Organisation of American States considers moratorium

Homepage 11th World Day against the Death Penalty: Greater Caribbean Organisation of American States considers moratorium

- The Americas
  Organisation of American States considers moratorium
  Article by Tiziana Trotta published on March 15th, 2013
  The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights warns that litigation is insufficient to combat the death penalty.
- The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the regional body in charge of protecting and furthering human rights as part of the Organization of American States (OAS), has tackled the death penalty for the first time.
  Its latest session on 11 March saw heated debates on this issue, leading to the suggestion of a regional resolution calling for a moratorium on executions. The proposal , initiated by the Joel Antonion Hernández García of Mexico’s permanent mission to the OAS, received support from a broad number of participating delegates from other countries.
  Member states including Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Argentina, Brazil and the Dominican Republic as well as observer France assessed the need to place the death penalty issue at the heart of the organisation’s action to further the progress towards abolition observed in the region in recent years.
  Although the number of countries using the death penalty has been decreasing, the situation in the Americas and especially in the Caribbean remains a source of concern. Cuba, Guatemala, Suriname and the United States still use capital punishment.
  The decision to focus this year’s World Day Against the Death Penalty (10 October) on the Caribbean owes nothing to chance.
  While most states in the region have abolished the death penalty in the region or confine it to exceptional cases, the US remains the only country on the continent to carry out regular executions – even though their numbers have been decreasing.
  Cuba claims that the last execution there took place 10 years ago, yet the death penalty is still on the island’s books.
  
  “Constructive dialogue”
  
  Carmelo Campos Cruz of the Puerto-Rican Coalition Against the Death Penalty highlights the need for national debates in retentionist countries while pushing for an OAS resolution for a moratorium on executions. “Determination from the countries in this hemisphere will certainly help maintain a constructive dialogue with those countries that retain the death penalty,” he said.
  The OAS warned that litigation is insufficient to combat the death penalty, citing the example of Trinidad and Tobago. There, capital punishment still exists in law and public opinion is strongly in favour of it. The organisation called on political leaders to act responsibly, even through unpopular decisions, and recommended broader strategies to include civil society.
  Trinidad and Tobago delegate Rose-Marie Belle Antoine criticised the stance of international organisations that address governments in retentionist countries instead of adopting a broader approach encompassing advocacy and education.
  Campos, whose home country Puerto Rico is subject to US federal laws despite having abolished the death penalty locally, accepted the Trinidadian representative’s view. “Her remarks are in agreement with the vision of the Greater Caribbean for Life coalition, which aims to open dialogue across the region as a strategy to strengthen the abolitionist movement and achieve the eventual abolition of the death penalty in the Americas,” he said.
  
  Photo: Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
- Related
  - Video Inter-American Commission on Human Rights discusses death penalty Video published on March 14th, 2013
  - Puerto Rican Coalition Against Death Penalty Contact from Puerto Rico
- Same issue
  - World Day Thousands of abolitionists take action for a better world Article by Thomas Hubert published on October 11th, 2012
  - World Day The great abolitionist event comes to the UN Article by Aurélie Plaçais published on October 17th, 2011
  - World Day World Day Buzz In Africa Article by Emile Carreau published on October 06th, 2011
  - World Day 8th World Day Against the Death Penalty: USA Article by Aurélie Plaçais published on May 10th, 2010
  - World Day 7th World Day Against the Death Penalty: teaching abolition Article by Aurélie Plaçais published on July 27th, 2009
  - World Day 6th World Day Against the Death Penalty: open your eyes on Asia Article by Aurélie Plaçais published on August 04th, 2008
  - World Day 5th World Day against the death penalty: the world decides! Article by Thomas Hubert published on June 29th, 2007
  - Human Rights Day Call to end flawed Caribbean death penalty Article by Thomas Hubert published on December 10th, 2012
  - Americas International conference addresses Caribbean outlook on capital punishment Article by Emile Carreau published on October 26th, 2011
  - World Day Calendar of events for World Day Article by WCADP published on September 10th, 2013
  - AGM Suriname and Haiti to lead abolitionist way in the Caribbean Article by Thomas Hubert (in San Juan, Puerto Rico) published on June 27th, 2014
  - World Day Posters: World Days Against the Death Penalty Gallery published on August 24th, 2012
  - World Day 10 October 2011 in pictures Gallery published on October 22nd, 2011
- Keywords
- International law Moratorium Public debate Country/Regional profiles
- Other Articles
- Africa Mental health seminar takes Malawi a step closer to resentencings
- Asia Indonesia: execution for drug crimes is no solution
- Asia Executions in Jordan and Pakistan show need to go beyond moratorium