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
- SEPTEMBER 29, 2008ItalyDEATH PENALTY
DEATH PENALTY. FRATTINI: NEW RESOLUTION ON MORATORIUM SOON
Foreign Affairs Minister Franco Frattini said that Italy will promote a new UN resolution to confirm the moratorium on the death penalty that was approved last December by the United Nations General Assembly and to push countries that still employ the dea
- SEPTEMBER 25, 2008SpainDEATH PENALTY
UN. ZAPATERO CALLS FOR MORATORIUM ON THE DEATH PENALTY IN 2015
Speaking to the United Nations in New York, the Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has called for a universal moratorium on the death penalty in 2015 as a first step towards its complete abolition.
- SEPTEMBER 24, 2008ItalyDEATH PENALTY
DEATH PENALTY. ZAMPARUTTI- PROTOCOL NO 13 RATIFICATION GOOD, BUT COMMITMENT REQUIRED TO STRENGTHEN UN RESOLUTION
regarding the Chamber of Deputies' ratification of Protocol No 13 of the European Convention for the protection of human rights and fundamental liberties, Democratic Party Radical Parliamentarian Elisabetta Zamparutti said: "The vote today is the final po
- SEPTEMBER 23, 2008DEATH PENALTY
LOMBARDY. REGIONAL COUNCIL SUPPORTS MORATORIUM ON THE DEATH PENALTY, EVEN FOR TAREK AZIZ
the Lombardy Regional Council unanimously approved, with one abstention, a motion presented at the end of July, which supported the international "Universal Moratorium on the Death Penalty, Even for Tarek Aziz" appeal promoted by Hands Off Cain and the Tr
- SEPTEMBER 15, 2008United NationsDEATH PENALTY
DEATH PENALTY: BAN KI-MOON'S REPORT RELEASED
Ban Ki-Moon, the Secretary General of the United Nations, released a report on the death penalty. It was one of the provisions of the Resolution on the moratorium on capital punishment, approved by the General Assembly in December 2007, asking the Secreta
- SEPTEMBER 13, 2008IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA. FIGHT AGAINST DEATH PENALTY SET TO GET TOUGHER
with increasing support for tougher laws to deal with fundamentalist and extremist activities in India, the fight against death penalty is set to get tougher, former Additional Director of Central Bureau of Investigation V.R.Lakshminarayanan said.
- SEPTEMBER 10, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN: HRW CALLS FOR GLOBAL END TO JUVENILE EXECUTIONS
Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report calling on Iran, Saudi Arabia...
- AUGUST 30, 2008ItalyDEATH PENALTY
BONINO: UN ENVOY NEEDED TO APPLY THE RESOLUTION
‘The moratorium was achieved, now it needs to be applied,' Emma Bonino, Senate Vice President, said during a television interview.
- AUGUST 25, 2008ItalyDEATH PENALTY
L'AQUILA. ELA GANDHI SIGNS MARCO PANNELLA'S ‘MORATORIUM ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT, EVEN FOR TAREQ AZIZ’ APPEAL
Ela Gandhi signed the appeal for Marco Pannella's non violent initiative for the 'Moratorium on capital punishment, even for Tareq Aziz'.
- JULY 29, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
EU CONDEMNS EXECUTION OF 29 PEOPLE IN EVIN PRISON IN IRAN
the European Union condemned ‘in the strongest terms the 29 simultaneous executions which took place in Evin prison, Iran, on Sunday 27 July 2008.
- JULY 27, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN: HANDS OFF CAIN- GOVERNMENTS THAT VOTED FOR THE MORATORIUM SHOULD ACT
regarding the 29 executions in Iran, Sergio D’Elia, Hands Off Cain Secretary, stated: “The executions today in Iran further prove the danger posed by Ahmadinejad. Many acknowledge and attempt to prevent the future threats to peace and world security repre
- JULY 24, 2008ItalyDEATH PENALTY
PANNELLA: HUNGER STRIKE TO SAVE TAREQ AZIZ
at the presentation of the Hands Off Cain 2008 Report on the Death Penalty Worldwide, Marco Pannella used the occasion to promote his “Moratorium on the death penalty also for Tareq Aziz” campaign. Mr Pannella has been on a hunger strike since midnight, J
- JULY 24, 2008ItalyDEATH PENALTY
PRODI HONOURED WITH “ABOLITIONIST OF THE YEAR” AWARD
Romano Prodi, the ex-President of the Council of the Italian Government, was presented with “The Abolitionist of the Year 2008” Award by Hands Off Cain. The award recognises the person who, above all others, demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the
- JULY 16, 2008LaosDEATH PENALTY
LAOS URGED TO IMPLEMENT OFFICIAL MORATORIUM ON DEATH PENALTY
Amnesty International and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) urge the Lao government to introduce an official moratorium on executions.
