Thousands march on World Day to End the Death Penalty

Campaigners seeking the abolition of capital punishment on Wednesday marked the World Day to End the Death Penalty. Activists held rallies in countries across the globe in an effort to publicize that there is no evidence of the deterrent value of capital punishment, and the fact that any miscarriage of justice leading to an execution is irreversible. Since 2007, over 100 countries have supported a United Nations proposal which would place an international moratorium on the use of the death penalty.


“I think there is definitely a strong trend towards abolition,” said Gabriela Belmar-Valencia, a Project Assistant at Reprieve UK, which seeks to bring attention the plight of those on death row.

“There is very little evidence to support the traditional arguments in favour of the death penalty, such as it being an effective deterrent, and that is being reflected more and more by international opinion and by state practice.”

Belmar-Valencia said the United Nations moratorium is continuing to gain support.

“I think the fact that we now have two new states who have recently changed their votes against the moratorium on the death penalty proposed by the United Nations – Gabon and Mongolia – just shows that we are, slowly but surely, moving in the right direction,” she told Vatican Radio.

Listen to the full interview by Charles Collins with Gabriela Belmar-Valencia: