Capital punishment remains a legal and actively used penalty in Bangladesh. According to Amnesty International records, Bangladesh courts ruled over 912 death sentences between January 2018 and December 2022. In 2023, approximately 390 death sentences were handed, and in 2024 the number stands at 165. An estimate shows that currently about 1,800 people are awaiting execution in Bangladeshi jails.
There have been multiple calls from international humanitarian communities for Bangladesh to step away from its death penalty usage. In July 2023, following the execution of two men at Rajshahi Central Jail, Amnesty International placed an official call on the government of Bangladesh to establish an official moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty in the country, terming it a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.
More than 140 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. The first country to permanently abolish the use of the death penalty for all crimes was Venezuela in 1863 during the presidency of Juan Crisóstomo Falcón. From the 1960s onwards, abolition accelerated with countries like Portugal, Denmark and Norway all outruling usage of capital punishment. In 1981, France also abolished the death penalty for any crime, under the socialist government of François Mitterrand, with the enactment of Badinter Act, as one of its first moves after taking office. Between 1980 and 2000, dozens of countries abolished the sentencing of death penalty, with some notable examples including the Netherlands in 1982, Australia in 1985, New Zealand in 1989, Hungary and Ireland in 1990, Italy in 1994, Belgium in 1996, Canada and the United Kingdom in 1998. Recent examples of countries out ruling capital punishment include Kazakhstan in 2021, Papua New Guinea in 2022 and Zimbabwe in 2024.
The argument about capital punishment remains a topic of heated discussions around the world. With crime data presenting mixed views, both sides of the argument are known for quoting different statistics towards each other in attempts to gain the upper hand. Reprieve, an anti-capital punishment campaigning group, notes on a data per the United Nations Development Programme, to show that five countries in the world with the highest homicide rates that do not impose the death penalty have nearly half the number of murders per 100,000 people than the five countries with the highest homicide rates which do impose the death penalty. An analysis by Full Fact, a British charity specialised in fact-checking and correcting misinformation, found a rather positive correlation of 0.2 between imposing the death penalty and having higher homicide rates. However, acknowledging the correlation as weak to bordering on insignificance, they concluded there isn’t enough proof that capital punishment is or isn’t an effective deterrent to murder.
In the United States, there have been dozens of studies since as early as 1972, to determine whether future crimes are deterred by the practice of death penalty. One of the most cited studies supporting the deterrent effect of death penalties is the one by the State University of New York at Buffalo professor Isaac Ehrlich from 1975, using econometric modeling to argue that each execution prevents approximately seven homicides. Professor Ehrlich’s study gained significant attention and was referenced in judicial debates over death penalties. Another study published in The Journal of Legal Studies in June 2004 showed each execution results in, on average, three fewer murders, using monthly murder and execution data. However, some scholars such as John Donohue and Justin Wolfers, revisited the existing deterrence studies and found methodological inconsistencies, concluding that there was no robust evidence supporting the deterrent effect of executions.
Bangladesh, where retention of the death penalty persists against the global tide toward abolition, reached its lowest homicide rate at 2.22 per 100,000 people in 2016, compared to 2.9 in 2009, which is significantly below the world average of 7.4 per 100,000 people. However, the country has experienced a rise in murders in early 2025, with 294 murder cases filed nationwide in January alone. Supporters say the penalty helps control crime by scaring off killers, pointing to low rates during years with executions. Critics argue other factors like better police work and economic growth played a bigger role, and recent increases show the little to no effect of the death penalty in putting an end to crimes.
While studies and evidence regarding the effectiveness of capital punishment, both global and domestic, have been mixed, this does indicate that crime trends cannot be attributed to capital punishment alone. Looking ahead, Bangladesh must navigate this debate with a balance for public demands for security with concerns over fair trials, judicial fallibility, and human rights. By having a closer look at crime trends over time, accounting for regional differences, and monitoring law enforcements, can move the debate out of emotional and ideological corners and toward more balanced and responsible policy choices.
The writer is a student, North South University. Email: [email protected]
