World
Coalition Against the Death Penalty
Today,
monday 13 may 2002, in Rome,
According
to the undertakings made by the signatories of the Final
Declaration of the first world congress against the death
penalty held in Strasbourg, from 21 to 23 june 2001, in order to
bring the ripening of the process of international convergence
toward the defense of human rights, in particular to achieve the
universal abolition of the death penalty and the immediate halt
of all executions of death row inmates in the world,
associations listed below subscribe to:
the
launching of the world coalition against the death penalty and
call on all abolitionist campaigners worldwide to join this
international mouvement.
Ensemble
Contre la Peine de Mort
Comunit�
di SantEgidio
FIDH
F�d�ration
internationale de lAction des chr�tiens contre la torture et
pour l'abolition de la peinede mort
National
Coalition Against the Death Penalty (USA)
Forum
90 (Japon)
Conf�d�ration
Kurde dEurope
ACAT
Vlaanderen (Belgique)
CURE
Missouri (USA)
Nessuno
Tocchi Caino
Comitato
3 LUGLIO 1849 (Italie)
Rocco
Barnabei Foundation (Italie)
Italian
Coalition Against Death Penalty (Italie)
Regione
Toscana (Italie)
Mouvement
contre le Racisme et pour lAmiti� entre les Peuples (France)
Barreau
de Paris (France)
Ligue
des droits de lhomme (France)
Mothers
Against Death Penalty (Ouzbekistan)
AMICUS
(Grande Bretagne)
Journey
of Hope (USA)
Comitato
Paul Rougeau (Italie)
Red.
Religion Kirche und Gesellschaft (Allemagne)
Si
attende per il mese di giugno la formalizzazione di Amnesty
International alla partecipazione alla Coalizione.
Il
Consiglio Generale di Is�re e della Minucipalit� di Grenoble,
presenti a Roma per la riunione si pronunciano ulteriormente
alla partecipazione alla Coalizione.
****
A
formal decision by Amnesty International on joining the
Coalition is expected in June.
****
Message
from Mary Robinson
United
Nations High Commissioner for human Rights - on the occasion of
the launch of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty
Rome,
13 May 2002
The
launch ofthe World Coalition Against the Death Penalty is an
important milestone in the continuing international campaign
aimed at limiting and, one day, eliminating the use of the death
penalty everywhere in the world. I commend the organizers for
lbs timely initiative which continns that the trend towards
banning capital punishment under international law is gaining
strength and momentum.
More
than half of the nations of the world no longer retain the death
penalty in law or in practice. Each year, more countries are
restricting the number of offences punishable by death or
abolishing the death penalty altogether. At the same time, it is
a sad fact that a number of States have increased the use of the
death penalty or resumed executions after a period of de facto
moratorium. While working towards the ultimate goal a universal
ban on capital punishment we must also ensure that the existing
limitations and restrictions on the use of the death penalty are
fully respected without exception or discrimination by those who
still retain this practice.
The
adoption of several key international human rights instruments
further underlines the trend towards universal abolition. The
Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights, adopted in 1989, has now been ratified by
47 countries. At the region level both the European and the
American conventions on human rights have specfal protocols
aimed at abolishing the death penalty.
Over
the years, various United Nations bodies have reaffirmed the
desirability of the total abolition of capital punishment. At
its recent session, the United Nations Commission on Human
Rights passcd for the sixth consecutive year a resolution
calling for restrictions or. the use of the death penalty. The
Commission urged all States that still maintain the death
penalty LO establish a moratorium on executions, with a view to
completely abolishing the death penalty. The resolution also
called on retentionist States to comply filly with their
obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child
with regard to the death penalty.
I
have on several occasions expressed my particular opposition to
the use of the death penalty against juvenile offenders and
persons suffering from mental illness or handicap. The
overwhelming international consensus, expressed through the
Convention on the Rights of the Child, is very clear on this
issue: capital punishment shall not be imposed for offences
committed by persons below eighteen years of age.
As
High Commissioner for Human Rights, I am entrusted with the
mandate of working for the universal enshrinement of human
rights for all, For this reason I fully support national and
international initiatives aimed at the universal abolition of
capital punishment. The launch of the World Campaign Against the
Death Penalty gives me new hope that this goal is now within
reach.
(source:
Community of Sant Egidio) |