Intervención del Representante Permanente de la República Argentina, Embajador Martín García Moritán

11 de abril

Dear colleagues and friends,

I am honored to participate in this event, which will undoubtedly contribute to raise awareness of the appalling consequences of the use of the death penalty worldwide and on the need to take steps towards its abolition. Argentina is firmly committed to the fight against the death penalty, as is reflected in our international actions, including our active participation in the Support Group for the International Commission against Death Penalty.

For my country, Argentina, it was an honor to co-facilitate last year the negotiations together with Mongolia for the adoption of the resolution of the General Assembly on the Moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

Unfortunately, the Permanent Representative of Mongolia cannot be present today, and I extend his apologies to you.

We are two countries coming from different regions of the world, with different cultural backgrounds and different stories in relation with the use of the death penalty. Nevertheless, both our countries are truly convinced on the importance of the moratorium as a tool for allowing those still having the capital punishment to hold informed and transparent national and regional debates guided.  In fact one of the progresses achieved in the resolution last year was to include more language in relation with the available data and information needed in order to which to hold those debates.

In our path to move away from the death penalty, we believe it is fundamental to reiterate our call for implementing a worldwide moratorium and encouraging informed debates on the consequences of its use.

Therefore, it is a pleasure for Argentina to partner once more with Mongolia, in this opportunity to give the chance to Amnesty International to present the results of their annual report on the use of the death penalty and to thank them for their continuous efforts to monitoring of the use of the death penalty all around the world.

Thank you.