I became involved in the abolitionist movement in 2008 when I came across a newspaper article about Troy Davis, who was on death row in Georgia. Only two hours before his scheduled execution, he was told that he was going to receive a stay of execution. I thought that to impose this period of waiting for death, with the clock ticking and the psychological distress, was absolutely inhuman. He was executed at a later date, although he had always maintained his innocence.

More than ever before, we must stand in solidarity with activists in these countries. We must support them at all costs, just as we must make our voices heard at every execution, each one constituting a crime against humanity. The task at hand is unfinished and challenging. Activists need to redouble their efforts. I thank them from the bottom of my heart, especially those who fight against the scourge of capital punishment in countries where it is still applied... I am convinced that the movement can only grow and become stronger. However, it depends on you, those who are fighting the abomination of the death penalty on a daily basis. Never forget: the death penalty is always an absolute negation of the first human right, the right to life.

Thanks to the work of ECPM and other NGOs, the death penalty is declining worldwide, but it is still carried out in more than 50 countries, sometimes in utmost secrecy. We don’t even know the exact number of executions in China! The ominous hangings orchestrated this year by the Iranian regime have shown that the death penalty remains a tool of repression against the freedom of peoples. More than ever, it is up to us to demonstrate that the death penalty is the most cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment there is, and to call for universal abolition.