRU) have been partnering with a network of civil society organisations (CSOs) to map foreign nationals at risk of the death penalty across Asia and the Middle East.

Through this collaborative work, the DPRU has created a new tool - launched today - to map instances of foreign nationals sentenced to death across Asia and the Middle East: the Foreign Nationals on Death Row database.

We worked with HURIDOCS, a human rights software developer, to build an interactive database mapping 1,242 cases of foreign nationals on death row, recording socio-demographic, jurisdictional and offence-related data, as well as including data visualisations and maps which illuminate the numbers and trends that emerged.

Researchers can freely access the full dataset, including all cases, as well as Country Reports and other resources. Users can use the database functions to build custom searches regarding cases, countries and relevant themes. By browsing our findings and conducting targeted research, users can explore the trends within a given region or state. It is our hope that this will prove a valuable resource to all researchers, providing important tools to effect change for this potentially vulnerable population.

The Foreign Nationals on Death Row database can be accessed at: https://foreign-nationals.uwazi.io/