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
SEPTEMBER 14, 2007GabonDEATH PENALTYGABON TO SCRAP DEATH PENALTY
Gabon became the latest country to move towards scrapping
- SEPTEMBER 11, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTY
ITALY: D'ALEMA AND EC VICE PRESIDENT: POLAND SENDING AN “UGLY SIGNAL”
Franco Frattini, the vice president of the European Commission...
SEPTEMBER 11, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTYMORATORIUM. D’ELIA (RNP), NON VIOLENT CONTINUES STRUGGLE SO THAT WORDS BECOME FACTS
“It was fortunate that Parliament gathered to be informed on the status of the initiative for the UN Moratorium,” announced Sergio D’Elia, Rosa nel Pugno Radical Parliamentarian and Secretary of Hands Off Cain.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTYMORATORIUM. VERNETTI: RESOLUTION PRESENTATION TO UN SEPTEMBER 25
in a message to both Parliament and the Senate Foreign
SEPTEMBER 7, 2007PortugalDEATH PENALTYDEATH PENALTY. PRODI, PORTUGUESE PREMIER DISCUSS MORATORIUM
Italian Premier Romano Prodi phoned Portuguese counterpart Jose' Socrates to discuss
SEPTEMBER 4, 2007DEATH PENALTYCOMMENT ON PRESIDENT KAGAME
The unexpectedly violent tone of Nigrizia's statements shock us more than the content. This is not language that a man of the church should use.
AUGUST 30, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTYDEATH PENALTY. HANDS OFF CAIN PRESENT 2007 REPORT
it is only a few weeks from the presentation of a resolution on the Universal Moratorium on Capital Punishment at the UN General Assembly by the European Union, an initiative that was inspired by Italy, Hands Off Cain has released its 2007 Report on Capit
AUGUST 30, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTYDEATH PENALTY. KAGAME, RWANDA COSPONSOR UN MORATORIUM RESOLUTION
at the presentation of the 2007 Hands Off Cain Report on the death penalty, Paul Kagame
AUGUST 30, 2007RwandaDEATH PENALTYDEATH PENALTY: PRODI EXPRESSES HOPE FOR THE MORATORIUM AT THE PRESENTATION OF THE HOC REPORT
Prime Minister Romano Prodi attended the ceremony for the presentation of the 2007
- AUGUST 25, 2007MaltaDEATH PENALTY
MALTA AGREES TO SIGN DEATH PENALTY MORATORIUM PROPOSAL
Malta is willing to sign the moratorium proposal of the death penalty.
- AUGUST 6, 2007IranDEATH PENALTY
ITALY. PRODI DEFENDS CRITICISM OF IRANIAN EXECUTIONS
Premier Romano Prodi defended Italy’s opposition to the death penalty after Rome's criticism of Iran’s use of capital punishment escalated into a diplomatic fight.
JULY 25, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTYMORATORIUM. D'ALEMA, CONSENSUS BY AT LEAST THE 27 EU COUNTRIES
“The moratorium looks like being a success. I would like a united front, without
JULY 18, 2007FloridaDEATH PENALTYFLORIDA ENDS SEVEN-MONTH MORATORIUM ON EXECUTIONS
Florida ended a moratorium on capital punishment today, spurred by a gruesomely
JULY 10, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTYMORATORIUM. D’ALEMA THANKS SOUTH AFRICA FOR SUPPORT
Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Massimo D'Alema publicly thanked his South African colleague Nkosazama Dlamini Zuma for the African country’s support for the proposed UN Moratorium against capital punishment.
