10 October 2014 - To mark today’s World Day against the Death Penalty, twelve Foreign Ministers from around the world are jointly issuing a Declaration in favor of death penalty abolition. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario is proud to be part of this international endeavor.
For the first time, countries still seeking to achieve abolition are joining their voices to those of abolitionist countries. The Declaration contains one central message: The growing awareness about the numerous risks and failures of capital punishment is adding strength and dynamism to the worldwide trend towards universal abolition. Informed discussions on the death penalty’s shortcomings and myths are more than ever needed.
The number of countries that still maintain the death penalty continues to steadily decrease. Forty years ago, only 14 countries had fully abolished capital punishment. That number now stands at about 100 and is set to increase further. If we add those countries that have not carried out executions for at least 10 years, there are now nearly 160 death penalty-free countries.
At the same time, the numerous risks and failures of the death penalty are becoming increasingly clear. Innocents being wrongly sentenced to death, convicts spending years in legal battles while sitting on death row, discrimination against the poor and the marginalized, the failure of the death penalty’s much-hyped but unproven deterrent effect, the shortcomings of capital punishment are many. Nearly everywhere, myths surrounding the death penalty have yet to be dispelled from popular belief.
The Joint Declaration, launched by a regionally balanced group of countries representing the whole world, aims at fostering an open and respectful debate about precisely those failings of the death penalty. It constitutes an invitation addressed to all countries that have either still to start their abolition process or have yet to complete it. Abolition requires well-informed national debates, sustained by objective facts and findings, while addressing popular fears and worries.
The Philippine Constitution and its domestic laws underline its policy against the death penalty.
Section 11, Article 11 of the 1987 Constitution provides that “The State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights” while Section 19 provides that “Excessive fines shall not be imposed.. Neither shall the death penalty be imposed.” The Philippines also enacted Republic Act 9346 or An Act Prohibiting the Imposition of the Death Penalty in the Philippines on 24 June 2006.
The Joint Declaration is a political pronouncement of each country stating a clear position towards a more humane justice system and support to the worldwide abolition of the death penalty. It also reinforces the Philippines’ commitment to uphold its international obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Second Optional Protocol on the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, all aiming at abolishing death penalty and advocating the “right to life” of every human being.
The Philippines believes that imposing the death penalty cannot fully deter crime, and that the deterrence to criminality is a combination of several factors, such as an empowered citizenry, a skilled and trusted law enforcement sector, an effective prosecutorial service, and an independent judiciary.
The Joint Declaration is quoted in full below.
Joint Declaration of October 10, 2014
As we mark the 12th World Day against the Death Penalty, we jointly call for a world which respects human dignity. The death penalty, one of the most complex and divisive issues of our time, continues to question the fundamental values of our societies and to challenge our understanding of criminal justice.
We respect the views of those who still support the use of the death penalty, and we believe that everyone has a right to be protected from violent crime. However, we consider that state executions should not be taking place in the 21st century. Modern justice systems must aspire to more than retribution.
The main objections to the death penalty are well known. Despite popular belief, there is no evidence supporting the claim that executions deter or prevent crime. No justice system can ever be guaranteed free from error, meaning that death sentences may cause the innocent to be put to death. Often, capital sentences are disproportionately imposed on poor, vulnerable and marginalised persons, aggravating discrimination against the weakest in society. Finally, the capital sentence provides victims of crime and their families neither with commensurate compensation nor with spiritual relief. On the contrary, state killing results in more hatred and violence - the exact opposite of what modern justice systems should be trying to achieve.
This joint call, which we address to the world at large, is the first ever launched by Foreign Ministers of both abolitionist and non-abolitionist States. We recognize that exchange and cooperation are needed to move together towards more effective and more humane justice systems. Together, our countries have the experience and the drive to turn the death penalty into a sentence of the past. A vast majority of countries already supports worldwide death penalty abolition; we hope that all countries will soon join this trend.
Signed by the following Foreign Ministers (countries):
Héctor Marcos Timerman (Argentina), Julie Bishop (Australia), Nassirou Bako Arifari (Benin), Djibrill Yipènè Bassolé (Burkina Faso), Duly Brutus (Haiti), José Antonio Meade Kuribreña (Mexico), Luvsanvandan Bold (Mongolia), Børge Brende (Norway), Albert F. del Rosario (Philippines), Didier Burkhalter (Switzerland), Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (Turkey), Philip Hammond (United Kingdom)
END.