"Abolishing the death penalty is a universal fight”

Raphaël Chenuil-Hazan. Many countries are in the process of abolishing the death penalty, while others vehemently defend its use. Those countries which still carry out executions have yet to break through the glass ceiling regarding this form of punishment. Herein lies the complexity of our work. Nevertheless, our fight to end the death penalty advances inexorably, unlike other movements.

I am optimistic that I will witness universal abolition of the death penalty in my lifetime. It is down to the work of human rights organisations and countries that oppose capital punishment that Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan and the Central African Republic, amongst others, have succeeded in abolishing the death penalty.

RC. The World Congress aims to connect those fighting to abolish the death penalty, in particular, individuals from local civil society organisations, who are closest to the issue. It is challenging to be an activist and abolitionist in countries where the debate on this form of punishment is tense. As such, the goal of the congress is to provide a space for people engaged with this issue to meet, network, and share ideas. This will be the first congress following the COVID-19 pandemic. We spent three years unable to meet and with limited access to prisons, if any. The pandemic also prevented us from engaging in dialogue with the UN, whose headquarters in Geneva and New York were inaccessible to human rights groups at the time. This is why the World Congress is so vital.

The congress is a political event. Abolition of the death penalty will always be the result of fortitude and determination from political figures, whether these be prime ministers, presidents, ministers of justice, kings or queens. This determination is essential for change and the World Congress aims to serve as a springboard for brave political action.

Governments from every country have been invited to take part in the congress and to present positive progress towards abolition of the death penalty. We also hope to welcome a number of Ministers of Justice and Minsters for Foreign Affairs from countries where concrete work towards abolition is yet to take place.

This year’s congress in Berlin is a success before it has even taken place: we have had a record number of ministers confirm their attendance. The congress’ 1,500 attendees will mingle with government representatives both from countries in favour of abolishing the death penalty and those opposed. This sends a powerful message. The right to life is a fundamental human right: abolishing the death penalty is a universal fight.

We take an intersectional approach to our work which allows for dialogue between organisations working on a range of issues. For example, we intend to establish a link between the feminist movement and our fight for greater justice. We equally hope to connect organisations against child abuse with those combating racial and gender-based discrimination.

RC. This year, the spotlight will be on bridging the gaps between generations. How can we engage with younger generations on the topic of civil rights and politics? Young people are increasingly conscious of key climate and ecological issues, which is crucial given the urgency of these matters. However, fewer young people engage with political and civil-rights issues, such as incarceration, torture, and the death penalty, to the same degree. We want to inspire and enable young people to explore how they can contribute to the fight against capital punishment.

We will also showcase art and culture at this year’s congress; we have partnered with Freie Universität and Humboldt Universität in Berlin to screen never before seen films and exhibitions. We hope these works will raise awareness about the death penalty amongst young people and the wider public. Additionally, we will host three special evenings in partnership with Amnesty Germany and Human Rights Film Festival Berlin (HRFFB). These events will take place in October, ahead of the congress.

The fight for LGBTQIA+ rights will also be at the heart of this year’s meeting. ECPM has been working on this topic since 2003 and this year, we marched at Berlin Pride as part of our campaign: “Love is not a crime”. Our hope is to create an international network of LGBTQIA+ organisations with the goal of producing an initial report on the capital punishment of LGBTQIA+ persons. We also intend to offer a wider reflection on the criminalisation of this group. Visibility is crucial when it comes to this issue. Countries that execute people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity often do so in silence, behind closed doors, in prison.