The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) held a hearing on Monday, 16 March 2026 on “Abolition of the death penalty: current global trends and situation in Israel and Japan.”
Three experts from civil society had the opportunity to make presentations during this meeting. Mr. Nicolas Perron, Programme Director of Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM), first tackled global trends regarding the abolition of the death penalty, and presented the upcoming World Congress Against the Death Penalty, scheduled to take place in Paris from 30 June to 2 July 2026, organised by ECPM.
Mr. Ron Dudai, Professor at Ben Gurion University (Israel) and associate researcher at the Death Penalty Research Unit, Oxford University, provided Commission members with an update on the death penalty situation in Israel, where legislative proposals to extend its scope are currently under consideration in the Knesset.
Ms. Tracey Cui, member of the Center for Prisoners’ Rights (CPR), Japan, joined online to give an overview of the death penalty situation in Japan and to highlight the Regional Congress Against the Death Penalty held in Tokyo in November 2025 and its main findings.
A lively discussion followed and focused in particular on the legislative proposals regarding the death penalty currently being discussed in the Israeli Knesset (which holds observer status with the Parliamentary Assembly). At the end of the meeting, the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe expressed deep concern about these legislative proposals aiming to extend the scope of the death penalty in Israel.
In addition, the Assembly’s General Rapporteur on the abolition of the death penalty, Ms. Gala Veldhoen, presented her draft report entitled “Towards the universal abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances”, prepared with the aim to contribute to the World Congress. After a debate, a provisional version of the report, together with a draft resolution, was adopted by the Committee, and will now be discussed at the plenary session of the Assembly in April 2026.
For more information: here.
Coordinator for the Abolition of the death penalty
