MEXICO. PRESENTATION OF HANDS OFF CAIN’S 2005 REPORT – THE DEATH PENALTY WORLDWIDE

the presentation of the Spanish edition of Hands Off Cain’s 2005 report – The Death Penalty Worldwide will take place tomorrow in Mexico City.
The event, promoted and hosted by Mexico’s Foreign Ministry, will take place on November 17 from 10:30 till 11:30. The Press Conference will see the participation of Mexico’s Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez, Hands Off Cain Secretary Sergio d’Elia and Elizabetta Zamparutti, HOC Treasurer and Editor of the Report.  
The event is aimed at increasing public awareness on the death penalty and reinforcing the Mexican Government’s decision to cancel all death penalty references from the country’s Constitution following the removal of all references to the ultimate penalty from the military codes a few months previously. Mexico has been at the forefront of the international fight against the death penalty. In 2001 the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to extradite Mexican citizens to countries with the death penalty as well as those with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The Supreme Court confirmed the ruling on 14^th April 2004, intervening in an extradition request with the United States. In 2003 Mexico brought a case against the United States to the International Court of Justice which ruled in its favor ordering the United States to review the cases of 51 Mexican citizens on death rows in ten different US states. Moreover, on October 28 this year Mexico became the 100^th country to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court which excludes all recourse to the death penalty.
The presentation of the report will also be an occasion to discuss with the Mexican government a constitution for a coalition of abolitionist countries with the purpose of promoting a pro-moratorium resolution at the next United Nations General Assembly.