Good news
The year 2024 ended with some good news for our community. Firstly, Zimbabwe finally abolished the death penalty on December 31, after a long political process lasting over ten years. A moratorium on executions had been in force in the country since 2005, but the courts continued to hand down the death penalty. Fifty-nine people were on death row when the new law was promulgated. However, a provision stipulates that this abolition can be lifted in the event of a state of emergency. Twenty-four countries in sub-Saharan Africa have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, while two others have abolished it for ordinary crimes only. Of the 16 countries in the world that carried out executions in 2023, only one – Somalia – is in sub-Saharan Africa.
In a historic move, Morocco voted in favor of the tenth UN General Assembly resolution calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty. For Moroccan abolitionist activists, this is a decisive step in the long march to abolish the death penalty in their country. Morocco has had a de facto moratorium on executions since 1993, even though capital punishment remains in force by law
Finally, in mid-December, U.S. President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 U.S. death row inmates to life imprisonment, with no possibility of release. Questioned by human rights organizations, including ECPM, the Democrat took this decision less than a month before the return to the White House of Donald Trump, a fervent supporter of capital punishment. The individuals concerned had all been convicted by the US federal justice system, which is distinct from state justice systems.
ECPM is 25 years old !
This new year also marks our 25th anniversary. It was indeed in 2000 that a small handful of committed activists created Ensemble contre la peine de mort. Several events will mark this anniversary throughout the year. We look forward to sharing them with you. Follow us to find out more about upcoming events.
This year will also see our association organize the 5thth Regional Congress Against the Death Penalty. This time, it’s in Japan that we’ll be continuing our advocacy work, bringing together the entire Asian abolitionist community on a continent that continues to practice the death penalty on a large scale.
The whole ECPM team wishes you a very Happy New Year 2025. May it be festive and committed to advancing our great cause, a world without the death penalty, and that of the rule of law for all.
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