The International Commission against the Death Penalty (ICDP) was founded in Madrid in October 2010, as a result of a Spanish initiative. ICDP is an independent body composed of 25 Commissioners of high standing who have experience in international law and human rights, and are committed to achieving the universal abolition of capital punishment. Their experience, background, geographical representation and personal involvement in abolishing the death penalty enables them to engage with senior officials from different countries.
The work of ICDP is varied: letters and statements about specific cases are issued urging states not to carry out executions and condemning executions carried out. ICDP organizes and attends meetings and events to promote the abolition of the death penalty.
Support Group The Commission is supported and funded by a geographically diverse group of 24 countries committed to the abolition of the death penalt.They are united in opposing capital punishment in all circumstances, and urge for the immediate establishment of a universal moratorium on executions as a step towards total abolition of the death penalty.
Global Presence The map below illustrates the worldwide distribution of the ICDP Support Group member states and the location of its Secretariat in Madrid.
Region Member Countries Africa , , Americas , , , Asia-Pacific , , , , Europe , , , , , , , , , , ,
Presidencies The group has been coordinated by the following countries in recent years: 2010–2011: 2011–2012: 2012–2013: 2013–2014: Current:
ICDP Commissioners President and Vice-Presidents Ibrahim Najjar (Lebanon). Former Minister of Justice. Navanethem "Navi" Pillay (South Africa). Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and well-known judge in the ICC and President of the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda. Ruth Dreifuss (Switzerland). Former President and Minister of Home Affairs of the Swiss Confederation. Commissioners: Barbara Lochbihler (Germany). Former member of the UN Committee on enforced Disappearances; former Chair and Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, the Foreign Affairs Committee’s delegation on UN-EU relations and the Iran delegation at the European Parliament; former Secretary General of Amnesty International Germany and former Secretary General of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF, Geneva) Dannel Patrick Malloy (United States of America): Former Governor of Connecticut, former prosecutor for the Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, former Mayor of Stamford. Current Chancellor of the University of Maine System. Enda Kenny (Ireland). Former Taoiseach (Ireland’s Prime Minister), Minister for Education and Tourism and Trade, Leader of Fine Gael, Vice President of the European Peoples’ Party. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (Philippines). Former President of the Philippines. Hanne Sophie Greve (Norway). Steering Committee Member. A judge and Vice President of the High Court for Western Norway and has served as a judge at the European Court of Human Righs Helen Clark (New Zealand). Former Administrator of the UN Development Program; former Prime Minister of New Zealand Horacio Verbitsky (Argentina): Journalist and writer, current member of the Board of Directors of Human Rights Watch/ America and chair of the Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS). Ioanna Kuçuradi (Turkey). UNESCO Chairperson of the Philosophy and Human Rights Department and Director of the Centre of Research and Implementation of Human Rights in Maltepe University (Turkey). Ivan Šimonović (Croatia): Member of the UN Human Rights Committee; former Permanent Representative of Croatia to the United Nations in New York; former Professor at the Faculty of law at the University of Zagreb; Former Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights; former Minister of Justice of Croatia; former Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Manuela Carmena (Spain). Former judge and Mayor of Madrid (2015–2019); member of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (2003–2009), serving as Chairperson-Rapporteur in 2008; long-standing advocate for human rights and judicial reform; co-founder of the Atocha labour law firm; appointed Commissioner of the International Commission against the Death Penalty (ICDP). Marc Baron Bossuyt (Belgium). Former member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; former Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration; former Judge and President of the Belgian Constitutional Court; former Chairperson of the UN Commission and the UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights; author of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty. Marta Santos Pais (Portugal): Former United Nations Assistant Secretary General and Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence against Children, former UNICEF Director for Policy, Planning, and Evaluation and former UNICEF Director of the Innocenti Research Centre; International human rights lawyer; Head of the Portuguese Holocaust Remembrance Commission Never Forget. Marzuki Darusman (Indonesia). Former Chair of the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar; former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; former Chair of the UN Secretary General’s Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka; former Attorney General of Indonesia. Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis (Haiti). Steering Committee Member. Former Prime Minister of Haiti Michelle Bachelet (Chile). Former President, Minister of Defense and Minister of Health of Chile, former United nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights, first Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. Radhika Coomaraswamy (Sri Lanka). Former UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict (2006–2012); first UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women (1994); co-founder of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies; prominent human rights advocate; appointed Commissioner of the International Commission against the Death Penalty (ICDP). Sylvie Kayitesi (Rwanda). Former Deputy Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Rwanda; former Chairperson of the Working Group on Death Penalty and Extra-Judicial, Summary or Arbitrary killings in Africa (part-time); former Commissioner for the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights; former President of the National Human Rights Commission in Rwanda; former Minister of Public Service and Labour of Rwanda. Currently Director (legal) of the Economic Community of Central African States. Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj (Mongolia). Former President; former Prime Minister, Mongolia. Journalist. Honorary Members: Giuliano Amato (Italy). Former Judge of the Constitutional Court of Italy; former Prime Minister, former Deputy Prime Minister, former Minister (several Portfolios), former Senator, Italy; former Vice President of the Convention on the Future of Europe that drafted the European Constitution. Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero (Spain). Former Prime Minister of Spain. Louise Arbour (Canada). Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Marta Vilardell Coma (Malta). Former Ambassador at Large for Humanitarian and Social Issues and against the Death Penalty of Spain; former Ambassador of Spain to Malta. Martin O'Malley (United States of America): Former Governor of Maryland, USA; former Mayor of Baltimore. Mohammed Bedjaoui (Algeria). Former Foreign Minister of Algeria, Former Judge and President of the International Court of Justice. Founding Members: Asma Jilani Jahangir (1952 – 2018) (Pakistan). President of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and Former UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, arbitrary and summary executions. Bill Richardson (1947 – 2023) (United States of America): Former Governor of New Mexico, USA; former US Secretary of Energy; former US Ambassador to the United Nation Federico Mayor Zaragoza (Founding President, 1934 – 2024) (Spain): Chairman of the Foundation for a Culture of Peace; former Director General, UNESCO; former Minister of Education and Science, Spain; former Member of European Parliament. Robert Badinter (1928 – 2024) (France): Former President of the Court of Conciliation and Arbitration in the O.S.C.E.; former President of the Constitutional Council, former Senator, former Minister of Justice, France; former President of the Arbitration Commission of the Peace Conference on Yugoslavia. Rodolfo Mattarollo (1939–2014) (Argentina). Former Consultant of the Secretariat of Human Rights of the Ministry of Justice of Argentina; former Sub-Secretary on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights of the Secretariat and head of the Cabinet of the Secretariat; former Coordinator of the Commission of UNASUR; former Head of the Human Rights Section of the UN Mission in Sierra Leona (UNAMSIL); former Deputy Executive Director and Head of Judicial Affairs and Institution Building of the International Civilian Mission of the OAS and UN in Haiti (MICIVIH).
Secretariat
Asunta Vivó Cavaller: Co-Executive Director Rajiv Narayan: Co-Executive Director
Mandate and Objectives The International Commission against the Death Penalty was established in 2010 with the fundamental mission to promote, complement, and support actions aimed at obtaining the universal abolition of the death penalty. The Commission's mandate is structured around three primary objectives and a series of strategic activities.
Core Objectives Objective Description Promote Abolition Advocating for the formal abolition of capital punishment in the legislation of countries that currently apply a de facto moratorium. Universal Moratorium Encouraging the establishment of a moratorium on executions in all regions of the world as a critical step toward total abolition. Cessation of Executions Soliciting the immediate stop of executions in cases where International Law restricts its application, particularly when it affects vulnerable groups (juvenile offenders, pregnant women, and persons with mental disabilities).
Strategic Activities To achieve its mandate, the ICDP carries out several high-level activities: Diplomatic Intervention: Collaborating and intervening before high representatives of specific countries, as well as international and regional organizations. Public Advocacy: Making appeals and public statements on urgent matters relating to the death penalty. Mobilization: Participating in international conferences, seminars, and campaigns to mobilize public opinion and political will. Information Dissemination: Presenting research papers and reports at international forums to provide evidence-based analysis. Intellectual Works: Promoting artistic and intellectual works that support the abolitionist movement.
International missions ICDP undertakes missions to various countries to meet with government representatives and civil society actors to promote the abolition of the death penalty.