UN Resolution to end the death penalty

The Sant'Egidio ecclesial Community, headquartered in Rome, is a leading voice opposing the death penalty.It hailed the resolution as an advance for the 'culture of life.' Two-thirds of the world's countries have "abolished the death penalty in law or practice" and since 1990 more than 50 countries have stopped using capital punishment.

WASHINGTON (CNS) - A Dec. 18 vote by the U.N. General Assembly to ratify a resolution calling for a moratorium on executions "with a view to abolishing the death penalty" was hailed as a "victory for the culture of life" by a Catholic activist opposed to capital punishment.

Although the resolution is not binding on U.N. member states, the vote has strong implications, according to Mario Marazziti, spokesman for the Rome-based Sant'Egidio Community and head of its campaign against the death penalty.

The resolution -- approved 104-54, with 29 abstentions -- states that "there is no conclusive evidence of the death penalty's deterrent value and that any miscarriage or failure of justice in the death penalty's implementation is irreversible and irreparable."

Marazziti, who was in New York for the vote, spoke to Catholic News Service the day before U.N. members voted but predicted the measure would be approved.

He said a vote in favor of the moratorium would signify that capital punishment is not just a judicial matter for individual countries but a public issue that "concerns human rights."

He also said it would place capital punishment under a "higher moral and justice standard respectful of human life" and would "accelerate the process" of abolishing the death penalty in more countries.

The Sant'Egidio Community has been active in opposing the death penalty for more than a decade and is one of the founding member groups of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, made up of more than 60 nongovernmental organizations, including Amnesty International and the U.S. National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.

The world coalition notes that two-thirds of the world's countries have "abolished the death penalty in law or practice" and since 1990 more than 50 countries have stopped using capital punishment. Currently, 64 countries and territories, including the United States, use the death penalty.

Marazziti said he has seen an attitude shift against capital punishment in recent years and he credits the Catholic Church in part for effecting the change by being so vocal in its opposition.

In early November, Marazziti led a delegation that presented a petition to the president of the U.N. General Assembly. It was signed by 5 million people from 154 countries calling for an end to capital punishment.
He said to get the 5 million signatures, he spoke to people across the world and found a "shrinking gray area," referring to a smaller percentage of those unsure of where they stand on the issue.

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On Nov. 15, a U.N. committee voted 99 to 52, with 33 abstentions, in favor of the resolution for the moratorium before it went to the full assembly for ratification. Countries that opposed it in November included China, Iran, Iraq, the United States, Pakistan and Sudan.

The decision to ratify the resolution came a day after New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine signed a measure into law abolishing capital punishment in New Jersey.
Even though Marazziti hopes capital punishment will be stopped worldwide, he said the New Jersey decision is a significant step that deserves recognition. It did get some notice in Rome's Colosseum, which was lit with golden instead of white lights Dec. 17 in support of the state's decision.

The Colosseum, the site for gladiatorial combat and executions, has become a symbol against the death penalty. Before the tribute to New Jersey, it was most recently lit with golden lights after the U.N. committee vote on the moratorium resolution Nov. 15.

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Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops