Colorado becomes the 22nd state to have abandoned the death penalty, bringing this country one state closer to joining the over two-thirds of the countries in the world that have abolished the death penalty in law or practice
Reacting to news that the Colorado legislature has signed a bill to repeal the death penalty, Kristina Roth, Senior Program Officer at Amnesty International USA, stated:
"Colorado becomes the 22nd state to have abandoned the death penalty, bringing this country one state closer to joining the over two-thirds of the countries in the world that have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. This is the kind of human rights leadership this country needs, now more than ever.
"The Governor must also be commended for commuting the death sentences of people currently on death row.
"The death penalty is irreversible, it is ineffective, and it does not deter crime. The way the death penalty is carried out is painful, violent, and inhumane, and it is weaponized in this country disproportionately against communities of color. The use of the death penalty as a punishment is outdated, fundamentally broken and must end once and for all."
Background:
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty unconditionally. Learn more about Amnesty International USA's death penalty work here.
For further information, see:
Letter from Amnesty International USA to the Governor of Colorado, Jared Polis (March 17, 2020)
Amnesty International Global Report: Death Sentences and Executions (report)
Amnesty International Response to U.S. Government Decision to Resume Federal Executions (news statement, July 2019)
Amnesty International Calls on Governor Abbott to Grant Clemency to Rodney Reed (news statement, November 2019)
This statement is available at: https://www.amnestyusa.org/colorados-abolition-of-death-penalty
