FIDH welcomes the adoption of a UN resolution calling for a moratorium on death penalty, adopted by a plenary section of the UN General Assembly on December 18th, 2007(See Documents) The resolution was adopted with 104 States voting in favour, 54 against and 29 abstentions. The number of states in favour was slightly increased in comparison to the votes before the Assembly’s third committee, in November, 2007. This is a positive development welcomed by FIDH, who has been active in the lobbying campaign for the adoption of the resolution.(See FIDH Press Release)
The resolution calls upon all States to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.
« Todays resolution represents a big victory for the international human rights community. FIDH has always been active against death penalty, in particular in the framework of the World Coalition Against Death Penalty. Today, we can say that humanity made a decisive step towards total and global abolition of death penalty » said Souhayr Belhassen President of FIDH