DPRU Research Associate Sherif Azer publishes new report on the death penalty in Egypt

In May 2026, Dr Sherif Azer, Research Associate in the Death Penalty Research Unit (DPRU), University of Oxford, published a new research report on the death penalty in Egypt, titled 'The Road to the Gallows'. The report was compiled by the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), where Dr Azer is the Director of Programs.

The report draws on the ECRF's monitoring of death penalty cases throughout Egypt, which tracked a total of 541 new death penalty-related cases during 2025. This represented an increase from recent years, with 509 death sentences issued in 2024 and 454 in 2023. The organisation recorded 20 executions during the same period, an increase from 13 in 2024 and 8 in 2023. 

The statistics contained in the report are based on a detailed database of capital cases collected and verified by the ECRF as part of its 'Stop the Death Penalty in Egypt' campaign. One of the challenges noted by the organisation in sourcing this data is that capital cases can proceed very quickly through the judicial process, often with limited transparency. In the absence of official statistics, the ECRF states that their figures are unable to represent the full scale of the use of capital punishment in the country.

The 'Stop the Death Penalty in Egpyt' campaign seeks the abolition of the death penalty, and prior to the compliance of authorities with Egypt's international obligations and a reduction in the number of crimes punishable by death (which currently stands at 50). The ECRF also seeks to connect these issues to broader discussions around the Egyptian criminal justice framework. 

The 'The Road to the Gallows' report can be read in full (17 pp) via the ECRF website.