UN Votes Death Penalty Abolition

World | December 18, 2007, Tuesday // 00:00

The UN General Assembly votes Tuesday on a moratorium on the death penalty, which is already banned in 130 countries while others like the United States and China continue executions.

More than 90 countries, including most European states, have submitted the draft resolution, concerned about the continuing use of the capital punishment.

The resolution calls on countries to respect international standards and to "progressively restrict the use of the death penalty and reduce the number of offenses for which it may be imposed."

The bid to have the UN General Assembly impose a moratorium on the death penalty drew charges that the European Union was trying to impose its values on others in a throwback to colonialism.

The draft cleared the UN human rights committee last month during fierce debates. The US and China together with Asian countries like India, Afghanistan, Thailand, Japan and Indonesia voted against the moratorium while most European countries voted to end the death penalty.

The vote comes a day after New Jersey replaced the capital punishment with life imprisonment without parole becoming the first US state to abolish death sentence since the US Supreme Court reinstated executions in 1976.

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