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All countries must end the ‘barbaric practice’ of death penalty now- UN Sec-Gen

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United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, Tuesday called for an end to the “barbaric practice” of death penalty, stating that it had “no place in the 21st century”.

The UN chief urged member states that still executed convicts to join the 170 countries that have halted or abolished the practice altogether, noting that the risk of a miscarriage of justice was an “unacceptably high price” to pay.

“I want to make a plea to all states that continue this barbaric practice: please stop the executions”, Guterres said at an event marking the 15th World Day Against the Death Penalty.

Capital punishment “does little to serve victims or deter crime”, Guterres said.

He added that most of the 193 member states of the UN did not carry out executions.

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Guterres said, “Just last month, two African states – The Gambia and Madagascar – took major steps towards irreversible abolition of the death penalty.

“In 2016, executions worldwide were down 37 per cent from 2015. Today just four countries are responsible for 87 per cent of all recorded executions”.

Guterres also called for transparency from states where the death penalty was legal, asking them to allow lawyers do their job.

“Some governments conceal executions and enforce an elaborate system of secrecy to hide who is on death row, and why.

“Others classify information on the death penalty as a state secret, making its release an act of treason”, he said.

This lack of transparency “shows a lack of respect for the human rights of those sentenced to death and to their families”, Guterres added.

 

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