Walter Schwimmer, Council of Europe Secretary-general,...

Walter Schwimmer, Council of Europe Secretary-general, released a statement commending the decision made by George Ryan, the outgoing Governor of Illinois "for his moral and political leadership in commuting the sentences of all 156 inmates on death row (in the State)." "It is to be expected that this decision has prompted and will continue to prompt hostile reactions. I am confident, however, that the governor's stance will continue to receive acclaim, not least from the international community where the trend toward universal abolition of the death penalty is becoming increasingly irreversible", noted Schwimmer. "Governor Ryan's courageous action will be viewed as a milestone in the progressive phasing out of the death penalty in the United States and will add momentum to the growing public debate on this question", added the Secretary General.