The United Nations moratorium on the death penalty
Archive theme
Since 2007 the General Assembly of the United Nations has adopted at regular intervals a resolution calling on states for a moratorium on executions, with a view to abolishing the death penalty. The resolution is not binding, but every vote measures how many states are willing to support it, and the supporters have grown over time.
Hands Off Cain works on parliaments and governments so that this number grows and so that the vote is followed by decisions at home. This page collects the news on the votes, the co-sponsorships and the positions of individual countries.
Latest news
- JANUARY 1, 2003KyrgyzstanDEATH PENALTY
A new Penal Code entered into force in January 1998...
A new Penal Code entered into force in January 1998 and reduced the number of capital crimes, also replacing the death penalty with a maximum of 30 years
- DECEMBER 27, 2002KazakhstanDEATH PENALTY
"Kazakhstan will not have the opportunity to impose...
"Kazakhstan will not have the opportunity to impose a moratorium on the death penalty in the near future," Igor Rogov, deputy presidential chief-of-staff for judicial issues, said at a news conference in Astana
- DECEMBER 21, 2002KazakhstanDEATH PENALTY
A public hearing regarding retention or abolishment...
A public hearing regarding retention or abolishment of capital punishment was held in Kyzylorda
- DECEMBER 19, 2002IraqDEATH PENALTY
The UN General Assembly voted on a resolution condemning...
The UN General Assembly voted on a resolution condemning summary executions in Iraq
- NOVEMBER 26, 2002United NationsDEATH PENALTY
The UN Third Committee approved a draft resolution...
The UN Third Committee approved a draft resolution calling for effective action to eliminate extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
- NOVEMBER 22, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
It was revealed by group officials that the Japan Federation...
It was revealed by group officials that the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, Japan's largest bar organization, had intentions of proposing a legal moratorium on executions, the first time it has explicitly adopted a position against the death penalty
- NOVEMBER 20, 2002KazakhstanDEATH PENALTY
The possibility of introducing a moratorium on capital...
The possibility of introducing a moratorium on capital punishment was discussed in the Almaty Justice Department
- NOVEMBER 6, 2002IraqDEATH PENALTY
At the Third Committee Andreas Mavrommatis, Special...
At the Third Committee Andreas Mavrommatis, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iraq, introduced his report by welcoming the recent decree of the Revolutionary Command Council signed by President Saddam Hussein on 20 October, granting a
- NOVEMBER 6, 2002United NationsDEATH PENALTY
At the Third Committee Andreas Mavrommatis, Special...
At the Third Committee Andreas Mavrommatis, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iraq, introduced his report by welcoming the recent decree of the Revolutionary Command Council signed by President Saddam Hussein on 20 October, granting a
- NOVEMBER 5, 2002United NationsDEATH PENALTY
At the Third Committee Ellen Margrethe Loj from Denmark,...
At the Third Committee Ellen Margrethe Loj from Denmark, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said capital punishment ought to be a feature of the past
- OCTOBER 30, 2002DenmarkDEATH PENALTY
Akhmed Zakayev, one of Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov's...
Akhmed Zakayev, one of Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov's closest associates, was arrested on October 26 in Denmark after Moscow accused him of involvement in the theater siege and other "terror attacks
- OCTOBER 30, 2002RussiaDEATH PENALTY
Akhmed Zakayev, one of Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov's...
Akhmed Zakayev, one of Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov's closest associates, was arrested on October 26 in Denmark after Moscow accused him of involvement in the theater siege and other "terror attacks
- OCTOBER 29, 2002GermanyDEATH PENALTY
The Stop the death penalty through Internet campaign...
The Stop the death penalty through Internet campaign launch in Nuremberg was attended by city mayor Horst Förther (SPD), Elisabetta Zamparutti; HOC Board Member , Emma Bonino, MEP, Sophia Hedmark, Miss Sweden World and Peter Beat of the Pocket Opera Compa
- OCTOBER 16, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
President Obasanjo said that he was committed to fighting...
