The Third World Congress Against the Death Penalty took place in Paris from February 1-3, 2007. During this time, Paris welcomed hundreds of death penalty experts and activists from around the world, including numerous U.S. representatives who provided a broad overview of capital punishment trends in the U.S. Among the American panelists who participated in the Congress were:

  • George Kendall, Special Counsel, Holland & Knight, LLP
  • Richard Dieter, DPIC Executive Director
  • Frank Baumgartner, Political Science Professor & Researcher, Penn State University
  • Hugo Bedau, Professor Emeritus, Tufts University
  • Renny Cushing, Murder Victims Families for Human Rights
  • Dr. Jonathan Groner, Professor of Clinical Surgery, The Ohio State University
  • Robin Maher, Capital Representation Project Director, American Bar Association
  • Sam Millsap, Former Bexar County (TX) District Attorney
  • David Bruck, Director of the Virginia Capital Case Clearinghouse at Washington & Lee School of Law and Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel
  • Rick Halperin, Professor, Southern Methodist University and Amnesty International

In addition to addressing topics related to the U.S. death penalty, the Paris gathering focused on the Maghreb and the Middle East, where countries have been slow to abandon or reform capital punishment.

Ensemble Contre la Peine de Mort (ECPM) and the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty coordinated the Congress. This was the third world gathering in recent years. Earlier gatherings took place in Strasbourg and Montreal.

Read Richard Dieter’s presentation and see the visuals from his address.

Read the Final Declaration of the Third World Congress Against the Death Penalty
Visit the Official Web site of the Third World Congress

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