Europeans Urge US on Death Penalty

Several hundred European politicians, lawmakers and international activists gathered in Paris on Saturday to urge the United States to abolish the death penalty.

Participants called on Europeans to sign a petition intended for the incoming American president. Organizers of the French-based movement, called the Group Against the Death Penalty in the United States, said they hope to get 1 million signatures before sending the petition to Washington in time for the presidential inauguration.

The group said the petition already had some 25,000 signatures less than a month into the drive.

French National Assembly president Raymond Forni called the death penalty ``a stain on the largest democracy in the world.''

``The death penalty dehumanizes not just American society, but the whole world, because it breeds an acceptance of violence,'' Forni told the group.

European Parliament President Nicole Fontaine sent a video message to voice support for the gathering, which was chaired by former French Justice Minister Robert Badinter. Badinter was instrumental in France's decision to abolish the death penalty in 1981.

American personalities were also present, including activist Bianca Jagger.

``The death penalty is a barbaric act,'' Jagger said. ``We assassinate not the guilty but those who can't afford a good defense.''

Opposition to the death penalty is unanimous among European governments, and U.S. debate on the subject has intensified in recent months. A 10-year Columbia University study released in June found that two-thirds of death sentences nationally are overturned on appeal, often because of an incompetent defense or an overreaching prosecution.

In January, Illinois Gov. George Ryan, a Republican, placed a moratorium on executions after several people on death row were cleared.

But a majority of Americans back the death penalty, and the two major-party presidential nominees, Vice President Al and Texas Gov. George W. Bush have held firm to their support for the death penalty and opposition to a moratorium on its use.