Executions of Juvenile Offenders

1. It is illegal to execute anyone under the age of 18.

2. However, some countries continue to execute juvenile offenders.

3. The number of children executed is very small.

4. Children are protected from the death penalty under the international human rights law.

5. Since 1990, 81 children have been executed all over the world.

6. In October 2002, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights wrote a paper examining the conclusion that child offenders cannot be put to death.

7. There are 113 countries that support the death penalty but prohibit its use on children.

8. Since 1990 Amnesty International has documented executions of child offenders in seven countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the USA and Yemen.

9. Since 1994 five countries have changed their laws to eliminate the use of the death penalty against child offenders.

10. As of August 2002, fifteen states were holding a total of 82 child offenders on death row.