Appendices

Message from His Holiness Pope Francis
Sixth World Congress Against the Death Penalty - Oslo, 21-23 June 2016

I greet the organisers of this World Congress Against the Death Penalty, the group of countries supporting it, particularly Norway as its host country, and all those representatives of governments, international organisations and civil society taking part in it. I likewise express my personal appreciation, along with that of men and women of good will, for your commitment to a world free of the death penalty.

One sign of hope is that public opinion is manifesting a growing opposition to the death penalty, even as a means of legitimate social defence. Indeed, nowadays the death penalty is unacceptable, however grave the crime of the convicted person. It is an offence to the inviolability of life and to the dignity of the human person; it likewise contradicts God’s plan for individuals and society, and his merciful justice. Nor is it consonant with any just purpose of punishment. It does not render justice to victims, but instead fosters vengeance. The commandment “Thou shalt not kill” has absolute value and applies both to the innocent and to the guilty.

The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is an auspicious occasion for promoting worldwide ever more evolved forms of respect for the life and dignity of each person. It must not be forgotten that the inviolable and God-given right to life also belongs to the criminal.

Today I would encourage all to work not only for the abolition of the death penalty, but also for the improvement of prison conditions, so that they fully respect the human dignity of those incarcerated. “Rendering justice” does not mean seeking punishment for its own sake, but ensuring that the basic purpose of all punishment is the rehabilitation of the offender. The question must be dealt with within the larger framework of a system of penal justice open to the possibility of the guilty party’s reinsertion in society. There is no fitting punishment without hope! Punishment for its own sake, without room for hope, is a form of torture, not of punishment.

I trust that this Congress can give new impulse to the effort to abolish capital punishment. For this reason, I encourage all taking part to carry on this great initiative and I assure them of my prayers.

Mrs Bayartsetseg Jigmiddash
State Secretary of the Ministry of justice of Mongolia
Closing ceremony of the 6th World Congress Against the Death Penalty

23 June 2016, Oslo

In the last three days of the 6th World Congress Against the Death Penalty, I see that we have had much to share and to discuss on the initiatives for ensuring greater impetus to the global campaign for abolition of death penalty. I would like to extend my gratitude to the organisers of the Congress for the opportunity to develop common strategies and mobilising public opinion to promote greater awareness.

Seeing the abolition process in Mongolia and the overview of the changes taking place around the world, I believe that the positive trend is taking up its pace and more countries are reconsidering their stance in relation to the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

In our experience, starting from the declaration of moratorium up until the moment when the Parliament adopted the new Criminal Code abolishing death penalty, the cooperation and networking both at national and international level highly contributed towards effectiveness and to the end goal of the whole abolition process.

The outcome of this Congress undoubtedly provides clear guidance and updated strategy in fostering the abolitionist movement for the upcoming years. I would like to commend that this edition of the Congress placed a key focus on the importance of the Core Group. The establishment of a Core Group was a fundamental step towards more effective campaigning and strategy development. Its effectiveness and operativeness represents a powerful tool of diplomatic leverage towards universal abolition of the death penalty. It further highlights the significance of cooperation amongst all stakeholders, including politicians, representatives of civil society, campaigners, researchers, and legal practitioners.

In conclusion, I would like urge all the participants to support and to be part of this new form of political cooperation. Further, I hope that through this form of cooperation we will be able to effectively promote universal abolition in all the regions of the world.

Thank you for your kind attention.

We, the Paris Bar, founding member of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, and the Norwegian Bar, on the occasion of the 6th World Congress Against the Death Penalty, held from 21st to 23rd June in Oslo,

Noting that:
• A large number of death sentences have been handed down in connection with terrorist offences;
• The definition of acts of terrorism in the legislation of several States has been broadened, increasing the risk of the death penalty being applied in an arbitrary or discriminatory nature;

Recalling that:
• The role of the Bar is to protect the freedom to practise the legal profession and to help strengthen the rule of law;
• The Bar and professional organisations of lawyers have a major role to play to support abolition of the death penalty and the imposition of a moratorium;
• The need for States to combat terrorism, while observing human rights, and;
• The death penalty does not have a deterrent effect against crimes related to terrorism;

We call on the Bar and professional organisations of lawyers from countries which have abolished or retentionist countries:
• To be very careful that the fight against terrorism does not end up undermining the rule of law;
• To ensure that under the legislative framework of retentionist countries, capital punishment remains strictly reserved to the most serious crimes (culpable homicide);
• To defend compliance with legal guarantees granted to people subject to the death penalty in terrorism-related trials.