Press Conference - 4th World Congress against the death penalty
Words of former-death row inmates – Geneva Oct. 9th, 2009
Supported by the Geneva Press Club, ECPM – end to capital punishment movement- held its first press conference at the Varembe Conference Center of Geneva, on October 9th, 2009.
Ambassador Dante Martinelli, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva and Ambassador Rudolf Knoblauch, Special Envoy for Human Rights related issues in the Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, jointly confirmed their strong support towards universal abolition of capital punishment, also in favor of the 4th World Congress against the death penalty, held at the international conference center of Geneva, next February 24-26, 2010.
Marie-Françoise Santarelli, member of the ECPM Board of directors and former European Commission civil servant recalled that one third of the world still kills. Five countries only are responsible for 90% of the total number of executions in the world: China, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Iran and Pakistan. Mrs. Santarelli gave details on the 4th Congress programme and also announced the launch in Geneva, on October 21st, 2009, of the Campaign for the ratification of the
UN Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty.
Joaquín José Martinez, sentenced to death in the United-States, cleared and released after three years in death row, talked about this difficult experience and stressed that death penalty is discriminatory, mainly applied those who cannot afford a competent counsel.
In the name of justice, the violence of executions shows cruelty that States try to minimize by using less-cruel killing methods that finally reveal to be increasingly degrading human dignity.
Joaquín José Martinez leads an international fight against ignorance, and numerous actions in favor of the universal fight towards abolition.
The 4th World Congress against the death penalty is totally free of charge. However, it is compulsory to register.
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