U.N. vote against death penalty seen as victory for 'culture of life'

Published: 2007-12-18

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."

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