President Obasanjo said that he was committed to fighting to save lives and would continue the campaign "here in our country and internationally
- JULY 11, 2002PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
Participants in the anti-kidnapping summit held in...
Participants in the anti-kidnapping summit held in Manila on July 9 recommended the reimposition of the death penalty and freezing the assets of kidnap victim's families
- JULY 5, 2002PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
Two convicted kidnappers are scheduled for execution...
Two convicted kidnappers are scheduled for execution in the Philippines in August and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is definitely not granting them a reprieve
- JUNE 25, 2002BelarusDEATH PENALTY
While receiving Belarusian opposition politicians in...
While receiving Belarusian opposition politicians in Strasbourg, Council of Europe Secretary-General Walter Schwimmer reaffirmed the need for the Belarusian authorities to meet the conditions set by international organizations
- JUNE 19, 2002KazakhstanDEATH PENALTY
Human rights activists are calling for the soonest...
Human rights activists are calling for the soonest introduction of a moratorium on the death penalty and a further abolition of it in Kazakhstan
- JUNE 13, 2002KazakhstanDEATH PENALTY
The Deputy head of the administration of Kazakh President...
The Deputy head of the administration of Kazakh President [Nursultan Nazarbayev] and the head of the state and legal department of the administration of the head of state, Igor Rogov, told an international conference in [the northern Kazakh capital] Almat
- JUNE 7, 2002RussiaDEATH PENALTY
Russia must retain the moratorium on the death penalty,...
Russia must retain the moratorium on the death penalty, Justice Minister Yuri Chaika told a news conference
- MAY 30, 2002BelarusDEATH PENALTY
The abolition of the death penalty in Belarus is "is...
The abolition of the death penalty in Belarus is "is predetermined by our desire to join the Council of Europe" the head of the Belarusian Constitutional Court, Ryhor Vasilevich, said during debates in the National Assembly's House of Representatives [low
- MAY 28, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
The Conference sponsored by the Council of Europe on...
The Conference sponsored by the Council of Europe on "Justice and the Rights of Man in the observer countries of the CoE: the abolition of the death penalty", just come to an end in Tokyo, was attended by the Minister of Justice, Mrs
- MAY 27, 2002RussiaDEATH PENALTY
In recent days there has been a noticeable increase...
In recent days there has been a noticeable increase in talk of lifting Russia's current moratorium on the death penalty
- MAY 24, 2002RussiaDEATH PENALTY
The Council of Europe has positively assessed changes...
The Council of Europe has positively assessed changes in Russia's penitentiary system, Deputy Justice Minister Yuri Kalinin said
- MAY 20, 2002RussiaDEATH PENALTY
The proposal of the death penalty as an effective anti-terrorism...
The proposal of the death penalty as an effective anti-terrorism instrument after the the May 9 terrorist act in Kaspiisk, Dagestan, caused a controversial reaction among North Caucasus leaders
- MAY 17, 2002RussiaDEATH PENALTY
The North Ossetia parliament expressed support for...
The North Ossetia parliament expressed support for a statement issued by the Dagestani State Council that calls for lifting the moratorium on the death penalty in Russia
- MAY 15, 2002RussiaDEATH PENALTY
The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch...
The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Alexi II believes the question of lifting the moratorium on the death penalty in Russia should be decided by legislators
- MAY 13, 2002RussiaDEATH PENALTY
Russian human rights commissioner Oleg Mironov said...
Russian human rights commissioner Oleg Mironov said terrorist acts, horrendous as they are, cannot provide an argument for lifting the moratorium on the death penalty in Russia
- MAY 9, 2002MarylandDEATH PENALTY
Maryland Gov
Maryland Gov
- APRIL 29, 2002KazakhstanDEATH PENALTY
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev stressed the...
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev stressed the need of a moratorium on capital punishment in Kazakhstan in his message to the nation, which he read in parliament,