- JULY 14, 2008ItalyDEATH PENALTY
IRAQ. MECACCI AND PERDUCA: SEND A FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMISSION DELEGATION TO VISIT TAREQ AZIZ
Radical-PD Parliamentarians Matteo Mecacci and Marco Perduca wrote a letter to the Presidents of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chamber and the Senate asking them to start all the practical necessities for sending a delegation to Iraq “with the utm
- JUNE 29, 2008RussiaDEATH PENALTY
Chairman of the State Duma Legislation Committee...
Chairman of the State Duma Legislation Committee...
- JUNE 17, 2008PakistanDEATH PENALTY
HRW ASKS PAK GOVT TO ABOLISH CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
an international human rights watchdog urged the newly elected government in Pakistan
- JUNE 11, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
Amnesty International launched an attack against...
Amnesty International launched an attack against...
- JUNE 6, 2008BelarusDEATH PENALTY
BELARUS. OFFICIALS HINT MORATORIUM A STEP AWAY
Belarus, the last country in Europe to apply the death penalty, will eventually abolish
- MAY 22, 2008MarylandDEATH PENALTY
Governor Martin O'Malley says he will reluctantly move forward with getting Maryland's execution protocol approved.
Governor Martin O'Malley says he will reluctantly move forward with getting Maryland's execution protocol approved.
- MAY 21, 2008MississippiDEATH PENALTY
MISSISSIPPI (USA). CONVICTED MURDERER EXECUTED
Mississippi put a convicted murderer to death by lethal injection in the second U.S. execution since the Supreme Court lifted an unofficial moratorium on the death penalty last month.
- MAY 14, 2008United StatesDEATH PENALTY
EU CONDEMNS US RESUMPTION OF EXECUTIONS
the European Union condemned the resumption of judicial executions in the United
- MAY 10, 2008United StatesDEATH PENALTY
USA. AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT CALLS FOR DEATH PENALTY MORATORIUM
William Neukom, the President of the American Bar Association, addressed the graduating class
- MAY 8, 2008JapanDEATH PENALTY
JAPAN. LAWYERS COMPLAIN TO UN OVER RISING EXECUTIONS
Japanese lawyers criticised the rising number of executions carried out in the country,
- MAY 8, 2008ItalyDEATH PENALTY
EP. REPORT BY CAPPATO ON HUMAN RIGHTS AROUND THE WORLD APPROVED
the European Parliament in Brussels approved the Report by Marco Cappato (Italian Radicals
- APRIL 17, 2008ItalyDEATH PENALTY
DEATH PENALTY. D'ELIA, LETHAL INJECTION ISN’T THE PROBLEM BUT THE ANACHRONISM OF THE DEATH PENALTY
regarding the US Supreme Court’s decision on the constitutionality of using lethal injection, Hands Off Cain Secretary, Sergio D'Elia, said: "The US Supreme Court wasn't called on to decide on the death penalty itself but whether the method of execution
- APRIL 10, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTY
EP: BEIJING-TALK WITH DALAI LAMA AND INTRODUCE MORATORIUM ON DEATH PENALTY
a resolution approved by the European Parliament states that the European Union
- MARCH 17, 2008ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA. HANDS OFF CAIN ASKS FOR RELEASE OF DATA ON DEATH SENTENCES AND EXECUTIONS
Hands Off Cain asks China to provide data on the number of people sentenced to death and the number of executions performed.
- MARCH 7, 2008United StatesDEATH PENALTY
UN. PANEL CALLS FOR US DEATH PENALTY MORATORIUM
the United States should impose a death penalty moratorium and stop sentencing
- MARCH 3, 2008ItalyDEATH PENALTY
DEATH PENALTY. RADICALS TO D’ALEMA, SPECIAL UN ENVOY NEEDED
Sergio D’Elia, Member of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission