Webinar series — Towards the abolition of the death penalty

Webinar #4 | Political violence & the abolition of the death penalty
May 10, 2025 — 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.

The Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) is pleased to partner with Amnesty International Canada, the Carleton University’s Youth & Justice Lab, The Canadian International Council | Saskatchewan Branch, The Mardom Foundation, The Paivand Society and the campaign United Against Executions in Iran to present the webinar series Towards the abolition of the death penalty.

Webinar #4 | Political violence & the abolition of the death penalty

is a panel discussion series on Zoom that tackles the complex question of the death penalty with a view to its abolition in retentionist states, primarily in the contemporary context of Southwest Asia (the Middle East) in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, among others.

The series provides in-depth discussions on the death penalty from diverse legal, philosophical, sociological, psychological, and political perspectives. The speakers address and put in context current instances of the death penalty, exploring the dynamics involved in this criminal sanction. The series aims to create a dialogical platform for everyone interested in engaging with the abolitionist discourse to discuss the possibilities and challenges to put an end to the death penalty.

Each session introduces the audience to significant aspects of capital punishment, expounding theoretical and practical particularities of the sanction. Apart from the opening discussion on philosophical aspects of the death penalty, the series presents on the following themes: the role of women and the abolition of the death penalty, international human rights law, political violence, Islam, legal systems, children and trauma, sociological aspects, as well as nonviolence and forgiveness.

WEBINAR #4 | Political violence & the abolition of the death penalty

Politics and violence are intertwined concepts. On the one hand, the polis (the political realm) is created to, ideally, eliminate, or at its very least, limit, the instances of violence. On the other hand, the majority of legal and political systems are typically born out of violence. Capital punishment is a manifestation of abuse of political power for purposes e.g. manufacturing an economy of fear and death and maintaining control over the populace. This sanction takes various forms, ranging from public execution to assassination. This session explores the use of lethal force by the state in its various forms as an instance of political violence.

Speakers

Parastou Forouhar | Independent Artist
Hamed Esmailion | Author and Activist
Hillary Homes | Amnesty International Canada

Moderator — Samira Mohyeddin | Journalism Fellow, Women & Gender Studies Institute (WGSI), University of Toronto

Past webinars

WEBINAR #1 | Philosophical perspectives

The philosophical aspects of the death penalty have been closely examined by numerous thinkers and philosophers. In this session, the philosophical foundations of the death penalty along with ethical arguments for or against capital punishment concerning the abolition of this sanction will be discussed. The panellists will investigate the role of the state, the sovereign, and existing misconceptions and irrational elements in the discourse on the death penalty, providing a philosophical framework which would necessitate the abolition of capital punishment as an irrational and ineffective practice in different societies, particularly in the contemporary context of the Middle East.

Speakers

Ramin Jahanbegloo | Visiting Professor, St. Andrews University
Hossein Raeesi | Adjunct Research Professor, Department of Law and Legal Studies, Carleton University
Omid Milani, Ph.D. | Fellow, HRREC, 91��ɫ

Moderator — Samira Mohyeddin | Journalism Fellow, Women & Gender Studies Institute (WGSI), University of Toronto

WEBINAR #2 | Women & the abolition of the death penalty

Women are victims of the death penalty primarily as a result of male-dominated systems and practices. Although an overwhelming majority of the executed individuals are male, women’s experience of the death penalty is often oversimplified and must be examined through an intersectional prism, considering multiple, nuanced factors playing a role in their suffering. Women can also play an undeniable leading role in the abolition of the death penalty not least through, e.g., cultivating power dynamics in both private and public spheres defying violent state sanctions as a means of maintaining order in society.

Speakers

Sandra Babcock | Clinical Professor of Law, Cornell Law School, Cornell University
Roja Fazaeli | Established Professor of Law and Islamic Studies, Irish Centre for Human Rights, University of Galway
Lucy Harry | Research Associate, Death Penalty Research Unit (DPRU), Centre for Criminology, University of Oxford

Moderator — Samira Mohyeddin | Journalism Fellow

WEBINAR #3 | International human rights & the abolition of the death penalty

International human rights law provides a comprehensive framework for the abolition of the death penalty. Although the use of capital punishment is not entirely rejected in the ICCPR (1966), the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR (1989) aims at the abolition of the death penalty. From a human rights perspective, the death penalty is a cruel and degrading punishment violating the right to life of its victims and inflicting inordinate pain on society. This session will explore the human rights norms and mechanisms that could provide the means for holding retentionist states accountable and progress towards a moratorium and ultimately the abolition of the death penalty.

Speakers

Ezat Mosallanejad | Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture
Payam Akhavan | University of Toronto
John Packer | Neuberger-Jesin Professor of International Conflict Resolution & Director, HRREC, 91��ɫ

Moderator — Samira Mohyeddin | Journalism Fellow, Women & Gender Studies Institute (WGSI), University of Toronto