World and European Day against the Death Penalty
10 October 2019
Joint Declaration by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on behalf of the European Union and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe
The European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe firmly oppose the death penalty at all times and in all circumstances. The death penalty is a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment contrary to the right to life. The death penalty means revenge, not justice, and its abolition contributes to the enhancement of human dignity.
142 countries, representing 74% of the UN member states, have already stopped using the death penalty, either by removing it from their penal code or not carrying out executions for a long time. The abolitionist trend is continuing, with the number of death sentences and executions also falling. In 2018, executions were carried out in 20 countries, representing a historic low of 10% of the countries of the world.
The Council of Europe member states which have not yet acceded to Protocols No 6 and No 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights are called upon to do so without delay. The Council of Europe and the EU once again urge Belarus to abolish the death penalty and join the community of nations that have chosen to replace vengeance with human dignity. They also invite those observers to the Council of Europe who have not yet abolished death penalty to engage in dialogue on the obstacles blocking their path towards abolition.
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Marija Pejčinović Burić
Secretary General of the Council of Europe
"To help keep our societies safe, justice should focus on rehabilitation – not revenge. The death penalty makes that impossible."
Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos, Président de la Cour européenne des droits de l'
"Par sa jurisprudence, la Cour européenne des droits de l'homme a contribué à l’éradication de ce châtiment dans tous les États membres du Conseil de l’Europe. La Cour a été la première juridiction internationale à refuser qu’une personne ne soit renvoyée vers un pays où elle risque de subir la peine capitale."
Dunja Mijatovic, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
"Each time a human being is executed, it's a defeat for humanity. The Council of Europe is rightly proud of being a death-penalty free-zone. State killing is the ultimate denial of human rights and is never the right choice."
Raphaël Chenuil, Directeur général de Ensemble Contre la Peine de Mort (ECPM)
"Les grands hommes et les grandes femmes de notre histoire universelle sont ceux et celles qui ont su faire l’histoire et ne pas la subir, parfois contre leurs propres opinions publiques. L’abolition de la peine de mort nécessite souvent un tel courage!"
Arman Tatoyan, Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia
"Death penalty embodies weakness and retaliation. Strong societies never murder but rather help. Governments are never entitled to destroy hope for remedy by taking lives away; justice needs to be served throughly!"
Tatiana Termacic, Cheffe de la Division du Conseil de l'Europe, responsable du dossier de l’abolition
"Croyez-vous vraiment que disposer de la vie des criminels rende justice à leurs victimes et à la société dans son ensemble?"
Christos Giakoumopoulos, Directeur général des Droits de l'Homme et Etat de Droit du Conseil de l'Europe
"La société qui, de manière organisée et délibérée, retire la vie d'un homme en lui imposant la peine capitale ne fait que manifester son mépris pour la vie. Ainsi, loin d'avoir un effet dissuasif, la peine de mort, par la dévaluation de la vie qu'elle implique, encourage la violence et le crime."
Parvais Jabbar, Executive director of The Death Penalty Project
"Over 75% of the world’s nations now recognise the death penalty to be an inhuman and degrading punishment incompatible with evolving standards of decency."
Catherine Lalumière, Secrétaire générale du Conseil de l'Europe (1989-1994) et Vice-présidente du Parlement européen (2001-2004)
"Le respect des droits de l'homme est un devoir de tout État, non seulement envers son peuple mais aussi envers la communauté internationale."
Sergey Dikman, Human Rights National Implementation, Council of Europe
"Capital punishment means taking revenge, not providing justice. It adds to the cycle of violence and inflicts suffering on more innocent people – the convict’s family. It has no place in modern society."
João Goulão, President of the Pompidou Group
"It is our great responsibility to encourage countries, where there is still a capital punishment for crimes related to drugs, to abolish this inhuman practice and adopt policies that are more respectful of Human Rights."
Michelle Bachelet, Haut-commissaire des Nations unies aux droits de l'homme
"Continuer à condamner à mort alors qu’il existe toujours un risque d’erreur, même infime, est inacceptable."
Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe (2004-2009)
"One day, in the not-too-distant future, the death penalty will be eradicated throughout the world. It may take time, but it will happen. It is an inevitable consequence of the slow but steady evolution towards ever higher standards of civilisation."
Diann Rust-Tierney, Executive Director of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, United States of America
"We’re all more than the worst thing we’ve ever done, because all human beings are capable of change. If our criminal justice system is to change, it should be designed not just to punish, but to also rehabilitate those who’ve committed crimes."
Andrei Paluda, Co-ordinator of the Campaign against the death penalty in Belarus
"From time to time, we are perceived as the devil’s advocates, but, in fact, we are working to make this world a better place. We do not aim at protecting the killer. We protect the human being."
Jean Jaures, Homme politique français (1859 -1914)
"Je crois pouvoir dire qu’elle [la peine de mort] est contraire à ce que l’humanité, depuis deux mille ans, a pensé de plus haut et a rêvé de plus noble."
Tatiana Moskalkova, High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation
"The death penalty deprives a person of the right to challenge the sentence and to seek truth and justice. Depriving a person of life by the death penalty deprives the authorities of the opportunity to correct a possible miscarriage of justice."
Titus Corlăţean, General Rapporteur on the abolition of the death penalty, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
"The death penalty is always a cruel and inhuman punishment, whatever the crime, and it should no longer be applied in democratic states that respect human rights."
Robert Badinter, Garde des Sceaux et ministre de la Justice (1981-1986) et Président du Conseil constitutionnel (19866-1995), Commissaire honoraire auprès de la Commission internationale contre la peine de mort [ICDP]
"La vraie signification politique de la peine de mort, c'est bien qu'elle procède de l'idée que l'Etat a le droit de disposer du citoyen jusqu'à lui retirer la vie. C'est par là que la peine de mort s'inscrit dans les systèmes totalitaires."
Peter Schieder, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (2002-2005)
"A growing sense of insecurity risks making us forget about human rights or at least making large concessions for what we think is in our own interest. Torturing or executing human beings can never be in our interest."
Navanethem Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (2008-2014), ICDP
"We often hear from Government leaders and politicians that abolishing the death penalty in their countries would go against the sentiments of the public. Human progress does not stand still. […] Leaders must show the way how deeply incompatible the death penalty is with human dignity."
Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe (2009-2019)
"Today, none of the Council of Europe’s 47 member states carry out the death penalty. Capital punishment is prohibited under the European Convention on Human Rights, and abolition is a condition of membership. This is important to us, because death is not justice."