World Day Against the Death Penalty

Since 2003, World Day Against the Death Penalty has been celebrated on October 10 The initiative to create the holiday belonged to the World Coalition against the Death Penalty, an alliance uniting organizations that seek to stop the deprivation of people's lives by order of the court This international alliance consists of NGOs, activists, bar associations and other organizations that have united in an international movement against this type of punishment Having been created in Italy not so long ago, namely in 2002, this alliance has brought together 150 international organizations in order to jointly fight the presence of such punishment as the death penalty in the 21st century Today, the coalition organizes numerous international events aimed at raising public awareness of this controversial issue The alliance's actions are by no means limited to loud statements about the need to eradicate such cruel punishment The active educational activities of the coalition have already led to the fact that there are only a few countries left in the world that continue to sentence people to death The governments of these countries are being called upon to follow the example of most powers, while members of the coalition are monitoring the conditions in which their subjects are condemned to death Countries that have not yet eradicated the death penalty include China, Iran, as well as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iraq These countries execute their citizens, undermining the very right of people to life And although some of these states have already committed to consider abolishing the death penalty, it still exists in their territories, remaining the most inhumane and humiliating method, violating the universal rights of people developed in the democratic world People sentenced to death in these countries are isolated from other prisoners, subject to brutal prison regimes and suffer deprivation Locked in confined physical spaces in anticipation of imminent death, they often do not even have the right to visit relatives London-based human rights organization Amnesty International reports the following statistics and figures: • About 800 women were sentenced to death across the planet• In 2020, 483 people were executed, 16 of them women, in Egypt, Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia• 108 countries have finally abolished the death penalty• 8 countries have more people do not deprive of life for ordinary offenses• 28 countries have in practice abolished the death penalty• 55 countries do not abandon this punishment Every year, campaigns are held to disseminate information about the death penalty in the world Recently, at conferences and meetings, there has been increasing talk about the death penalty for women Increasing attention is being paid to publicizing the stories of those who were supposed to be executed, but the sentences were commuted, and the defendants themselves were rehabilitated or pardoned Global organizations that are part of the alliance are seeking to publicize gender discrimination, which can still influence and aggravate the verdict The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty's web page has a list of actions to take to mark this world day: writing a letter to someone on death row, holding events such as art exhibitions and dramatic performances, mobilizing the media and making some kind of donation in their favor