Tomorrow is World Day Against the Death Penalty, a global day of action to tell the truth that too often gets buried: the death penalty protects no one. It doesn’t make communities safer. It targets people living with trauma, mental illness, brain damage, and poverty. And it retraumatizes families — including those who oppose executions.
Tomorrow is a day when the world is united around a simple truth: the death penalty has no place in a just society. People around the world are standing up for life, dignity, and justice. This global day of action is led by survivors, advocates, faith leaders, and families who believe we can do better than state-sanctioned killing. World Day symbolizes our collective hope and encourages local action. UN Human rights Chief Volker Türk put it clearly: “The death penalty is a practice that should have no place in the 21st century… It leads to the execution of innocent people and is often used in discriminatory ways.”
This year’s theme reflects growing global momentum as more countries take historic steps toward ending state killings. Zimbabwe abolished the death penalty in 2024, joining 26 other African nations that have already done so. Malaysia reviewed more than 1,000 death row cases, commuting most to life imprisonment. Even in the United States, death sentences continue to decline as more states recognize the system’s racial bias, risk of wrongful convictions, and immense cost. The world is turning the page on executions — and Florida can too.
Here in Florida, that truth is urgent. Next Tuesday, October 14, the state plans to execute Samuel “Sammy” Lee Smithers, a 72-year-old man showing signs of dementia and cognitive decline. He would be the oldest person executed in Florida in more than 70 years. One of the victims’ fathers said that Sammy’s execution would bring him “the worst and most brutal possible kind of closure.” We believe him. We believe in healing, not more harm. FADP will be at Florida State Prison at 5 pm on Tuesday, as always, standing with survivors and advocates who say: Not in our name. We need you with us.
Even as another execution approaches, we find hope because change is occurring. More Floridians are speaking out than ever before — victims’ families are leading calls for compassion, and lawmakers are starting to question a system that costs millions and achieves nothing. This progress is all thanks to people like you, who are standing up and refusing to allow the state to carry out executions in your name.
World Day reminds us that abolition isn’t just about opposing executions — it’s about building a Florida where safety, compassion, and justice prevail. Florida has the opportunity to choose a path that prioritizes effective solutions such as violence prevention, mental health care, trauma services, and support for victims’ families. Communities consistently express that these measures make them feel safe, not executions.
We remember all those our state has executed, as well as those who may still face execution in the future. We also celebrate the community we’ve built together — a community that refuses to look away, refuses to give up, and knows that mercy is stronger than fear.
Thank you for standing with us on World Day and every day. Your voice is the difference between isolation and solidarity for people on death row and for families who refuse to let the state kill in their names.