“Now I am a captive. My body is chained in a dark, damp cell, and my soul imprisoned in the shadow of a deadly thought… I am condemned to die, condemned to die! This doom is my only companion, haunting me relentlessly. My entire being is frozen by the chilling weight of it, my body bent under the crushing, unbearable burden…”
(“The Last Day of a Condemned Man”, Victor Hugo)
Written by Dr. Aziz Fouladvand
The Cycle of Violence: Conclusion
The abolition of the death penalty represents a profound milestone in the rational evolution of contemporary humanity. It is a hard-won achievement born of centuries of struggle. The journey from the shadowy epochs of ignorance and cruelty to the Age of Reason has been marked by arduous trials and transformative progress. The death penalty, a relic of humanity’s darker chapters, is steadily being consigned to the annals of shameful history. Its abolition signifies the closing of a long and painful book on cruel and inhumane punishment.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, over 70% of nations worldwide have either formally abolished or effectively ceased implementing the death penalty. Recent progress underscores this global trend: in July 2022, both Kazakhstan and Papua New Guinea joined the ranks of countries that have eliminated capital punishment. Similarly, in April 2023, Malaysia’s Parliament abolished mandatory capital punishment, substituting it with alternative sentencing. As a senior Malaysian official noted, the death penalty has proven ineffective as a deterrent to crime. The growing roster of countries abandoning or suspending the death penalty is a testament to a collective awakening to its moral and practical failings.
The use of verbal violence, encapsulated in terms such as “counter-revolutionary,” “apostate,” and “mohareb” (one who wages war against God), initiates the pernicious process of dehumanizing and demonization. This rhetoric serves as a precursor to discrimination, oppression, encroachment on rights, and the imposition of inhumane punishments. Indeed, dehumanizing constitutes the foundational step in a trajectory that culminates in systemic injustice and violence. A critical question thus arises: Can governments legitimately impose severe punishments for social deviance without first addressing the root causes of societal inequity? Should such penalties be exacted before eradicating poverty, achieving relative justice, and ensuring the fundamental well-being, security, and happiness of citizens? As Dr. Ali Shariati aptly observed, “Only in the universal fragrance of bread does justice spread its wings, and violence vanishes.” The wellspring of violence within such regimes lies in their entrenched privileges and hierarchical dominance. By prioritizing power preservation over social equity, they perpetuate structures that generate violence and erode the very foundations of justice and human dignity.
Contrary to its claims, the clerical regime in Iran, through the use of the death penalty, does not prioritize the defense of the right to life. This perspective is rooted in the threat of destruction and the taking of human life, granting it a veneer of legal or divine legitimacy. Such an ideology seeks to equate “justice” with crimes and retribution. This approach promotes and spreads hatred, animosity, vengeance, and destruction. The logic behind capital punishment adopts a mechanical and rigid view of humanity, deeming any possibility for inner transformation or the nurturing of individuals as impossible from the outset.
Social reality is neither fixed nor immutable; it is a dynamic and evolving construct. Social norms must be desacralized and critically examined. Through this process, a new “reality” and a novel ideology begin to take root, gradually asserting themselves and forging new pathways. Our responsibility is to nurture and champion this emerging way of thinking. The movement for the abolition of the death penalty is steadily gaining momentum.
The abolition of the death penalty is unequivocally outlined in the ten-point plan for Iran’s future, outlined by the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Mrs. Maryam Rajavi. The ten-point plan is a pivotal framework that offers a visionary model for a democratic future Iran. Through numerous international campaigns, the Iranian Resistance persistently advocates for the eradication of this barbaric practice. This outlook, rooted in the fundamental principles of the right to life and human dignity, warrants the unequivocal support of the global community. Upholding and defending the “right to life” is not merely a moral imperative but a duty we must all embrace.
“Let us strive to build a society in which the government, more than an ordinary murderer, has no right to be a killer. And when it acts like a ferocious animal, it should be treated as one.”
(Victor Hugo’s speech at the first National Assembly of France for the drafting of the Constitution, January 1850)
