01/07/2026 Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Although more than two‑thirds of the world’s states no longer execute prisoners, “recent developments remind us that progress is not irreversible, and that abolition can never be taken for granted,” said PACE General Rapporteur on the abolition of the death penalty Gala Veldhoen (Netherlands, SOC) today. She was participating in a round table on “The death penalty in a shifting world: how to respond to the current resurgence?”, on the occasion of the 9th World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Paris.
Ms Veldhoen pointed out that this this regression was taking place in the Middle East in particular, where Israel* had introduced new legislation to expand the use of the death penalty, and where Jordan* recently carried out executions, despite a de facto moratorium on executions since 2017. She also highlighted an appalling record in China and Iran. “Situations of armed conflict often generate narratives that seek to justify the reintroduction of the death penalty or its incremental application. In some countries, the death penalty is also used as a tool to curb political opposition, silence critical voices and shackle civil society,” she said. She also noted worrying trends in Japan and the United States.
Against this backdrop, she emphasised that the Council of Europe had consistently made the abolition of capital punishment a core priority, “making the European continent a death penalty free zone”. “Any reintroduction of the death penalty would be purely and simply incompatible with a state’s continued membership of the Organisation,” she said. “What we must promote is justice, not revenge”.
Ms Veldhoen stressed that parliamentarians. the judiciary and youth could play a significant role in addressing the current resurgence challenge. “It is essential to ensure that new generations remain committed to abolition,” she said.
Organised by the French NGO Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM), this congress is taking place in Paris from 30 June to 2 July, with the participation of political, institutional and legal stakeholders, as well as civil society representatives. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Mattias Guyomar, French President Emmanuel Macron, and other PACE members, took part in the event.
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*The Israeli Knesset has observer status with PACE and Jordan is ‘Partner for Democracy’ with PACE
