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 08 October 2008 00:24 BST

UN in death penalty moratorium

Wednesday, 19 Dec 2007 10:42
UN general assembly calls for moratorium on death penalty
The United Nations (UN) general assembly has called for a moratorium on the application of the death penalty.

While the resolution was opposed by the US - as well as Iran, Myanmar, China, North Korea, Sudan and Zimbabwe - it passed in the general assembly chamber by a vote of 104 to 54, with 29 abstentions.

Though not legally-binding, the resolution reflects a changing global view towards capital punishment; previous general assembly attempts to adopt a moratorium - in 1994 and 1999 - were unsuccessful.

It calls on those countries that permit the death penalty to adhere to international standards safeguarding the rights of condemned inmates and to "establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty".

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon called yesterday's resolution a "bold step by the international community".

"I am particularly encouraged by the support expressed for this initiative from many diverse regions of the world," he added.

"This is further evidence of a trend towards ultimately abolishing the death penalty."

Italian foreign minister Massimo D'Alema said the resolution was "not an interference", but a "call on each member state of the United Nations to implement the resolution and also to open a debate on the death penalty".

"The moratorium is an important opportunity for international debate," he told reporters after the vote. Italy, speaking on behalf of the European Union, spearheaded the resolution.

The resolution's passage was eased by its approval from a UN human rights committee last month by a vote of 99-52 with 33 abstentions.

According to Amnesty International, China, Iran, Iraq, the United States, Pakistan and Sudan account for about 90 percent of all executions worldwide.End of story


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