Rights group hails one of the world's greatest opponents of the death penalty

With the death of Robert Badinter, who served as Minister of Justice in France from 1981-86, the fight for a universal ban on the death penalty has lost one of its most illustrious activists.

Badinter, who died on February 9 at age 95, played a key role in his country's abolition of capital punishment shortly after he took up his ministerial post. But he also fought for the  the practice to be eliminated in other parts of the world, as well.

Anne Denis, head of the commission to abolish the death penalty at Amnesty International France, talked about his work and legacy in this interview with La Croix's Alexis Gonzalez.

La Croix: How did Robert Badinter carry his fight against the death penalty beyond French borders?

Anne Denis: Robert Badinter's fight began in 1977, alongside Amnesty International. He had just prevented Patrick Henry from receiving the death penalty. Our organization held a large conference on the abolition of the death penalty, and Robert Badinter represented the French section. From this conference emerged the Stockholm Declaration, which launched the campaign for universal abolition. From the beginning, Badinter had in mind to fight for abolition in every country in the world.

Then, he always continued his struggle beyond the borders of France. He was very present among abolitionist activists. When our local groups invited him to speak at an event, he was always willing. He also participated in international symposiums. He remained an activist throughout his life. He always motivated us to continue the fight.

What is the status of the abolition of the death penalty in the world?

In 1977, there were only 16 abolitionist states for all crimes. In 2023, there were 112. To these, we must add nine states abolitionist for ordinary crimes, and 23 that are abolitionists in practice – that is, they have not carried out an execution for more than ten years. In 2022, new states abolished the death penalty. We are making a lot of progress, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. In Zimbabwe, Parliament is considering the issue and could become the next abolitionist country.

While we can be proud of this progress, we must not forget that there are still 55 non-abolitionist countries. In 2022, Amnesty International recorded an increasing number of executions worldwide – 883 in total – and our figures for 2023, which will be published in the coming months, are not more reassuring. We are very concerned about the situation in some states like Iran, Saudi Arabia, or more recently Myanmar, which are now using the death penalty as a tool of terror. The death penalty is no longer a penal means there; it serves primarily to punish opponents and to scare the population.

Can the arguments against the death penalty still stand up to those who continue to defend it?

At the time Robert Badinter was minister, it was already known that the death penalty has no deterrent effect, and it is no more so than before. In the United States, in the abolitionist states, the crime rate is lower than in states where the death penalty is still applicable. The death penalty is therefore unnecessary, in addition to being unjust and inhumane by nature. Some dream of seeing it return to Europe, but we must not forget that international law now protects abolition. We must return to the law, and that is where we find Robert Badinter.

As far as France and Europe are concerned, the subject is closed. We must now continue to fight for this abolition to become universal, and it will become so one day. Robert Badinter used to tell us, "You know, the United States will become abolitionist one day or another."

Today, there are 50 federated states, 23 are abolitionist, three are under moratorium, and American public opinion has largely progressed on the issue. Conversely, there are countries in Asia where the death penalty is not even discussed, where executions are a state secret. Indeed, there, things will be harder to change.