Influence of the United Nations in Implementation of Death Penalty - Dissertation Example

Download file to see previous pages Some examples are the manner in which death row inmates are kept in their cells; the torment of being under the never-ending threat of execution; and the confidential nature of the imposition of the death penalty. These factors have a tremendous effect on the condemned person and his family. As a result, the UN Human Rights Committee addressed the states with the death penalty. It asked them to improve the conditions of detention of the individuals on death row.

Such improvements had to comply with the requirements specified in the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Furthermore, the UN Human Rights Committee had declared unwarranted delay in informing a convicted person of a stay in execution, as an instance of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. Moreover, the UN Human Rights Committee has made a recommendation. This suggests that the condemned and their families are to be informed reasonably and sufficiently in advance regarding the date and time of the execution. Such advance notice would provide them with sufficient time to prepare for the occurrence.

In this regard, the important organs of the United Nations and their functions are described below.
Functioning of the UN
The principal bodies of the UN are the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice, and Secretariat. Among these, the Security Council is responsible for international peace and security. Consequently, the Security Council may conduct a meeting, whenever a threat to international peace and security is perceived.

These six bodies do not have the same size. Some of these bodies have several subsidiary bodies and committees. Furthermore, some of these bodies enjoy a large amount of power, while others do not possess sufficient power. In the context of human rights, some of these bodies concentrate extensively on the issues. At the same time, there are other bodies that have negligible relevance with regard to the promotion and preservation of human rights.

The UN has been provided with a number of powers. These have been described and provided in its Charter. The Charter has provided the UN with four purposes. These are; first, to maintain international peace and security. Second, to develop friendly relations among the nations. Third, to collaborate in solving international problems and uphold respect for human rights. Fourth, to coordinate the actions of countries. In addition, the Member States of the UN have agreed to obey and implement the Security Council’s decisions. On the other hand, the other organs of the UN simply suggest some action to the Member States. However, the Security Council makes decisions that have to be carried out by the Member States under the Charter.

After 1945, there was a gradual downturn in the values promoted by the UN. This was at its height during the cold war and afterward. There were many countries that ignored the UN Charter. This charter consisted of several features that could be regarded as corrupt, inefficient, or discriminatory. ...Download file to see next pages Read More