The United Nations moratorium on the death penalty
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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
- NOVEMBER 11, 1999ArmeniaDEATH PENALTY
On November 11, speaking on item 116a, question of...
On November 11, speaking on item 116a, question of human rights, at the Third Committee of the General Assembly, Anna Aghadjanian of the Armenian mission said, "Being ourselves of abolitionist position, we do believe, however, that no society should be de
- NOVEMBER 11, 1999NorwayDEATH PENALTY
On November 11, Norwegian representative Peter Willie,...
On November 11, Norwegian representative Peter Willie, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly (human rights) under item 116a (death penalty), said, "Norway believes that the right to life is the most fundamental of all human rights
- NOVEMBER 11, 1999IranDEATH PENALTY
On November 11, Iranian representative Mostafa Alaie,...
On November 11, Iranian representative Mostafa Alaie, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly (human rights) under item 116a (death penalty), said that initiatives at the international level on human rights should be guided by the principl
- NOVEMBER 11, 1999Papua New GuineaDEATH PENALTY
On November 11, Papua New Guinea's representative Peter...
On November 11, Papua New Guinea's representative Peter Donigi, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly (human rights) under item 116a (death penalty), said: "It seems ironic that there are those amongst us who claim the UN Charter and the
- NOVEMBER 11, 1999BarbadosDEATH PENALTY
On November 11, at the Third Committee of the General...
On November 11, at the Third Committee of the General Assembly (human rights) under item 116a (death penalty), Antigua and Barbuda, also speaking on behalf of Barbados, said International Law recognized that the decision on that form of punishment fell wi
- NOVEMBER 11, 1999Antigua & BarbudaDEATH PENALTY
On November 11, at the Third Committee under the above...
On November 11, at the Third Committee under the above item 116a, Ambassador Lewis, again speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community said, "International law did not prohibit the death penalty
- NOVEMBER 11, 1999BelizeDEATH PENALTY
On November 11, at the Third Committee of the General...
On November 11, at the Third Committee of the General Assembly (human rights) under item 116a (death penalty), the Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda Patrick A
- NOVEMBER 11, 1999CubaDEATH PENALTY
On November 11, Cuban representative Bruno Rodriguez...
On November 11, Cuban representative Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly (human rights) under item 116a (death penalty), said that the debate was essentially on the principles of the Charter and on their inter
- NOVEMBER 11, 1999HaitiDEATH PENALTY
On November 11, speaking at the Third Committee of...
On November 11, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly (human rights) under item 116a (death penalty), Counselor Nicole Romulus said there was a great division in regard to the capital punishment
- NOVEMBER 10, 1999AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
On November 10, UN Ambassador Penny Wensley, speaking...
On November 10, UN Ambassador Penny Wensley, speaking on item 116a, question of human rights, at the Third Committe of the General Assembly, singled out two issues on which progress seems halting at best
- NOVEMBER 10, 1999Trinidad & TobagoDEATH PENALTY
On November 10, speaking at the Third Committee of...
On November 10, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly, the representative of Trinidad and Tobago referred to the portion of the statement by Finland on behalf of the European Union regarding the death penalty
- NOVEMBER 9, 1999FinlandDEATH PENALTY
On November 9, Ambassador Marjatta Rasi, speaking at...
On November 9, Ambassador Marjatta Rasi, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly on items 116 b), c) and e) on the issue of the abolition of the death penalty, said, "Where the death penalty still exists, the European Union calls, as a fir
- NOVEMBER 9, 1999CambodiaDEATH PENALTY
On November 9, at the Third Committee of the General...
On November 9, at the Third Committee of the General Assembly, Ambassador Ouch Borith said the use of the term "extrajudicial killing" mentioned in the Special Representative's Memorandum (included in his Report) was a misunderstanding
- NOVEMBER 9, 1999CanadaDEATH PENALTY
On November 9, Canada's representative Ross Hynes,...
On November 9, Canada's representative Ross Hynes, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly (human rights) under item 116a (death penalty), criticized the extensive use of the death penalty as well as the harsh sentences imposed on politica
- NOVEMBER 9, 1999Costa RicaDEATH PENALTY
On November 9, Costa Rica's representative Deyanira...
