Barbados Death Penalty

The Death Penalty in Barbados is still on that country's law books for the criminal offence of murder, but has been abolish for the most part because of obstacles place in the way due the international bodies which call its abolition.

In 2000, Barbados had signed unto the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which believes the death penalty should not be mandatory.

In 2007, a resolution, called on the 192 member states of the United Nations to vote on "a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty," was passed by a 104 to 54 vote, with 29 abstentions.

In 2010, The United Nations (UN) called for a moratorium on the death penalty which witnessed a non-binding resolution receiving 107 votes in favour, 38 against and 36 abstentions, with the US, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, along with India among those who voted against it.

Barbados Threatened because of Death Penalty

Barbados in 2007, according to Reuters, was a vocal opponent to the measure, said sponsors were trying to impose their will on other countries, and that it had been threatened with the withdrawal of aid over the issue.

"Capital punishment remains legal under international law and Barbados wishes to exercise its sovereign right to use it as a deterrent to the most serious crimes," Mohammed Degia, first secretary for Barbados, said just prior to the vote.

In 2007 a delegation from Barbados came under fire from experts of the Human Rights Committee on its legal stance on the death penalty. This delegation was headed by Louis Tull. Experts critiqued everything from the scarcity of statistics on police brutality and prevention methods to the accepted practice of flogging children in public schools, as well as the lack of a national human rights commission. Several experts urged the delegation to ban the death penalty on humanitarian grounds.

The members of the delegation from Barbados were: Louis Tull, Head of the Delegation; Christopher Hackett, Permanent Representative to the United Nations; Eli Edwards, Principal Crown Counsel, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions; Gayle Francis-Vaughan, Minister Counsellor, Deputy Permanent Representative; Selwin Hart, First Secretary; Kendra Holdip, Foreign Service Officer II, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade; and Aleeza Moseley, Foreign Service Officer II, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.

The report in its totality can be seen here.