JULY 1, 2007PortugalDEATH PENALTYEU. PORTUGUESE PRESIDENTIAL SUPPORT FOR MORATORIUM REQUEST
at the beginning of the Portuguese term as EU President
- JUNE 26, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTY
DEATH PENALTY. EUROPEAN COUNCIL SUPPORTS MORATORIUM
the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, meeting
- JUNE 18, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTY
ITALY HAILS EU DECISION ON DEATH PENALTY MORATORIUM
Breaking the hesitations and faltering of the past, the Council of EU Foreign Ministers
JUNE 18, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTYDEATH PENALTY. INDEFINITE POSTPONEMENT DEFEATED
Marco Pannella, Sergio D'Elia, Lucio Bertè, Valter Vecellio, Claudia Sterzi, Guido Biancardi, Michele Rana, all on a indefinite hunger strike since April 16, issued the following statement. "If the news from Luxembourg on the outcome of the EU Council of
JUNE 15, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTYDEATH PENALTY. EXTRAORDINARY PARTICIPATION FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD
52 Nobel Prizes have already joined the Transnational Radical Party and Hand
- JUNE 14, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTY
DEATH PENALTY. FOREIGN AFFAIR COMMITEE URGES GOVERNMENT TO PROCEED
today the committee on Foreign Affairs of the Chamber of Deputies unanimously approved a resolution
- JUNE 11, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTY
MORATORIUM. RADICAL PARTY: PLEA TO PRODI TO PRESENT RESOLUTION NOW
During a press conference held at the Radical Party, party leader, Marco Pannella, said: “we continue our non violent action. I urge the Prime Minister, Romano Prodi, along with the group of countries from all continents that have already showed their par
JUNE 1, 2007CaliforniaDEATH PENALTYCALIFORNIA (USA). EXECUTIONS UNLIKELY THE REST OF THE YEAR
a judge will not hear legal challenges to the state's lethal injection procedure until October.
MAY 30, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTYMORATORIUM. D'ALEMA SAYS TEXT FOR RESOLUTION IS READY
"I would like to reassure Mr Pannella and the public that we are working: we have prepared the text for the resolution and sent it to the German EU presidency. We are contacting all countries we think may become co-sponsors of this initiative." This is wh
MAY 28, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTYDEATH PENALTY. MARCO PANNELLA'S HUNGER STRIKE TO BECOME HUNGER AND THIRST STRIKE FROM WEDNESDAY MAY 30
Marco Pannella, Sergio D'Elia and the seven other top radical figures and activists committed to an indefinite hunger strike since April 16 have once again addressed Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Massimo D
MAY 24, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTYHands Off Cain announced that Mali has signed the Declaration and is ready to
Hands Off Cain announced that Mali has signed the Declaration and is ready to
MAY 24, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTYMORATORIUM/EU. PANNELLA WARNS GERMAN PRESIDENCY: EU COUNCIL'S BUREAUCRACY IS TRYING TO SABOTAGE YOU OVER THE MORATORIUM, JUST LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS. A REFORM FOR PUBLIC COUNCIL INSTITUTIONAL DEBATES IS URGENT
the Radical Euro MP Marco Pannella, still on his indefinite hunger strike along with the other Radical top members, submitted the following question to the EU Council: "The bureaucratic structure of the Council is such that it has managed to create a
- MAY 14, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTY
MORATORIUM: ITALY AND GERMANY IN CHARGE OF WRITING RESOLUTION
at the end of the Meeting of EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Italian Vice Premier Massimo D'Alema announced that the EU ministers have unanimously given Italy and the German presidency the task to prepare the text for the resolution on the moratorium
MAY 10, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTYMORATORIUM. D’ELIA AND MECACCI: D’ALEMA MUST ANNOUNCE HE HAS THE RESOLUTION TEXT READY
“Yesterday’s ‘rumours’ originated from diplomatic sources in Brussels who confirmed that the EU Presidency intended to postpone all possible decisions until June. This passes the baton to the Portuguese President and makes the presentation of the Resoluti
- MAY 8, 2007ItalyDEATH PENALTY
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. PRODI, MORATORIUM MUST BE DISCUSSED AT CURRENT UN ASSEMBLY
"My Government is already committed to reopening the question of the UN Moratorium on Capital Punishment during the current General Assembly.
- MAY 2, 2007TennesseeDEATH PENALTY
in Nashville, the House Judiciary Committee today unanimously approved legislation...
in Nashville, the House Judiciary Committee today unanimously approved legislation...