Throughout human history, it is commonly understood that those who commit crimes must be punished. The many different ways in which this punishment could acceptably be executed, however, have been as much subject to historical change as the societies that pronounce it. One particularly controversial kind of punishment is the death penalty - a term that describes the legal, state-sanctioned execution of a person.

The OHTE Ad hoc study on "The Abolition of the death penalty in history teaching" looks into its portrayal in history curricula and textbooks of the member states of the Observatory for History Teaching in Europe (OHTE). It also invites teachers from OHTE member states to share their experiences of teaching and learning about the death penalty and its abolition in the classroom.

Special attention is paid to movements for its abolition and the efforts of the Council of Europe* for achieving a near death penalty-free zone in Europe. This study does not examine extrajudicial killings.

The methodology outlines three thematic concepts:

• Learning about legal decision making on the death penalty
• Arguments that were used in favour or against the abolition of the death penalty
• Teaching and learning about moral issues related to abolition of the death penalty

Leibniz Institute for Educational Media | Georg Eckert Institute is the main research partner, with REPECAP and the Council of Europe Coordinator for the Abolition of the death penalty providing specialised expertise on the topic.

Tthe study will also be presented at the World Congress against the Death Penalty (Paris, June 2026), reinforcing the Council of Europe's contribution to this event.

*The Council of Europe has created a death penalty free zone in its 46 member states. It has been more than a quarter of a century since the last execution in 1997. In the early 1980s, the Council of Europe became a pioneer for the abolition of capital punishment, considering it to be a grave violation of human rights. The organisation’s Parliamentary Assembly gradually persuaded governments to help Europe become the first region in the world to permanently outlaw the death penalty. The prohibition of the death penalty has also become a precondition for membership since the 1990s.