Recent initiative in France to reintroduce the death penalty for the perpetrators of terrorist acts

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Recent initiative in France to reintroduce the death penalty for the perpetrators of terrorist acts

Doc. 10211
17 June 2004

Written Declaration No 353

This written declaration commits only the members who have signed it

            On 8 April 2004, 48 members of the French National Assembly tabled a “proposition de loi” to re-establish the death penalty for terrorists.

            Abolition of the death penalty across Europe is one of the greatest achievements of the Council of Europe. Any move to reintroduce it would reverse this progress. Once one exception is admitted, the same hollow arguments can be rephrased with increased confidence in calling for further exceptions.

            All the arguments against the death penalty in general apply equally here. Rather than deterrence, it encourages sympathy and even emulation. Homicidal revenge is not a proper goal of civilised justice, nor does it defend victims’ rights. Terrorist suspects too may be wrongly convicted, but the death penalty cannot be reversed. Retaliatory killing in the name of the right to life is extreme moral hypocrisy.

            The death penalty is symbolic: any reintroduction would jeopardise the liberty, dignity and democracy embraced by the signatories of the proposition de loi.

            The undersigned Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe members call on the French National Assembly to reject this proposition de loi, and in particular call on the French delegation to express fully the Council of Europe’s absolute opposition to the death penalty in any debate.

Signed: [1]
WOHLWEND Renate, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD
AHLQVIST Birgitta, Sweden SOC
AK�AM Zekeriya, Turkey, LDR
ALEURAS Athanasios, Greece, SOC
ALIYEV Bakhtiyar, Azerbaijan, SOC
ARABADJIEV Alexander, Bulgaria, SOC
ATES Abd�lkadir, Turkey, SOC
ATKINSON David, United Kingdom, EDG
BINDIG Rudolf, Germany, SOC
BRUCE Malcolm, United Kingdom, LDR
BURBIENE Sigita, Lithuania, SOC
�AVUSOGLU Mevl�t, Turkey, EDG
CHRISTODOULIDES Doros, Cyprus, UEL
FRUNDA Gy�rgy, Romania, EPP/CD
G�ND�Z S�leyman, Turkey, LDR
HERKEL Andres, Estonia, EPP/CD
HOLOVATY Serhiy, Ukraine, LDR
HUSEYNOV Rafael, Azerbaijan, LDR
JURGENS Erik, Netherlands, SOC
KRISTOVSKIS Valdis Girts, Latvia, EDG
KROUPA František, Czech Republic, EPP/CD
LINTNER Eduard, Germany, EPP/CD
Lord KILCLOONEY, United Kingdom, EPP/CD
MARTY Dick, Switzerland, LDR
MELC�K Miloš, Czech Republic, SOC
MOLLAZADE Azim, Azerbaijan, LDR
PANGALOS Theodoros, Greece, SOC
PEHRSON Johan, Sweden, LDR
POURGOURIDES Christos, Cyprus, EPP/CD
SEVERINSEN Hanne, Denmark, LDR
SHAKHTAKHTINSKAYA Naira, Azerbaijan, EDG
SLUTSKY Leonid, Russia, SOC
SMITH Geraldine, United Kingdom, SOC
SMORAWINSKI Jerzy, Poland, EPP/CD
TEVDORADZE Elene, Georgia, EDG
TK�C Vojtech, Slovakia, EDG
__________________________
Total = 36

[1]

SOC
EPP
EDG
LDR
UEL
NR

Socialist Group
Group of the European People’s Party
European Democratic Group
Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group
Group of the Unified European Left
Not registered in a group