Last Thursday, the Third Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations overwhelmingly adopted a landmark resolution. The motion was co-sponsored by 87 states from around the world, and was eventually adopted with 99 countries in favour, 52 against and 33 abstentions. Jamaica was one of the 52 countries which voted against this landmark resolution, and in this matter Jamaica is bucking a global trend.

'Desirable' punishment

In 1971 and 1977, the U.N. General Assembly adopted two resolutions on capital punishment, saying that it was 'desirable' for states to abolish the death penalty. Last week's resolution goes further, calling on states that still maintain the death penalty "to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty". It urges these states "to respect international standards that provide safeguards guaranteeing the protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty" and "progressively restrict the use of the death penalty and reduce the number of offences for which it may be imposed".

It is very interesting to note the countries which voted against the resolution. The list, of course, was headed by the United States of America, and included the few remaining Communist countries (China and North Korea; Cuba and Viet Nam abstained), and most of the Muslim world (not known for their commitment to human rights and democracy): Iran, Syria, Sudan, Myanmar (Burma), Libya, Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Mauritania, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Quatar, Brunei, Egypt and Indonesia. And, of course, we Caribbean post-Colonials all joined this motley crew and voted against the resolution - all except Haiti (what a proud, brave little country!) and the Dominican Republic.

All of Europe (the former colonial masters who so brutally ruled us in the past) supported the moratorium on executions; almost all of black Africa, so brutally raped by Europe, supported ending the death penalty (except, notably, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Uganda and Botswana). Some might argue that we have internalised the values of our slavemasters, the values that kept our plantation society intact, and have retained those brutal values to this day, even though our former masters have moved on. Haiti, which liberated itself from slavery, has also liberated itself from the death penalty.

Death penalty abolished

So far, 133 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice including Israel, despite the Holocaust and the Old Testament injunction of 'an eye for an eye'; and South Africa, despite the need to redress the balance after decades of Apartheid. And most of the strong allies of the U.S. are against the death penalty: the European Union, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Panama, the Philippines.

Only 25 countries actually carried out executions in 2006; 91 per cent of all known executions took place in China, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan and the U.S.. What a motley crew! Amnesty International's statistics also show an overall decline in the number of executions in 2006 - a recorded 1,591 executions, compared to 2,148 in 2005.

And so as civilisation advances, the world is retreating from capital punishment. But we in Jamaica are advancing towards capital punishment! What does this say about our civilization? It reminds me of how we adopted the Common Entrance Examination (copying Britain) after Britain had already abandoned it! And we retain its ilk to this day!

On December 10, the General Assembly of the United Nations will take a final vote on this resolution passed by the Third Committee. I call upon the Jamaican Government to care about the company it keeps, and to take another step towards full emancipation of our people by supporting this landmark resolution.