Guatemalan president's move to veto death penalty legislation welcomed

[Judi Lynn]

Guatemalan president's move to veto death penalty legislation welcomed
8 October 2010

On the eve of World Day Against the Death Penalty, Amnesty International has welcomed President Ã?lvaro Colom's public commitment to veto proposed legislation that would lead to the reapplication of the death penalty.

The Guatemalan Congress had voted on 5 October 2010 to approve legislation that would have allowed the use of the death penalty. However, President Colom has since said he would veto the move because he does not think the president should decide on the life of others.

This is very good news. The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights - the premeditated, cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state,â?? said Sebastian Elgueta, Central America Researcher at Amnesty International.

President Colom must now make his commitment a reality as he did back in 2008 following a similar move by Congress. Were Guatemala to reapply the death penalty, it would stand against a global and region trend towards the abolition of the death penalty. More than two-thirds of countries have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice.

More:
http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGNAU2010100819093&lang=e