PENALTY

“PUBLIC OPINION
CANNOT BE USED AS A
PRETEXT TO MAINTAIN
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.”
—Laurent Fabius
We engage with all key stakeholders:
parliamentarians, as
abolition is the result of legislative
revision; attorneys, who are on
the frontline defending people
on death row and who contribute
to evolving the thinking on the death penalty; journalists, who can
inform about the reality surrounding the death penalty, especially in
those countries where executions are carried out in secret; but also the
youth, because they are tomorrow’s citizens and decision-makers.
We are also engaged, together with our EU partners, at the multilateral
level. In the context of the UN, we use our influence to
strengthen the abolitionist movement.
In the General Assembly, France is fully engaged in the fight for the
adoption of the resolution on a universal moratorium, as a first step
towards complete abolition. In the Human Rights Council, France
has made the fight against the death penalty a priority, including by
acknowledging the human rights violations stemming from it.
The international community has a special responsibility, as capital
punishment is a threat to the universal principles it supports.
However, we should not forget the role that each individual can play,
our personal responsibility on the path towards abolition.
All the countries that have succeeded in the fight against capital punishment
have been able to do so because of the strong political will
and determination of a few individuals.
This is exactly what happened in France. Our path towards abolition
was particularly long: the first attempts to abolish capital punishment
date back to the beginning of the French Revolution. This issue divided
France, one of the last countries in Western Europe to abolish it, in 1981.
At the time, public opinion was mostly in favor of the death penalty.
However, public opinion cannot be used as a pretext to maintain
capital punishment. In order to abolish it, one needs to be ahead of
society, show it the way. To this end, one needs courage, determination
and perseverance.
The abolitionist cause requires speaking out against fake certitudes,
fighting bias. Public opinion, urgent priorities or the need to fight
threats such as terrorism or drug trafficking are often invoked to justify
the death penalty. These arguments cannot justify maintaining
such a cruel, degrading and inhumane punishment. Those who support
the death penalty often see it as a trade off against the need for
security. One can support the need for security – we all do – while at
the same time opposing the death penalty.
In view of the obligation to protect life, each political or judicial actor
should appeal to his/her courage.
The French experience confirms that courage will pay off. Today, the
majority of the French population supports the choice made by our
leaders thirty years ago, despite the then public opinion. Abolition has
been reflected in our constitution in 2007. It is now part of our heritage.
The decision to abolish capital punishment is not a matter of political
expediency. It is not a matter of culture, despite what some claim. It
is a matter of principle.
We must pursue our efforts to advocate that it is both just and possible
to abolish capital punishment, regardless of the circumstances.
The path towards abolition is long and winded. But in view of our
shared ideals of justice and human dignity, each person on death row
is one too many.
To those who still resort to the death penalty or remain hesitant
we say, using the words of Victor Hugo, “you may not abolish capital
punishment today, but make no mistake about it, you will abolish it tomorrow
or your successors will”.
Let’s not waste time or lives. Abolishing the death penalty is allowing
justice and mankind to evolve. All those who commit to this path,
will find France standing by their side.
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