France will vote against a proposed amendment to a United Nations resolution calling for a universal moratorium on executions, maintaining its steadfast opposition to capital punishment.
- France announced it will vote against the proposed amendment and support the original resolution from co-facilitators Mexico and Switzerland.
- The French delegation emphasized that no judicial system is infallible, citing the irreversible risk of executing an innocent person.
- Delegates said that the resolution does not force any state to alter its domestic laws or sovereignty.
Attorney Robert Badinter, the driving force behind ending capital punishment in the nation, established a legacy that France continues to uphold. In 1981, he asserted that the French justice system would never again be “a justice system that kills,” according to onu.diplomatie.gouv.fr.
As noted by onu.diplomatie.gouv.fr, every legal framework carries flaws, making the death penalty dangerously vulnerable to tragic judicial errors that take away human life permanently.
This stance was reiterated by attendees of the 9th Congress Against the Death Penalty, hosted by France just a few months ago. Attendees expressed that implementing a global moratorium on executions serves as an initial phase toward entirely and permanently abolishing the death penalty.
France commended the work of Mexico and Switzerland, the co-facilitators of this resolution. They worked to address the long-standing concerns expressed by certain delegations during the negotiations, onu.diplomatie.gouv.fr reported.
Embracing a cooperative and compromising approach, the Interregional Working Group’s members unanimously backed the terminology put forward within this year’s pre-draft resolution, which directly targets these issues for France.
France does not in any way contest the principle of state sovereignty. The draft text maintains explicit clarity by omitting any mandate for nations to modify their internal legislation.
Nations retain their autonomy in shaping their legal frameworks and choosing criminal punishments, provided they stay within the boundaries of international commitments. Sovereignty essentially means utilizing one’s autonomy while honoring the commitments voluntarily undertaken.
In this regard, France considers that the proposed amendment would distort the resolution’s meaning. Consequently, France plans to reject the proposed amendment and back the co-facilitators’ original resolution.
