UN chief welcomes vote on death penalty moratorium

CMC - With most Caribbean countries still having capital punishment on their law books, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed what has been described as a record vote by a General Assembly committee in favour of the call for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

UN chief's spokesperson said the vote “offers the opportunity to again encourage member states, who still practice the death penalty or retain it in law to follow suit.

“The Secretary-General, therefore, calls on member states to join the worldwide trend and support next month’s General Assembly resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty,” the spokesperson told reporters, noting that 150 states have either abolished or do not practice the death penalty.

The new General Assembly resolution calls on all states to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.

The vote took place in the Assembly’s Third Committee, which adopted the resolution by 110 votes in favour, with 39 against and 36 abstentions.

The Third Committee deals with social and humanitarian issues, as well as human rights.

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