09 November 2022 :

Under the high patronage of Germany and the sponsorship of the Swiss and French governments as well as the European Union, Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM) is organizing, in partnership with the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP), the 8th World Congress against the Death Penalty.In less than a month, more than 1,000 participants from 90 countries, including ministers, parliamentarians, activists, lawyers, journalists, judges, former death row prisoners, key witnesses, and committed citizens are expected to attend the most important abolitionist event in the world.
The Congress will be launched at the prestigious Pierre Boulez Saal, in the presence of more than 30 ministers of foreign affairs and will be followed by four days of debates, cultural and networking events at the Radial System and in other locations in Berlin.For this 8th edition, the main focus of the program will be the mobilization of the new abolitionist generation. The Congress will mark the culmination point of a yearlong project, the Abolition Now Tour, and bring together more than 50 young abolitionists from 6 countries to share their hopes and work together to reach the ultimate goal of universal abolition.
The diversity of topics that will be discussed during the plenary sessions, roundtables and workshops will include the question of the instrumentalisation of the death penalty for political purposes and the lack of transparency, amongst others. For the first time, issues such as the application of the death penalty to sexual violence crimes or the role of judges in abolitionist processes will be addressed.
As always, the Abolition Village will gather numerous civil society organisations, as well as a wide range of cultural and educational activities. This year, the well-known Witnesses Event will focus on the unique relationship between death row prisoners and their lawyers. Finally, various cultural events will be organized in the margins of the Congress, including a jazz concert, three exhibitions and movie screenings.
The full programme and registration can be found on the Congress application and webpage.