Breaking the isolation of death row inmates at the 5th World Congress

“Words beyond death row” is an innovative project ECPM will be presenting during the 5th World Congress, which will take place in Madrid from 12 to 15 June.

One of the organisation’s objectives is to “act for those sentenced to death worldwide”, which includes the reduction of the convicts’ feelings of loneliness and abandonment. By publicising many convict profiles and explaining the importance of this action, ECPM encourages every citizen to pick up a pen and participate in improving lives on death row.

The “Words beyond death row” project was hatched to highlight this power. Beyond the debates, the iconic and anonymous convictions, and the death penalty’s often abstract, there are men and women, alone on death row.

Corresponding by mail and visiting the convicts may be simple and benign gestures to free people, but they may help and touch the prisoners in a unique and sometimes vital way.

That is why this project dedicates a place to death row prisoners, ex-prisoners and their loved ones to share their testimonies (Mumia Abu Jamal, Antoinette Chahine, Charles D. Flores, Sandrine Ageorges-Skinner and Richard Rossi). This will help everyone understand the importance of words and visits.

These authentic and hopeful testimonies read by Blaise Pettebone and Caroline Proust will be accompanied by a selection of photographs curated by PhotoEspaña. The resulting audio-visual projection will be available throughout the duration of the Congress.

If this project touches you, do not hesitate to visit the death row prisoners’ section on this website to start a correspondence with one of them.

Justine Payoux