INDEX

A gathering has taken place in Geneva on June 11, 2007 to protest against human rights violations in Iran. On the initiative of Human Rights in Iran, this demonstration was supported by Hands Off Caïn, the International Committee against Torture, Rights & Democracy, and the Canadian Center for the Victims of Torture (CCVT), among others.

What if abolitionists were able to begin their next appeal, with a sentence to this effect: “A majority of countries has formally ratified a United Nations treaty permanently banning the death penalty.”

The World Coalition against the death penalty, the FIDH and the Moroccan Coalition against the Death Penalty are concerned with the continued pronunciation of death sentences by Moroccan courts

Rwanda and Burundi are apparently close to abolishing the death penalty; in the Democratic Republic of Congo, all references to capital punishment have been removed from the text of the constitution. The death penalty is on borrowed time in these countries scarred by conflicts. For the first time, the region’s abolitionists met in Paris and called for the creation of a regional coalition.

The 3rd World Congress Against the Death Penalty came to an end in Paris on 3 February 2007. It was an opportunity for abolitionists from all around the world to come together in greater numbers than ever to exchange experiences and prospects for the future.

As of today, no country in North Africa and the Middle-East has yet abolished the death penalty. However, there are positive signs that the region is now ready to debate the issue – as can be seen from the profusion of discussions and exchanges that took place during the 3 rd World Congress against the Death Penalty.

The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty has obtained financial support from the European Commission for its 2007 campaign, an indication of its growing recognition and legitimacy.

Since 2002 about sixty non-governmental organisations, professional associations and public bodies working throughout the world in support of abolition of the death penalty have come together through the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.