Death Sentence - Anti-apartheid (1986) May 2026

The use of the death penalty during the apartheid era (1948–1994) represents a intersection of judicial state-sanctioned violence and political repression. By 1986, South Africa was under a heightened State of Emergency, and the use of the death sentence as a weapon against anti-apartheid activists reached a critical peak. 1. The Judicial Weaponization of Execution

The year 1986 saw a dramatic escalation in resistance and state response. Death Sentence - Anti-Apartheid (1986)

: In response to the spike in sentences, the Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) and Southern Africa the Imprisoned Society (SATIS) launched major international campaigns to stop the hangings. The use of the death penalty during the

: Between 1960 and 1989, approximately 134 political prisoners were executed by the apartheid government. Death Sentence - Anti-Apartheid (1986)