Calling for a Global Moratorium

This past June, the European Union voted to introduce at the UN General Assembly a resolution calling for a global moratorium on executions. Amnesty International and the World Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty have been actively mobilizing support for this resolution, hoping to get as many countries as possible to sign on to it (and not just European countries).

MVFHR serves on the steering committee of the World Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, so we have been part of some of these discussions and efforts. We hope to be able to participate in a press event that will take place at the UN on World Day to Abolish the Death Penalty, which is coming up on October 10. We’ll keep you posted. Meanwhile, we encourage you to sign the petition calling for a global moratorium and check out the World Coalition’s website. Here’s a good summary, from the Coalition’s site, of the rationale behind the global moratorium effort:

The proposal would save lives and give the population of retentionist states an opportunity to see for themselves that a pause in death sentences does not lead to higher crime rates. A resolution by the UN's highest political body would be an important international milestone in the campaign to abolish the death penalty worldwide and would carry considerable moral weight. This initiative has already gathered the support of 5 million people worldwide.