IACHR welcomes commutation of 37 federal death penalty sentences in the United States

January 3, 2025

Washington, D.C. — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) welcomes the recent commutation of the federal death penalty sentences of 37 individuals in the United States of America. However, it condemns the execution of 25 people by US state governments in 2024, expresses concern for those who remain on state or federal death row—some in prolonged solitary confinement—and reiterates its call for the elimination of the death penalty, or at a minimum, for a moratorium on executions as a step toward its gradual abolition.

The IACHR notes the decision adopted on December 23, 2024, by US President Joe Biden to commute the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row, whose sentences will be changed to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Among those whose sentences were commuted are four beneficiaries of precautionary measures granted by the IACHR: Alejandro E. Ramirez Umaña, Iouri Mikhel, Julius O. Robinson, and Jurijus Kadamovas. The latter two are also the subjects of published merits reports.

Despite this positive step, the IACHR is deeply concerned by the executions of 25 individuals in 9 US states in 2024. None of these executions occurred at the federal level, according to information from the Death Penalty Information Center (DPI). An additional source of concern is the fact that more than 2,100 people remain on death row in the United States, with only a minority benefiting from state-level moratoriums in California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.

Since 1976, the United States has executed 1,607 individuals, including 16 federal executions. The IACHR issued several statements on this issue throughout 2024, including in January, regarding the execution of Kenneth E. Smith in Alabama via nitrogen hypoxia—the first application of this method. In November, the IACHR condemned the execution of Richard Moore, a beneficiary of precautionary measures through which the IACHR had urged the United States to suspend his execution until a decision had been reached on his petition.

The United States remains the only country in the Western Hemisphere that carries out executions, as most OAS Member States have abolished capital punishment or established de facto moratoriums. The IACHR underscores how the application of the death penalty entails the risk of executing innocent people, its arbitrary nature, and the inhumane conditions faced by those awaiting execution.

The IACHR again calls on the United States to eliminate the death penalty or to implement moratoriums on executions as a step towards its gradual abolition. It also reminds the State of its obligation to adhere to the strictest standards of due process in cases involving the death penalty. These recommendations are underlined in "The Death Penalty in the Inter-American Human Rights System: From Restrictions to Abolition," an IACHR report.

Finally, the IACHR urges the United States to ratify the Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights to Abolish the Death Penalty, thereby ensuring effective protection of the right to life.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR consists of seven independent members elected by the OAS General Assembly who serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 002/25

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