STATE PARDON: 🇩🇪🇦🇺🇫🇷 Germany, Australia, ASF France Mount Pressure On Nigeria To End Death Penalty — Say Tinubu’s Pardon Not Enough

Amid growing global outrage over the use of capital punishment, Germany, Australia, and Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) France — also known as Lawyers Without Borders — have called for urgent and decisive action to abolish the death penalty in Nigeria.

The call followed President Bola Tinubu’s recent presidential pardon, which saw seven inmates on death row have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment among the 175 persons granted clemency.

The appeal was made during the screening of the movie “Just Mercy” in Abuja, organised by ASF France to mark the 2025 World Day Against the Death Penalty, a global event dedicated to promoting justice reform and the sanctity of human life.

‘Death Penalty Violates Human Dignity’ — Germany

The German Ambassador to Nigeria, Annett Günther, reaffirmed her country’s long-standing opposition to the death penalty, describing it as an affront to human dignity and the right to life.

> “The death penalty is not just a legal matter; it touches on our core values of justice, human dignity, and the right to life,” she said.

“Its irreversible nature means that mistakes and wrongful convictions can never be corrected. Germany abolished the death penalty more than 70 years ago, and we continue to advocate globally for its total eradication.”

Günther urged the Nigerian government to build on the president’s gesture by taking concrete steps towards abolishing capital punishment completely.

Similarly, Mr. Neil Sanderson, Chargé d’Affaires of the Australian High Commission, said his country remains firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances.

> “It is a cruel, inhumane, and ineffective punishment that undermines human dignity and justice,” Sanderson said.
“Encouragingly, global momentum is growing, and we welcome Nigeria’s consideration of abolition as part of its constitutional reform process.”

He noted that 144 countries have already abolished the death penalty in law or practice, while Ghana, Zambia, Sierra Leone, the Central African Republic, and Zimbabwe recently took historic steps towards abolition.

ASF France Country Director in Nigeria, Angela Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, said the World Day Against the Death Penalty is a reminder that justice must never come at the cost of human life.

> “It is a call to empathy, reflection, and action,” she said.
“ASF France reaffirms its commitment by providing legal assistance to those facing the death penalty through our network of pro bono lawyers.”

She revealed that the organisation has supported over 800 individuals facing the death penalty across 10 Nigerian states, ensuring they receive fair trials and humane treatment under the law.

Uzoma-Iwuchukwu also cited figures from the Nigerian Correctional Service 2025 report, which show that over 3,500 persons remain on death row, making Nigeria one of the countries with the largest death row populations in sub-Saharan Africa.

> “This highlights the urgency of sustained advocacy and reform. ASF France calls for an official moratorium on executions as a crucial first step toward total abolition,” she added.

She, however, commended President Tinubu’s commutation of seven death sentences, describing it as “an encouraging step that reflects a growing recognition of the need for a more humane justice system.”

The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Mr. Anthony Ojukwu, represented by the Deputy Director, Legal, Pwadumdi Okoh, said the issue of death penalty abolition remains one of the most contentious human rights challenges of the modern era.

> “Human rights work is for everyone,” Ojukwu said. “The conversation on abolishing the death penalty is not just a legal one — it is a moral imperative.”