On November 9, Costa Rica's representative Deyanira Ramirez, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly said she condemned the fighting and war that caused violations of human rights, particularly with regard to the right to life, the most fu
- NOVEMBER 9, 1999VenezuelaDEATH PENALTY
On November 9, speaking at the Third Committee of the...
On November 9, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly, Venezuela's representative Carlos Bivero said his Government had made great progress in promoting human rights, as a result of a combination of national and international initiatives
- NOVEMBER 8, 1999New ZealandDEATH PENALTY
On November 8, New Zealand's representative Michael...
On November 8, New Zealand's representative Michael Powels, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly (human rights) under item 116a (death penalty), said New Zealand was an early co-sponsor of a draft resolution calling for a moratorium on
- NOVEMBER 8, 1999LiechtensteinDEATH PENALTY
On November 8, Counselor Christian Wenaweser, speaking...
On November 8, Counselor Christian Wenaweser, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly, said the abolition of the penalty would contribute to the progressive development of human rights
- NOVEMBER 8, 1999Congo - KinshasaDEATH PENALTY
On November 8, Ambassador Andre Mwamba Kapanga, speaking...
On November 8, Ambassador Andre Mwamba Kapanga, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly, said with regard to the death penalty that his country had taken an abolitionist attitude
- NOVEMBER 5, 1999JamaicaDEATH PENALTY
On November 5, speaking at the Third Committee of the...
On November 5, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly (human rights) under item 116a (death penalty), Alethia Barker referred to the draft resolution on the abolition of capital punishment to be introduced by the European Union and said I
- NOVEMBER 5, 1999TanzaniaDEATH PENALTY
On November 5, Counselor Christine Kapalata, speaking...
On November 5, Counselor Christine Kapalata, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly, said international law did not prohibit the imposition of the death penalty, and States had the sovereign right to impose the judicial systems they desir
- NOVEMBER 3, 1999BruneiDEATH PENALTY
On November 3, Ambassador Jemat Ampal, speaking at...
On November 3, Ambassador Jemat Ampal, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly (human rights) under item 116a (death penalty), said his country does not oppose discussions on the issue of death penalty but would have preferred it to be con
- NOVEMBER 3, 1999IndiaDEATH PENALTY
On November 3, Bhuvanesh Chaturvedi, speaking at the...
On November 3, Bhuvanesh Chaturvedi, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly (human rights) under item 116a (death penalty), said that the Second Optional Protocol, which opened for signature in 1989, till today has only 38 ratifications
- NOVEMBER 3, 1999JapanDEATH PENALTY
On November 3, speaking at the Third Committee of the...
On November 3, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly (human rights) under item 116a (death penalty), Kunio Umeda said that as is clear from the discussion in the last three years in the Commission on Human Rights, in the ECOSOC and in th
- NOVEMBER 3, 1999SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
On November 3, Ambassador Mahbubani, speaking at the...
On November 3, Ambassador Mahbubani, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly (human rights) under item 116a (death penalty), said, "
- NOVEMBER 3, 1999Antigua & BarbudaDEATH PENALTY
On November 3, at the Third Committee of the General...
On November 3, at the Third Committee of the General Assembly (human rights) under item 116a (death penalty), First Secretary Aqeel Akbar said any State has the right to determine the punishment, or lack of it, for the commission of a crime violating its
- NOVEMBER 3, 1999BahamasDEATH PENALTY
On November 3, the Second Secretary of the Bahamas'...
On November 3, the Second Secretary of the Bahamas' mission, Cecil C
- NOVEMBER 3, 1999ColombiaDEATH PENALTY
On November 3, Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso, speaking...
On November 3, Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly (human rights) under item 116a (death penalty), said it is certainly a prerogative of each country to decide on whether to maintain the death penalty or
- NOVEMBER 3, 1999EgyptDEATH PENALTY
On November 3, Ambassador Ahmed Aboul Gheit, speaking...
On November 3, Ambassador Ahmed Aboul Gheit, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly (human rights) under item 116a (death penalty), said that existing different cultures and religions should be respected
- NOVEMBER 3, 1999ChinaDEATH PENALTY
On November 3, Chinese representative Sun Ang, speaking...
On November 3, Chinese representative Sun Ang, speaking at the Third Committee of the General Assembly on item 116 a), question on human rights, said that in the area of human rights instruments, as in other areas of international affairs, the principle o