Death Penalty Issues

Death Penalty Issues

Death Penalty in 2013

United States views on international law [1] in relation to Death Penalty: The United States provided an explanation of vote on the resolution on Belarus at the 23rd session of the Human Rights council, available at (link resource) geneva.usmission.gov/2013/06/13/u-s-supports-hrc-resolution-on-the-situationof-human-rights-in-belarus/. The U.S. explanation of vote includes the following statement on the death penalty:

[W]e do not share the view that the death penalty equals inhumane treatment. We emphasize that the death penalty is not prohibited by international law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Belarus is a party, and that any decision to establish a moratorium or abolish the death penalty must be left to the people of Belarus to decide through domestic democratic processes.

Some Aspects of Death Penalty

The United States also provided an explanation of vote at the 22nd session of the Human Rights Council to accompany its vote in favor of a HRC decision on the high-level panel discussion on the question of the death penalty. That explanation of vote includes the following:

The United States is pleased to vote in support of his decision. International law does not prohibit capital punishment when imposed in accordance with a state's international obligations. Rather, it leaves the ultimate decision regarding its use or abolition to be addressed through the domestic democratic processes of individual Member States. We thank the sponsors of this resolution for producing a text that is carefully drafted and consistent with international law and practice. It is our hope that the high-level panel to be convened on the question of the death penalty will address all aspects of the argument about the death penalty, given the wide divergence of views regarding its abolition or continued use both within and among nations. We also urge all governments that employ the death penalty to do so in conformity with their international human rights obligations.

Resources

Notes

  1. Death Penalty in the Digest of United States Practice in International Law

Posted

in

,

by

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *