Death Penalty – a Road Paved with Torture: Campaign for the World Day Against the Death Penalty on October 10, 2022
German Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty publishes series of articles on its website
October 10 is the World Day Against the Death Penalty, proclaimed by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty for the 20th consecutive year. This year, the focus is on the aspect of torture.
Torture is the deliberate infliction of psychological or physical suffering (pain, fear, massive humiliation) in order to extort statements, break the will of the torture victim, or humiliate the victim.
In countries where the death penalty exists, suspects are frequently tortured to extort a confession; cases have been documented by Amnesty International from Malaysia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, among others.
The “death row phenomenon” describes the torture specifically inherent in the death penalty: waiting for one’s execution. In the U.S., the time from the announcement of an execution date is often a perfidious roller coaster of anxiety and hope for a stay. Sometimes this comes when the prisoner is already being prepared for execution. At the next execution date, this torture starts all over again.
Even imprisonment on death row inflicts targeted suffering, the hallmark of torture.
In the U.S., death row prisoners are no longer allowed contact visits in the majority of states. That is, with the sentence, all affectionate physical contact with their friends and family members is extinguished. No more hugs, not even a handshake.
In Japan, people sentenced to death do not know the date of their execution; any morning can be their last. Relatives learn of the execution only after it has taken place.
The German Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty demands: Stop this torture now – by abolishing the death penalty worldwide! In its website (www.gcadp.org), the association publishes daily contributions around October 10th, among others, from prisoners on the aspect of torture in connection with the death penalty.
The association: As a non-profit recognized association the German Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty engages itself for a world-wide abolition of the death penalty. The focus of our activities is on well-founded educational work, non-partisan political commitment and prisoner support.
Sina Vogt
Press officer of the German Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty