The following letter was transmitted to the office of the Honorable Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, following his decision to to enact a moratorium on the death penalty in the state of California.
Stockholm-Kuala Lumpur/New York-The Hague, 18 March 2019
In our official capacities as President of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) and Convenor of its International Law and Human Rights Program, and as fervent abolitionists, we would like to express our support for your decision to enact a moratorium on the death penalty in the state of California during your term.
PGA is a non-governmental network of more than 1,300 parliamentarians from across the globe, united in our commitment to human rights and the Rule of Law. Through PGA’s Parliamentary Campaign for the Abolition of the Death Penalty, our Members mobilize to abolish capital punishment in all regions of the world. As such, we are painfully aware of how difficult it can be to achieve progress in this area. In many jurisdictions, superficial measures of public opinion appear to support the use of the death penalty, as some did in your state. Yet, as elected representatives of our people, we often emphasize that it is our duty not only to respond and defer to public opinion, but to lead opinion on fundamental human rights issues.
By signing an executive order implementing a moratorium on executions during your term in the most populous state in the United States of America, with what had been the largest death row population, you have shown remarkable leadership, which we commend and applaud. The use of capital punishment has steadily decreased each year globally, while its practice has roughly stagnated in the United States; worldwide, it remains an issue that continues to foster impassioned debate. PGA hopes to join with our fellow elected representatives across the United States and support them in advocating for the decline of the use of capital punishment and its ultimate abolition.
Your personal and principled decision, and inspiring speech, are an excellent reminder that it is essential to continue mobilizing against the death penalty, particularly when it is applied disproportionately against minorities and vulnerable groups. PGA Members across the world will take inspiration from your words as they work towards PGA’s vision of a “rules-based international order for a more equitable, safe and democratic world”.
Sincerely yours,
Ms. Margareta Cederferlt, MP
Member of the Riksdag, Sweden
President, PGA
Vice-President, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Mr. Kula Segaran, MP
Member, House of Representatives, Malaysia
Convenor, PGA’s International Law and Human Rights Program
Minister for Human Resources of Malaysia
