The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty has launched a global petition as part of the campaign for an international moratorium on executions.
The petition calls on all governments to "work for a world free of executions" and to vote in favour of a proposed resolution to be presented to the UN General Assembly later this year.
The resolution will call for a suspension of executions as a step towards the abolition of the death penalty worldwide.
According to the World Coalition's website, the proposed moratorium "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 highest political body would be an important international milestone in the campaign to abolish the death penalty worldwide and would carry considerable moral weight."
The petition will build on the five million signatures collected on the 'Moratorium 2000' petition coordinated by the Community of Sant'Egidio and Amnesty International.
The World Coalition is encouraging activists and organisations to:
The World Coalition has produced a poster, a public opinion leaflet, a government lobbying flyer, a facts and figures document and a website banner to support the campaign.
Text of the petition:
An appeal for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty
We, the undersigned,
In recognition of the five million people who signed the ‘Moratorium 2000’ petition launched by the Community of Sant’Egidio and Amnesty International,
Renew the call for a worldwide moratorium on executions and an end to capital punishment in the belief that the death penalty:
- Violates the universally affirmed right to life ;
- Constitutes the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment ;
- Constantly risks the irreversible error of the execution of an innocent person ;
- Provides no added value to the deterrence of crime ;
- Brutalises those societies that employ state sanctioned judicial killing.
We welcome the strong progress already made towards a global end to capital punishment and acknowledge that 130 nations have abolished the death penalty in law or practice.
We invite all governments to work for a world free of executions as a contribution to the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights. We call upon the member states of the UN General Assembly to overwhelmingly vote in favour of an international moratorium on executions.
The petition calls on all governments to "work for a world free of executions" and to vote in favour of a proposed resolution to be presented to the UN General Assembly later this year.
The resolution will call for a suspension of executions as a step towards the abolition of the death penalty worldwide.
According to the World Coalition's website, the proposed moratorium "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 highest political body would be an important international milestone in the campaign to abolish the death penalty worldwide and would carry considerable moral weight."
The petition will build on the five million signatures collected on the 'Moratorium 2000' petition coordinated by the Community of Sant'Egidio and Amnesty International.
The World Coalition is encouraging activists and organisations to:
- Sign the petition for a moratorium on executions
- Lobby their governments to support the UN General Assembly resolution for a global moratorium
- Organise events for the World Day against the Death Penalty on 10 October, 2007 - and inform the World Coalition about their plans.
The World Coalition has produced a poster, a public opinion leaflet, a government lobbying flyer, a facts and figures document and a website banner to support the campaign.
Text of the petition:
An appeal for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty
We, the undersigned,
In recognition of the five million people who signed the ‘Moratorium 2000’ petition launched by the Community of Sant’Egidio and Amnesty International,
Renew the call for a worldwide moratorium on executions and an end to capital punishment in the belief that the death penalty:
- Violates the universally affirmed right to life ;
- Constitutes the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment ;
- Constantly risks the irreversible error of the execution of an innocent person ;
- Provides no added value to the deterrence of crime ;
- Brutalises those societies that employ state sanctioned judicial killing.
We welcome the strong progress already made towards a global end to capital punishment and acknowledge that 130 nations have abolished the death penalty in law or practice.
We invite all governments to work for a world free of executions as a contribution to the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights. We call upon the member states of the UN General Assembly to overwhelmingly vote in favour of an international moratorium on executions.
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1 comment:
I admire your efforts in abolishing the death penalty. You should have a permanent web page dedicated to Ronald Ryan. There were many inconsistencies in the case and it's highly probable that an innocent man was hanged. More than four decades later, conspiracies for the State of Victoria continue to manifest.
In a book by Mike Richards titled The Hanged Man, it is alleged that Ryan confessed guilt to Pentridge Prison Governor Ian Grindlay, the night before the hanging. According to the book, Ryan said to Grindlay, "I did shoot him (Hodson) but I didn't mean to kill him only to stop him." It should be noted that Grindlay died one decade before the book that contains this allegation was published. According to Dr Philip Opas QC (defence attorney for Ryan, now aged 92) there is no evidence anywhere, that Grindlay (while still alive) said to anyone at anytime, that Ryan had confessed guilt to him.
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