The death penalty was abolished in stages across Australia in the 20th century, and nobody has been executed within the country since 1967 when Ronald Ryan was hanged in Melbourne for the crime of shooting a prison guard during an attempted escape.
Australia also signalled its support for universal abolition of the death penalty, voting for a temporary moratorium on executions in a 2007 United Nations General Assembly resolution.
Despite this, Australians abroad are subject to the laws of the nations they travel to, and a number have been sentenced to death in the past few decades, predominately for drug offences.
RECENT OVERSEAS EXECUTIONS OF AUSTRALIANS*
Van Tuong Nguyen - Hanged on December 2, 2005 for heroin trafficking (Singapore)
Michael McAuliffe - Hanged on June 19, 1993 for heroin trafficking (Malaysia)
Kevin Barlow - Hanged on July 7, 1986 for heroin trafficking (Malaysia)
Brian Chambers - Hanged on July 7, 1986 for heroin trafficking (Malaysia)
AUSTRALIANS ON DEATH ROW
Andrew Chan - Convicted and sentenced to death (Indonesia)
Myuran Sukumaran - Convicted and sentenced to death (Indonesia)
AUSTRALIANS WHO HAVE HAD DEATH SENTENCES OVERTURNED
Matthew Norman - Part of the 'Bali nine' group of drug couriers. Sentenced to death in Indonesia in August 2006, later reduced to life imprisonment.
Thanh Duc Tan Nguyen - Part of the 'Bali nine' group of drug couriers. Sentenced to death in Indonesia in August 2006, later reduced to life imprisonment.
Si Yi Chen - Part of the 'Bali nine' group of drug couriers. Sentenced to death in Indonesia in August 2006, later reduced to life imprisonment.
Scott Rush - Part of the 'Bali nine' group of drug couriers. Had a death sentence reduced to life in prison in May 2011.
Tony Manh - Death sentence for heroin smuggling in Vietnam reduced to life in jail in 2008.
Jasmine Luong - Death sentence for heroin smuggling in Vietnam reduced to life in jail in 2008. Nguyen Van Chinh - Sentenced to death in Vietnam for buying 1 kilogram of heroin, but commuted to life in 2006.
Mai Cong Thanh - Death sentence for heroin trafficking in Vietnam commuted to life in 2005.
Trinh Huu - Death sentence for heroin trafficking in Vietnam commuted to life in 2005.
*Data from the NSW Council for Civil Liberties
