Costa Rica and Cyprus have urged Antigua and Barbuda to abolish the death penalty, while Finland, France and Estonia called for treaty commitments or formal restrictions on its use.

The recommendations came during Antigua and Barbuda’s fourth Universal Periodic Review before the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Costa Rica called for full abolition and, in the meantime, a legally established moratorium on executions. Cyprus recommended further steps toward abolishing capital punishment in law and ratifying an international treaty aimed at ending its use.

Finland also recommended ratifying the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which aims to abolish the death penalty.

France called for a moratorium and ratification of the same protocol, while Estonia recommended a formal moratorium covering all crimes.

The calls came despite Antigua and Barbuda reporting that it has maintained a de facto moratorium for more than three decades and has no prisoners on death row.

“For over three decades, we have had a de facto moratorium on the death penalty, and there are currently no individuals on death row at His Majesty’s Prison,” Foreign Affairs Minister E.P. Chet Greene told the review.

Greene also noted that Antigua and Barbuda voted in favor of a December 2024 UN General Assembly resolution calling for a global moratorium on the death penalty.

The Government did not announce a timetable for abolition during the proceedings.

Antigua and Barbuda’s delegation reserved its position on the recommendations received, saying each would be considered and consultations undertaken before a formal response.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Costa Rica and Cyprus urge Antigua and Barbuda to abolish death penalty.