Lib Dems lead the way on abolishing the death penalty

11.07.48am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 21st May 2007

Lib Dems Greg Mulholland MP and Graham Watson MEP are leading the campaign to pressure the UN to adopt a universal moratorium on the death penalty.

But despite an initiative brought about by the Prodi government in Italy, which calls upon the UN General Assembly to support a universal suspension on capital punishment, the British government has been lukewarm in its support. During discussions in January between EU Foreign Ministers, Britain blocked the Italian initiative.

Greg Mulholland, who has been active in the case of Mirza Tahir Hussain, the Leeds man who was on death row in Pakistan for 18 years, said:

"The death penalty is a wholly barbaric punishment which is completely out of date in the modern world. Italy has been a leading voice in calling for the abolition of the death penalty, and there is a clear duty on the British Government to ensure that the UK joins, and fully backs, these calls."

Commenting, Leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Graham Watson added:

"The death penalty casts a shadow on us as civilised Europeans. Now is the time to act to end such inhumane practices. Europe, thanks to the initiative of the Prodi Government, is waking up and assuming leadership of this campaign for a universal moratorium on the death penalty."

At Westminster, Greg Mulholland's recent Early Day Motion called upon the Foreign Secretary to remove Britain's opposition and to support the Italian initiative. In Brussels, on Graham Watson's initiative, the European Parliament adopted two urgent resolutions pressing for action at the UN General Assembly. To date no solid commitment from the UK Government have been made to back the Italian initiative.