Death penalty debates resurface in Paraguay and globally

Debates regarding the death penalty have resurfaced in Paraguay following the feminicide of Deisy Paola Giménez Segovia in Lambaré. The victim had previously reported harassment and violations of a restraining order to a Peace Court, but the case had not reached the Prosecutor's Office before her death. In response to calls for harsher sentencing, the Ombudsman's Office reminded the public that the 1992 Constitution expressly prohibits the death penalty, noting that the last execution in the country occurred in 1917.

On a global scale, Pope Leo XIV condemned capital punishment as “inadmissible” because it violates human dignity and removes the possibility of redemption. His statements coincide with the World Day Against the Death Penalty. The Pope's comments also arrive amid intense debate in the United States regarding the scheduled December 3 execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army major convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood massacre. While the Pope advocated for effective penitentiary systems to protect citizens without resorting to execution, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the convicted individual “deserves” the sentence.