FCO welcomes Amnesty International work on abolition of death penalty
Foreign Office Minister Baroness Warsi has welcomed Amnesty International's report on the use of the death penalty.
Foreign Office Minister Baroness Warsi said:
I welcome Amnesty’s work to promote abolition of the death penalty, and the publication of their annual report on the use of the death penalty.
The UK was disappointed at the resumption of executions during 2012 in some countries, such as India, Pakistan and Gambia, which had not executed in many years. Japan also resumed executions in 2012, after it had carried out none for 20 months.
We remain opposed to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances and are pleased that the report identifies positive developments around the world. We believe that the death penalty undermines human dignity, and that mistakes made in its application lead to irreparable miscarriages of justice.
We were pleased to see the largest ever vote, by 111 states at the UN General Assembly in December 2012, for a resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty, and we will continue our efforts with EU partners and like-minded states in support of abolition.
Further Information
Visit the Amnesty International website
Read about the UK government work towards abolishing the death penalty