U.S. sides with Iran in UN vote over death penalty

TEHRAN,Nov.21(MNA) – The United States on Monday sided with Iran in a vote at a UN General Assembly’s rights committee on a resolution calling for the abolition of the death penalty. According to AFP, 110 countries backed the resolution, which is voted every two years. The vote tears apart traditional alliances at the United Nations. The United States, Japan, China, Iran, India, North Korea, Syria, and Zimbabwe were among 39 countries to oppose the non-binding resolution in the assembly’s rights committee. Thirty-six countries abstained. Israel voted against its strong U.S.-ally to join European Union nations, Australia, Brazil, and South Africa among major countries backing the motion. At the last vote in 2010, 107 countries backed the resolution. France’s new Socialist government has launched a campaign with other abolitionist states to get the full General Assembly to pass a resolution in December calling for a death penalty moratorium. However, such a resolution would be non-binding. According to the United Nations, about 150 countries have either abolished capital punishment or have instituted a moratorium.