LET’S STAND UP AND SAY NO TO THE DEATH PENALTY!

By Hasse-Nima Golkar

LET’S STAND UP AND SAY NO TO THE DEATH PENALTY!

Today, October 10, marks the World Day Against the Death Penalty. The death penalty is the ultimate violation of human rights – it is cruel, inhumane, disproportionately targets minorities, and most importantly, it is irreversible. Far from being a solution to violence, it perpetuates a culture of brutality. The death penalty is not justice; it is state-sanctioned terror, a crime in itself.

Despite growing awareness of the need to abolish the death penalty worldwide, too many still support this inhumane practice. In Iran, the ruling Shia-Islamic state, with the backing of a powerful propaganda machine, relentlessly promotes executions. These pro-execution states seek to maintain their power by fostering an atmosphere of fear and terror. Rather than addressing the root causes of violence, they deliberately target the symptoms.

The death penalty is state-sanctioned murder, an irreversible punishment that cannot be undone if it later turns out the convicted person was innocent. It should be seen as an act of state terrorism, having no impact on reducing crime or violence in society. In fact, it often fuels further hatred, threats, and a cycle of violence.

No society has ever achieved true justice through executions. The death penalty neither rehabilitates perpetrators nor provides lasting justice for victims. At best, it temporarily soothes the anger and grief of victims’ families.

There is no evidence – from any country – that the death penalty reduces crime. Whether in Iran, China, or the United States, rising execution rates have done nothing to curb violence. The data is clear: the death penalty does not make societies safer!