The death penalty violates the right to life, and all countries must abolish this dreadful punishment. Human rights demands this. A large number of countries, especially in Europe, have removed the death penalty from their penal arsenal. Unfortunately, despite public pressure and the application of a moratorium in several countries, this punishment is still in force elsewhere. This sentence, the severest of all, is sometimes applied for minor offenses or acts which by themselves are not crimes. Thus, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, sexual acts between men are punishable by death, even though it is well known that some states recognise gay marriage by law. The goal of punishment is to reform the offender. Death eliminates this possibility. Moreover practice has proven that the death penalty has no effect on crime rates but only contributes to the spread of violence in society. Finally, the most serious issue that the death penalty raises is that it is impossible to repair a judicial error. For it to be abolished worldwide, the lawyers of all countries who are opposed to this practice must come together to speak out: “No to the death penalty!” Given the statistics of executions in some countries, especially in China, Iran and Sudan, many people argue that the universal abolition of the death penalty is an impossible dream.
We nonetheless strive to keep this dream in mind, while acting pragmatically. Let us not forget that many of mankind’s achievements started this way. Two hundred years ago, the abolition of slavery and the independence of a country like India were dreams. But the dreams of yesterday have become reality today. The greater the efforts of those who believe in abolition, the earlier the dream will come true. There is no time to waste: each day people are sentenced to death and lose their right to life. Hand in hand, let us break the chain of death and make this dream a reality.
