UN: DEATH PENALTY MORATORIUM MEETS STRONG OPPOSITION

a proposal to ultimately abolish the death penalty was delayed by scores of countries that oppose the measure and accused the sponsors of attempting to interfere with the laws of sovereign states. The draft resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty is sponsored by nearly 100 countries, including European Union members. But the opposition is composed of blocs of Middle East, African, Islamic, Caribbean nations and the United States, which questioned the legality of the moratorium and proposed a host of amendments. Speakers from countries opposing the draft attacked the EU for pushing for a vote on the draft, knowing that there was no consensus on the moratorium. Opponents said the death penalty, which is still legal in many countries, including the United States, is not a human rights issue and the sponsors cannot invoke the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights as a basis for abolishing it.