U.N. adopts death penalty moratorium

Source: LA Times

UNITED NATIONS -- The General Assembly adopted a moratorium on the death penalty Tuesday, overcoming opposition from the United States, China and others that argued each nation should be able to choose for itself how to combat crime.

The 104-54 vote for suspending executions is not legally binding, but represents a growing global trend against a punishment that many countries say undermines human rights, is a questionable deterrent and has mistakenly killed innocent people.

"There is no conclusive evidence of the death penalty's deterrence value and . . . any miscarriage or failure of justice in the death penalty's implementation is irreversible and irreparable," the proponents said in the resolution adopted by the 192-nation assembly. There were 29 abstentions.

Two previous attempts to have the General Assembly adopt a moratorium on the death penalty, in 1994 and 1999, failed.

Read more: U.N. adopts death penalty moratorium

We have only to look at a nation like Norway to see a more enlightened approach to punishment of violent criminals.

Now let's see if the U.N. will make a moratorium on torture...oh yeah, they already did!

It targets poor blacks far more frequently than would otherwise be expected based on their proportion of the population.

Here's the statistics from Amnesty International:

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=105

That Black defendants are far more likely to receive a capital sentence makes it unconstitutional.

I've long been bemused by the notion that conservatives who do not trust the government to operate schools, provide health insurance & pensions (Soc.Sec), inspect food and drugs or regulate industry are blithely supportive of the state executing its citizens. HOW can anyone believe that you can give politicians the power of life and death and think they will always use it wisely and justly?

A month or two ago the Canadian ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs were in Afghanistan. Remember that Canadian soldiers are supposed to be helping the Afghan government to "bring democracy" to their country. In fact, they're dying to help -- in proportionally greater numbers than your troops are dying in Iraq.

It has been illegal to practice capital punishment in Canada for scores of years.

BUT, at the same time that our government sends its ministers over there, the Afghan government lifts is moratorium on capital punishment and executes fifteen prisoners.

And what's the official statement from Harper's office? The Afghan government is sovereign and we support them in whatever they choose to do.

Excuse me while I go find out how my country voted on the UN resolution. I suspect I might have some letters to write this afternoon.
:grr:

:shrug:

Our troops are in Afghanistan to promote American interests, not the interests of a free and democratic society with a justice system that acknowledges the fallibility of human beings and does not hand down sentences that cannot be redressed if a conviction is later overturned.

What if a free and democratic society decides it wants the death penalty?

Then it should be decried....