Foundation for Human Rights Initiative joins the world on 10th October 2020 to commemorate the World day against the Death Penalty.

Each year on 10^th October, the World commemorates the day against the death penalty. A theme is chosen to guide the commemoration and this year 10^th October 2020, the world commemorated the 18^th World Day against the Death penalty under the theme: “Access to Counsel: A matter of life or Death” 

The survival of human civilization is founded on the principle of respect for human rights through the dispensation of justice; the fair and proper administration of laws within a particular jurisprudence. Access to Counsel thus connotes the availability and utilization of legal advice and judicial entities to enforce human rights enshrined in relevant legal instruments. The intervention of counsel is ancillary to applying abstract principles of the law to the facts of a client’s case to guide on the most appropriate course of action in a bid to protect and preserve other underlying human rights.

Some of the reasons that were mentioned on why the death penalty should be abolished include the following:

1. Innocent people have been convicted and executed.
2. There is no credible evidence that capital punishment deters crime.
3. The death penalty is applied at random.
4. The death penalty goes against almost every religion.
5. The death penalty does not heal the wounds of the victim’s family.
6. Bad lawyers are a persistent problem in capital cases.
7. Life without parole is a sensible alternative to the death penalty.
8. Death sentences continue to drop.
9. The death penalty is premeditated murder, demeans the state and makes society more violent.
10. Throughout the world, the death penalty is disproportionately used against disadvantaged people.