The German Embassy in Nigeria commemorated World Day Against the Death Penalty with a call for open reflection on justice, human dignity and the right to life.

The German embassy organised the event ahead of World Day Against the Death Penalty, marked every 10th of October.

The event was organised in partnership with Avocats Sans Frontières France, the Australian high commission and the Spanish embassy, as Nigeria approaches 10 years without an execution.

Stefan Rössel, the German ambassador to Nigeria, said the day unifies the global movement and called for the abolition of capital punishment while raising awareness about its implications.

According to Mr Rössel, this year’s celebration is very special for us here in Nigeria because Nigeria is approaching the 10-year mark since its last execution in December 2016.

“This will make the country a so-called de facto abolitionist state,” he said.

He noted that the death penalty remained in Nigerian law, described the milestone as important and said he welcomed it wholeheartedly on behalf of his government.

”Germany opposes the death penalty unconditionally and working toward its permanent abolition is a pillar of our human rights policy. We believe that the right to life as laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights must not be denied by law,” he said.

Mr Rössel linked Germany’s position to lessons from its own history. He noted that the Nazi dictatorship applied the death penalty regularly to terrorise the population, with more than 33,000 people sentenced to death and executed by civil and military courts.

He added that the communist regime in East Germany upheld capital punishment until its abolition in 1987, with the last execution on German soil taking place in 1981.

“Today, Article 102 of the German Constitution states simply: Capital punishment is abolished,” he said.

He added that while the suffering of victims and their families must be acknowledged, justice systems must protect human rights and guard against error, stressing that a death sentence was irreversible.

He quoted French author Victor Hugo as saying, “What is a crime when individuals do it is no less an offence when society commits the deed.”

He said the forum was convened with utmost respect for Nigeria’s institutions and history and aimed to contribute to an open and constructive exchange of views.

(NAN)