The National Human Rights Commission of Korea welcomes the decision regarding the United Nations Global Moratorium on Executions.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) welcomes the United Nations (UN) Resolution on Global Moratorium on Executions, which was passed in the 62nd UN General Assembly Meeting on November 14, 2007 in New York City, NY, USA.
The resolution aims to, inter alia, impose a global moratorium on executions with the ultimate goal of abolishing the death penalty worldwide. Eighty-three UN member countries expressed their support of this resolution prior to the vote earlier this month.
To date, 102 countries have abolished the death penalty, while 66 countries and territories employ death penalty and 29 countries are classified as abolitionists in practice. Only 25 countries carried out one or more executions in 2006.
In keeping with the principles of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, which affirm the dignity and value of all human beings, the use of the death penalty must be put to an end. A moratorium on executions, ideally followed by the abolition of the death penalty, will represent phenomenal progress in the protection and promotion of human rights.
The Commission insists that the death penalty should be abolished, upholding the basic value that “nobody can violate a human being’s life.” With regard to this, the Commission expressed its stance against the death penalty to the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea in April 2005. The National Action Plan for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights (NAP) proposed by the Commission also demonstrates its consistent opinion in favor of the abolition of the death penalty. The Commission will continue to provide active support and cooperation so that the bill to abolish the death penalty, which is still outstanding in the National Assembly, can be passed in the near future.
The UN has reported statistics demonstrating that the death penalty has not deter ed terrorism or crime, and that a world without the death penalty would not face any sudden or serious change. Furthermore, should a death sentence be handed down as a result of erroneous judgment, it cannot be undone. The life of unjustly executed exceeds the public benefit of preempting a possible act.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea was established in 2001, offering investigation and remedy services for Korean citizens and foreigners residing in Korea against human rights violations and discrimination. The Commission provides policy recommendations and remedial action against human rights infringements, collaborates with international human rights organizations and implements educational programs to improve the human rights culture.
