Indonesia, Singapore and the USA Support Killing
Death Penalty Holdouts versus European Union
The European Union ran into fierce opposition from the USA and other backers of state-sponsored killings after proposing a draft resolution which calls on all states to suspend the death penalty.
Most critics said the EU was trying to impose its views on other countries or ignoring their sovereign rights. They did not explain how they obtained a right to kill their own citizens.
The United States, despite finding itself in the company of Indonesia and Singapore, said it opposed an international agreement against the state-sponsored slayings.
The draft resolution was submitted to the U.N. General Assembly's third committee, which deals with social affairs and human rights.
It called on all states that maintain the death penalty to:
-
- "progressively restrict the number of offences" for which it may be
imposed;
- "establish a moratorium on executions, with a view to completely abolishing the death penalty", and
- inform the public about the imposition of capital punishment.
The draft resolution, submitted by the current EU president, Finland, expressed concern that "several countries impose the death penalty in disregard of limitations" set out in UN conventions.
These include the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Ann-Marie Nyroos of Finland said "the EU is convinced that the abolition of the death penalty contributes to the enhancement of human dignity and to the progressive development of human rights."
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