4+china

Name: Noёl Hong Committee: 4 Topic: Capital Punishment Country: China

I. __BACKGROUND OF THE TOPIC__:

Capital punishment has been widely debated for at least half a century. The underlying argument is that of the humane treatment of criminals. As a civilization, should everyone have a right to life? This question spans religiously, politically, and humanely.

China, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Rwanda, and America are all countries that defend the right to capital punishment. All of those countries claim that capital punishment is not prohibited in international law. Other states and countries promote and protect human rights, such as Switzerland, the European Union, New Zealand, Norway. They see capital punishment as disrespecting human rights and disrespecting the right to life.

II. __UNITED NATIONS INVOLVEMENT__:

The United Nations' first attempt to rid of capital punishment occurred in 1948 when they adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1966, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights followed. The General Assembly adopted a Second Optional Protocol in 1989. To this day, only 64 countries have since ratified it. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights passed a resolution in April 1999 to support an international moratorium on the death sentence. They are still putting forth other efforts to completely abolish capital punishment. Ten countries voted against it, including the United States, Sudan, Rwanda, Pakistan, and China. Capital punishment was fully abolished in 90 countries in 2006. On December 18, 2007, for the first time, the General Assembly approved a moratorium against the use of the death penalty "in a recorded vote of 104 in favour and 54 against, with 29 abstentions."

III. __COUNTRY POLICY AND INVOLVEMENT__:

China is the leading country in capital punishment. China has used various methods for capital punishment including a fleet of mobile execution chambers. Injections are performed within these chambers. There were estimated at least 1,770 executions in China in 2005. However, the exact number of criminals put to death is a secret. China has been known to sell criminal's organs, and that may be part of the reason why China does not want to do away with capital punishment.

China believes that capital punishment is not a human rights issue and that the death sentence, as a punishment, reduces crime. However, China has devoted itself to encouraging human rights. The government has accelerated the human rights legislation and reformed the judicial system to fully protect all the rights of Chinese citizens. China's executions have now reached a 10-year low.

IV. __SOLUTIONS__:

I think that a great way to address the situation of capital punishment in China is to form an agreement that meets in the middle. This agreement would state that only criminals that have committed 1st degree murder would be eligible for the death sentence. Other criminals can just be sentenced to jail/prison, but may not be killed.

China has been making many efforts in supporting human rights. China would like to form a council discussing and promoting human rights all around the world. They would like to call this counsel H.U.M.A.N. - Human United Meetings Across Nations. This council will meet biannually. Just like the Olympics, the meeting will be held in different places every time, and the members of the committee will discuss where the next meeting will take place. It would be a great way for nations to come together and solve human rights issues.

V. __BIBLIOGRAPHY__:

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/gashc3897.doc.htm

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-10/31/content_721315.htm

http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2008/webarticles/080103_deathpenalty.html
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2004/webArticles/072604_CapitalPunishment.asp

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-06-14-death-van_x.htm