NationStates Jolt Archive

Universal Ban on Death Penalty
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights.


Category: Human Rights Strength: Strong Proposed by: Superpower07

Description: It has been proven that states/regions which do not use the Death Penalty have fewer crimes

WHERAS
The highest sentence shall be Life in Prision with NO chance of parole WHATSOEVER

WHERAS
The defendant must go through due process of the law, have a FAIR TRIAL and be found guilty by a jury of 12 people before being sentenced.

WHERAS
Those sentenced to Life in Prision shall be kept in a prision in an isolated part of the world, though they will have news of the outside world, and they will be kept under strict but humane security.

WHERAS
There shall be but TWO exceptions to the proposal/resolution: Terrorists and World Leaders convicted of haneous enough crimes (including but not limited to: mass murder, major civil rights violations, etc.) shall face the possiblity of capital punishment

Voting Ends: Tue Feb 10

I like the concept, but I'd like to humbly make a few suggestions:

- Add the justification that many people find government executions to be a violation of basic human rights

- Drop the reference to trial by jury, so nations with different judicial systems won't object

- Drop the specifics for what seems to be a UN-run prison system, so nations can decide how to incarcerate criminals.

I'd support it!

Carey
Founding Father of Careybia

I like the concept, but I'd like to humbly make a few suggestions:

- Add the justification that many people find government executions to be a violation of basic human rights

- Drop the reference to trial by jury, so nations with different judicial systems won't object

- Drop the specifics for what seems to be a UN-run prison system, so nations can decide how to incarcerate criminals.

I'd support it!

Carey
Founding Father of Careybia

if you implement what Careybia suggested it has my vote because if i have to house the criminals than it is more taxing on my government and id it is done by the UN it can be better maintained and nations with poor security wont be letting criminals free as soon as they are convicted

Nibbleton agrees with the majority of articles in this proposal.
However, we do not agree with the final article, stating that there are some exceptions, under which people may be excecuted

We feel that if there is to be a "Universal Ban on the Death Penalty," it should be just that: Universal, with no exceptions.

With the removal of this article, we would fully support the proposal.

Yngwie Malmsteen,
Nibbleton UN Ambassador

It's precisely because of this kind of garbage that we are not a member of the UN.

Capital punishment is not a matter of international concern, and hence is a matter for national determination.

There is no evidence that capital punishment causes higher crime, and no reason to suppose that this patently ludicrous claim is true.

There is no logical reason for any nation to outlaw capital punishment, and no reason why the UN should compel them to do so.

Galdania is built upon the death penalty. Thousands are sent to the firing squad each year in Galdania. No crime is too small to be executed for.

As well, Galdania does not use juries. We use government officials.

Shamsiel, head of foreign relations for the Holy Empire of Kokablel, comes to the mic to speak to the UN delegations,

"We detest the legislation. Our nation has virtually no crime. Our citizens are safe. I myself leave the door unlocked on a regular basis. It is merely your poorly managed and overly bureaucratic systems of legal recourse that permit the death penalty to not be a deterent. We have a court of our peers. Court is held in session quickly and swiftly. Peerage members for the day are schooled briefly in the proper conduct of the basics of Kokablelian law. Our investigative forces have tools which permit ease in verifying the criminal responsible without invading privacy according to international law. Proceedings occur a maximum of one week after arrest. Excellent legal counsel is provided free of charge, paid by citizen tax dollars. All lawyers go through a rigorous six year training in Kokablelian law to ensure that they are well versed. Evidence is presented and the decision is completed by the end of the day. Punishments fit the level of the crime. One appeal is permitted. Change of venue is permitted on appeal, along with a guaranteed change of peerage membership. Appeal occurs a maximum of one week later. Sentence is carried out within 48 hours of final verdict and is conducted humanely and swiftly on all levels. Paperwork is smooth and swift."

"Death occurs after arrest for capital crimes within less than a month. Incarceration is done in healthy institutions with constant labor appropriate to the skills and trustworthiness of the inmate. Our investigations have the latest in equipment and the best education in verification. Investigations are not hampered by press and are done swiftly. We admit that mistakes occur, but they always will in any system. We are, however, very fair and just, very thorough and very swift."

"Our crime rate is impressively low. Can you say the same?"

The Rogue Nation of Greenspoint does not support this proposal, and will not no matter what changes are made. There are certain crimes for which the death penalty is appropriate, if only to rid society of the vermin that commit said crimes. If you find a rat living in your house, nibbling on your infant child in the middle of the night, we doubt you will be satisfied with capturing it and putting it in a cage, continuing to feed and care for it like a pet. You will kill it. Not because it deserves to die, not because it nibbled on your infant child, not as a deterrant to other rats that might be eyeing your infant child and wondering if he tastes good. You will kill it because it is a rat, and the household is not safe while it's alive.

James Moehlman
Asst. Manager ico U.N. Affairs

Caligatio once again disapproves of any resolutions brought forth that deal with moral issues that should be specifically addressed by each sovereign nation.

We completely agree with the rather effective anecdote presented by the nation of Greenspoint.

The people of Caligatio do not support the death penalty, for we feel it is not a just enough punishment. We feel, for murderers, rapists, and the most violent criminals, a life term (which, surprisingly, means for the duration of their life) in a desolate labor camp would be more appropriate and a much better deterrent.

However, the people of Caligatio do support the death penalty in the most extreme cases. One example would be the (real-life) killer Charles Manson and others like him.

This is of no consequence though. The nation of Caligatio does not support this resolution, and firmly believes and opines that specifically moral issues should be left to the decision of each sovereign nation.

Todd M.
President of the Confederacy of Caligatio

The Golden Simatar objects ANY attempt by the UN to be our police. The UN has no right to intervene in our judical system. Trade and diplomatic relations is what the UN is for, not telling me how to run my country's jails. The lastest proposals and resolutions (Legalize Prositution and Enthuansia) are things that countries decided for themselves. I support capital punishment. If this silly proposal becomes a resolution it does not have my vote.

The Council of Enn is of this opinion: Capital Punishment is never justified. It is based upon the premise of an afterlife of eternal torture. Those of Enn do not believe in any such afterlife. Life imprisonment is the greatest punishment that can be offered within Enn.

As such, Enn would vote for such a resolution, should it come to quorum.

We at The Federation of Burn Zone believe that the Death Penalty is justified, why should my government have to pay for criminals to sit in a prison for the rest of their life while we can save some money by eliminating this scum.

The Republic of Ithuania cannot support this. Death is the only just punishment for certain types of crimes.

It is the provincially arrogant and narrow-minded thinking displayed by our esteemed colleague from the Council of Enn that leaves The Rogue Nation of Greenspoint constantly perplexed and almost terminally frustrated: the thought that 'This is the way WE believe, so it MUST be right, and therefore we're going to force it upon every UN nation.'

We are certain that the people of Enn would be most upset were we to come along and mandate that they execute any prisoner serving a life sentence, just because we believed that caging someone for life is less humane than sending them off to eternal piece in the afterlife.

We would call on all members and delegates to please carefully think about not only the current proposal, but about any precedents that might be set by any proposal, before you vote for it.

If this proposal were to reach the floor for a vote, we would be forced to vote against it.

James Moehlman
Asst. Manager ico U.N. Affairs

This proposal is irrelivant considering some of the ways the Euthanasia act is being used. This proposal would simply mean that nations would just have to consider criminals to be mentaly ill and therefore have an incurable disease and therefore legally permissable to execute the Euthanasia bill.

The UN is in a sad state, and this proposal will not remedy that in any way.


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Mediator Phineous Oakhurst, New Eriu's Delegate to the United Nations.