Intervention by the Permanent Representative of the Argentine Republic, Amb. Martín García Moritán
October 10
Excellences, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Let me begin by expressing our deep appreciation to the Secretary General for his presence today as a way of showing the continuous commitment of his Office to this very important human rights issue.
I would also like to acknowledge the message of the President of International Commission against the Death Penalty and express our gratitude for the work that the Commission is carrying out in raising awareness of the appalling consequences of the use of the death penalty and on the need to take steps towards its abolition.
For Argentina it is an honor to cosponsor this side event in order to discuss the importance of increasing transparency in the use of the death penalty, including by making publicly available information on scheduled executions and by following fair and transparent clemency procedures.
Last year we had the honor of co-facilitating together with Mongolia, General Assembly resolution 71/187 which focuses on encouraging and supporting moratoriums on executions in countries across the globe.
In the said resolution, the General Assembly acknowledged the importance of the moratorium as a tool for allowing retentionist countries to hold domestic and regional discussions and debates on its use.
The access to reliable and appropriate data is essential for the people directly affected, but also for policy-makers, civil society and the public in general in order to hold informed debates and decisions.
We are glad that Resolution 71/187 made a strong call for governments to make available relevant disaggregated data, as well as information on the number of persons sentenced to death, the number of persons on death row and the number of executions carried out, the number of death sentences reversed or commuted on appeal and information on any scheduled execution. We hope that in the near future this call is properly heard by all concerned States.
From our point of view, it is evident that the guarantee of due process and the right to defense, among other safeguards linked to transparency and access to information, should be the cornerstone of any criminal system.
Those of us committed to the abolition of the death penalty must continue working on creating consensus on minimum standards to ensure the protection and respect of human rights of all. Therefore, I am glad to mention that during the high level week, together with Mongolia and the European Union we presented the "Global Alliance to end trade in goods used for capital punishment and torture" which has been joined already by 59 Member States.
Argentina is convinced that ending trade of products used for death penalty and torture is a very powerful tool to eradicate torture and to achieve a global moratorium on the use of the death penalty. Torture and capital punishment have proven to be no deterrent for crime. Immediate and concrete action is needed and this Global Alliance is a first step in the right direction.
To finalize, please let me thank the Office of the High Commissioner for give us the opportunity of discussing in the context of the United Nations the issue of transparency and death penalty, allowing us to bring different perspectives to complement the language of the General Assembly resolutions.
Thank you very much.