A UN General Assembly committee approved Thursday a draft resolution calling for a global moratorium on the death penalty.
The Main Committee of the General Assembly concerned with examining social, humanitarian affairs and human rights issues, commonly known as the Third Committee, approved the measure by a vote of 99 countries in favor to 52 against, with 33 abstentions.
The draft proposal, introduced by 87 countries including 27 European Union states, would be submitted to the General Assembly for approval for the first time in its history.
If adopted by the General Assembly, the non-binding resolution would call on governments to "establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty."
It would call on member states to progressively restrict the use of the death penalty, as well as reduce the number of offenses for which it may be imposed.
The measure says the death penalty "undermines human dignity" and that there is no conclusive evidence of its deterrent value.
Opponents of the draft resolution, including the United States, China, Singapore and many developing countries, claimed that the resolution was a means for some countries to impose their values on others.
"It is important to recognize that international law does not prohibit capital punishment," U.S. envoy Robert Hagen said after the vote.
Singapore's UN ambassador Vanu Gopala Menon accused the cosponsors of trying to "impose a particular set of beliefs on everyone else."
Source: Xinhua
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