Capital punishment in Europe rights became a particular priority. The Kingdom of Italy had abolished the death penalty for civilians with the adoption of the Zanardelli Penal Code of 1889, but the Fascists had reintroduced it with the 1930 Penal Code. The European Convention on Human Rights was adopted in 1950, but some countries took many years to ratify it. The United Kingdom retained the death penalty for high treason until 1998; however, this technicality was superseded by the absolute ban on the death penalty in 1976. William Joyce was the last person to be put to death for high treason in the UK,
World Coalition Against the Death Penalty World Coalition Against the Death Penalty The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty is an alliance of NGOs, bar associations, local bodies and unions whose aim is to strengthen the international anti-death penalty movement. The World Coalition lobbies international organisations and States, organises international events and facilitates the creation and development of national and regional coalitions against the death penalty. It was created in Rome on 13 May 2002 and has established 10 October as the date of the annual World Day Against the Death Penalty in 2003. The World Coalition has 158 member organisations as of August 2014. Among