Dozens of UN Delegations Urge Washington to Outlaw Death Penalty

United Nations envoys from across the world urged the United States on Monday to impose a federal moratorium and eventually abolish capital punishment.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The recommendations were made before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva as part of the Universal Periodic Review, a probe into UN member states’ human rights record that takes place every four years.

Countries across the world, including Germany, France, Russia, Bolivia and Azerbaijan, criticized the United States for continued use of the death penalty.

Several UN members also expressed concern over harsh conditions for those on death row.

Sweden, which conducted its last execution in 1910 and later outlawed the practice, called on Washington to impose “a national moratorium on the death penalty aiming at complete abolition.”

It also noted that people with mental illness should be exempted from execution.

Despite being in violation with the US constitution, executions of persons with a history of mental illness continue taking place in the country.

Capital punishment in general, and especially the practice of convicting persons with serious mental health concerns, have drawn much criticism from both local and international human rights groups.

Though several states have moved away from capital punishment over the last years, the death penalty remains legal in 32 states. Last year, seven of these carried out executions. Thousands of people remain on death row in the United States.