Foreign Office Minister welcomes increased support at the UN for a moratorium on the death penalty
Baroness Warsi: “The clear and increasing majority in favour is strong evidence of the growing global support for death penalty abolition”.
The statement in full:
“I welcome the adoption, by an increased majority, of the UN General Assembly Resolution calling for a Moratorium on the Use of the Death Penalty. This vote has taken place every two years since 2008. While the resolution is not binding on UN members, it indicates world opinion on this issue. The clear, and increasing majority in favour is strong evidence of the growing global support for death penalty abolition.
“In 2011, 21 countries in the world carried out executions. This figure has fallen by more than a third over the last decade, further confirming the international trend towards global abolition of the death penalty.
“The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. It fundamentally undermines human dignity. We will continue to encourage all states to establish moratoriums on the use of the death penalty with a view to complete abolition.”