Two countries asked to ratify the UN Protocol on abolition
Protocol
During the Universal Periodic Rewiew conducted by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva between November 30 and December 11 (photo), recommendations in line with the World Coalition’s ratification campaign for the UN Protocol to abolish the death penalty were formulated to two of the campaign’s target countries: the Dominican Republic and Ivory Coast.
The campaign was launched in October 2009 and aims at increasing the number of ratifications of the Protocol. To reach this goal, the World Coalition works closely with civil society, international organisations and abolitionist countries for which the abolition of the death penalty is a priority.
“Friends of the Protocol” countries play their part
Chile and Spain, the first two ‘Friends of the Protocol’ that officially support the ratification campaign, fully endorsed their commitment by calling on the countries targeted for December 2009 by the Coalition to ratify the Protocol.
Spanish ambassador Javier Garrigues said during the review of the Dominican Republic: “Spain welcomes with satisfaction the abolition of the death penalty and hopes that the Dominican Republic will ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights.”
Chile made the same recommendation for both countries, asking them: “to sign and ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights”.
The Dominican Republic and Ivory Coast both said that they would examine those recommendations and that their response would be included in the outcome report adopted by the Human Rights Council at its 13th session in March 2010.
