The World Coalition against the Death Penalty has launched a petition to support an appeal for a worldwide moratorium on executions. Penal Reform International, as an active member of the Coalition, urges supporters of abolition, other organisations and the media to sign the petition and circulate it as widely as possible.

Following the five million people who signed the ‘Moratorium 2000’ petition launched by the Community of Sant’Egidio and Amnesty International, the petition invites all governments to work for a world free of executions and calls upon the member states of the UN General Assembly to overwhelmingly vote in favour of an international moratorium on executions.

The petition and further information including leaflets and other materials are available at:
http://www.worldcoalition.org/petitions/?petition=3

Text of the petition:

We, the undersigned,

In recognition of the five million people who signed the ‘Moratorium 2000’ petition launched by the Community of Sant’Egidio and Amnesty International,

Renew the call for a worldwide moratorium on executions and an end to capital punishment in the belief that the death penalty:

- Violates the universally affirmed right to life ;
- Constitutes the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment ;
- Constantly risks the irreversible error of the execution of an innocent person ;
- Provides no added value to the deterrence of crime ;
- Brutalises those societies that employ state sanctioned judicial killing.

We welcome the strong progress already made towards a global end to capital punishment and acknowledge that 130 nations have abolished the death penalty in law or practice.

We invite all governments to work for a world free of executions as a contribution to the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights. We call upon the member states of the UN General Assembly to overwhelmingly vote in favour of an international moratorium on executions.

Sign the petition online: http://www.worldcoalition.org/petitions/?petition=3

Further information:  As part of our campaign for the abolition of the death penalty, PRI representatives will participate in the next Human Dimension Implementation Meeting of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), to be held in Warsaw from 24 September to 5 October 2007.

PRI and Amnesty International, as members of the World Coalition against the Death Penalty, will also organise a side event at the meeting bringing together government representatives, members of international and national organisations to discuss and build support for the forthcoming resolution to the UN General Assembly on a worldwide moratorium on executions.