France, July 2 -- Speaking on Tuesday at the ninth World Congress Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) in Paris, Macron said abolition should not be treated as a settled achievement, 45 years after France scrapped capital punishment.

"Many people pretend to believe that it is a foregone conclusion," he said. "But the risks remain in many countries - and nothing can be taken for granted."

The congress, organised by the NGO Together Against the Death Penalty, is being held from 30 June to 2 July at several venues across Paris and is due to close on Thursday.

Macron said the debate was returning "amidst confusion over principles and language", particularly in the wake of crimes that shock public opinion.

In a post on X, he wrote: "The existe...