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UN / SIMONOVIC ON DEATH PENALTY
STORY: UN / SIMONOVIC ON DEATH PENALTY
TRT: 02:45
SOURCE: UNIFEED-UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 04 NOVEMBER 2015, NEW YORK CITY / RECENT
RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters
04 NOVEMBER 2015, NEW YORK CITY
2. Various shots, press briefing in progress
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Ivan Simonovic, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights:
“There are, like rather often, some good and some bad news. In 2014 there was the same number of executing states as in 2013. However, there was a drop of 22 percent of registered executions.”
4. Wide shot, press briefing in progress
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ivan Simonovic, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights:
“There was unfortunately an increase of 28 percent of condemned people, people condemned to the death penalty. It reflects an overall increase of member states that are trying to use death penalty to prevent terrorism or drugs-related offences.”
6. Med shot, press briefing in progress
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ivan Simonovic, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights:
“Major argument is that there is no convincing evidence of the deterring effects of the death penalty. There were many researchers conducted and there is no conclusive evidence. However, there is conclusive evidence that there is a correlation between death penalty and discrimination and unequal treatment against vulnerable groups.”
8. Med shot, press briefing in progress
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Ivan Simonovic, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights:
“Most persons who end up executed are poor, belong to minorities or are otherwise socially disadvantaged such as migrant groups, or quite often, in contrary to international law, people with mental disabilities.”
10. Wide shot, press briefing in progress
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Ivan Simonovic, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights:
“Oh, I would definitely love it even one year moratorium would help. Especially because experience of different member states who introduced moratorium was that there was no increase in violent crimes, in murders or other crimes.”
12. Zoom out, closing of press briefing
At a press briefing at the UN today (04 Nov), the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights told reporters “there is no convincing evidence of the deterring effects of the death penalty”.
Ivan Simonovic said some improvements on the issue of the death penalty had been registered globally. “In 2014 there was the same number of executing states as in 2013. However, there was a drop of 22 percent of registered executions,” the UN Human Rights official said.
However, he also noted a 28 percent increase of people condemned to the death penalty, which “reflects an overall increase of member states that are trying to use death penalty to prevent terrorism or drugs-related offences.”
Simonovic told reporters of the lack of “convincing evidence of the deterring effects of the death penalty. There were many researchers conducted and there is no conclusive evidence. However, there is conclusive evidence that there is a correlation between death penalty and discrimination and unequal treatment against vulnerable groups.”
Among these groups, Simonovic said there were those who are “socially disadvantaged such as migrant groups, or quite often, in contrary to international law, people with mental disabilities.”
When asked whether he would like to see the institution of a moratorium on the death penalty, Simonovic said “I would definitely love it even one year moratorium would help. Especially because experience of different member states who introduced moratorium was that there was no increase in violent crimes, in murders or other crimes.”
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