Two recent inter­na­tion­al gath­er­ings empha­sized con­cerns about the death penal­ty in the U.S. and around the world. On October 14, the Organization of American States host­ed an address by the President of the International Institute of Human Rights, Jean-Paul Costa, focus­ing on the rel­a­tive­ly few coun­tries still prac­tic­ing cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment in North and South America. On October 21, the Delegation of the European Union to the U.S. pre­sent­ed a pan­el dis­cus­sion fea­tur­ing DPIC’s Executive Director, Richard Dieter (r.), along with oth­er nation­al orga­ni­za­tions. The event was cospon­sored by the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Panel mem­bers described the sharp decline in the use of the death penal­ty in the U.S. and future prospects for fur­ther change through leg­is­la­tion and court opin­ions. Among the issues dis­cussed were the qual­i­ty of rep­re­sen­ta­tion in cap­i­tal cas­es, changes in pub­lic opin­ion, and the effects of the EU’s restric­tions on drugs for lethal injec­tions in the U.S.

(“OAS Lecture Series Examines Universal Abolition of the Death Penalty,” Bahamas Weekly, October 16, 2014; EU Rendez-Vous on the Death Penalty, Oct. 21, 2014). See International. See also DPIC’s Twitter feed on the EU event. Pictured, left to right, Misty Thomas of the American Bar Association, Diann Rust-Tierney of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Sarah Turberville of the Constitution Project, and Richard Dieter of DPIC.

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