EUROPE/GREAT BRITAIN - SINCE THE BEGINNING OF 2003, THE DEATH PENALTY HAS BEEN EXECUTED 57 TIMES IN THE USA, 83 TIMES IN IRAN AND 40 IN SAUDI ARABIA, BUT “DEATH IS NOT JUSTICE”: WORLD DAY AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY

Rome (Fides Service) – The death penalty is still in use in 83 countries including the United States, China, Japan, Nigeria and Iran. On the occasion of the World Day World Day Against the Death Penalty - 10 October, London based Amnesty International has launched a petition for the abolition the death penalty, on the grounds that “death is not justice”. So far 76 countries have abolished executions for any crime, while another 16 countries use it only for certain crimes. Unfortunately despite this tendency to abolish the death penalty, countries continue to execute prisoners. In 2002 1,526 executions were carried out in 31 countries. 1,060 of the executions took place in China. Since the beginning of 2003, the death penalty has been executed 57 times in the UNA, 83 times in Iran and 40 in Saudi Arabia. AP (Fides Service 10/10/2003 EM lines 14 Words: 167)