The day was first organised by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty in 2003.
The day is supported by numerous NGOs and world governments, including Amnesty International,[2] the European Union[3] and the United Nations.
[4] On 26 September 2007, the Council of Europe also declared 10 October to be the European Day Against the Death Penalty.
[5] It focuses on a particular theme, to highlight certain issues surrounding capital punishment.
Previous themes included poverty, terrorism, drug crimes[6] and mental health.