Today, October 10 marks the 20th International Day Against the Death Penalty, an important moment to recall the importance of our efforts to advance the abolitionist movement, for which parliamentarians have played and continue to play a crucial role. This year’s World Day is dedicated to reflecting on the relationship between the use of the death penalty and torture or other cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment.
As emphasized by the World Coalition Against the Penalty, the types of torture and other ill-treatment experienced during the long death penalty road are varied and numerous: physical or psychological torture has been applied in many cases during questioning to force confessions to capital crimes; death row phenomenon contributes to the long-term psychological decline of a person’s health; harsh death row living conditions contribute to physical deterioration; mental anguish of anticipating execution; methods of execution that cause exceptional pain, and the suffering experienced by family members and those with a close relationship with the executed person. Discriminations based on sex, gender, poverty, age, sexual orientation, religious and ethnic minority status and others can compound cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of individuals sentenced to death.
For concrete actions to take to advance the abolition of the death penalty, see the 2022 Mobilization Kit.
To draw attention to the intersectionality of the death penalty and human rights of women and LGBTQIA+ individuals, PGA joined the statement and call for action issued by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.
Ms. Petra Bayr
