Capital Punishment Justice Project

Capital Punishment Justice Project stands for a world without the death penalty or other forms of state-sanctioned killing.

Capital punishment is a profound violation of human rights. It disproportionately targets marginalised people, including LGBTQI+ individuals who face execution in 12 countries. No legal system is infallible, and wrongful convictions are irreversible.

Executions surged in 2025, with China and Iran carrying out the majority, while closer to home, Singapore executed a record number of people. Although Australia is abolitionist, Australians can, and have, faced death sentences abroad.

Established in 2001, Capital Punishment Justice Project is the only Australian NGO solely focused on this issue. In 2021, the secured the exoneration of Luke Cook, an Australian, from Thailand’s death row – one example of decades of advocacy that have built established relationships with government, civil society organisations, and a network coordinating thousands of pro bono lawyer hours. They also contributed to the Australian Government’s 2018 development of a bipartisan strategy committed to death penalty abolition and have driven change through parliamentary inquiries.

Priorities include:
* Direct assistance to people facing the death penalty and their loved ones;
* Advocacy at UN and Australian government levels;
* Public education challenging the myth that capital punishment uniquely deters crime; and
* Protection of human rights defenders in retentionist states who face government surveillance and repression for their work against the death penalty.

Funding sustains their ability to deliver these priorities and safeguards their operational stability. Your support saves lives and builds momentum toward universal abolition.

WEBSITE