Portugal abolished the death penalty for civil crimes in 1867 and completed abolition for all offences in the 1970s, a pioneering move in Europe that reflected wider penal reform and later constitutional change.
1867 abolition for civil crimes
On 26 June 1867 Portugal approved a penal reform that removed capital punishment for ordinary civilian offences, positioning the country ahead of many of its European peers in moving away from execution as a criminal sanction.
Final abolition in the 1970s
Portugal completed the legal abolition of capital punishment for all crimes during the democratic transition of the 1970s, enshrining the ban in later legal and constitutional provisions that ended the practice for military and exceptional offences.
Context and impact
The 1867 reform reflected liberal penal ideas and changing attitudes toward punishment and prison reform, while the 1970s abolition aligned with democratic constitutionalism and human‑rights norms, influencing Portugal’s legal culture and international stance on capital punishment.
Quick related facts
- Civil abolition: 1867.
- Completed abolition for all offences: 1970s legal reforms and constitutional change.
- Historical note: Portugal stopped carrying out executions for civil offences decades before formal abolition, with the last executions occurring in the early 20th century.