Caribbean voicesagainst the death penalty

STOP CRIME, NOT LIVES!

Working towards the abolitionof the Death Penalty in theGreater CaribbeanHISTORYFor many years, there has been a drive for a stronger

movement against the death penalty in the Caribbean.

The First Greater Caribbean Conference against the

Death Penalty, held in Madrid in 2011, paved the way

for the creation of a full-fledged regional organization

against the death penalty. The Greater Caribbean for

Life (GCL) was officially created at a later Conference

in Trinidad and Tobago in October 2013, with the

participation of activists and organizations from 12

Greater Caribbean countries.

VISIONThe ultimate goal of the GCL is to achieve the permanent abolition of the death penalty in

each and every country of the Greater Caribbean and the creation of a culture of respect

for the human right to life and the inherent dignity of all human beings.

MISSIONThe Greater Caribbean for Life aims at campaigning for and working towards the

permanent abolition of the death penalty in the Greater Caribbean; supporting Caribbean

abolitionist activists and organizations in this Region; and collaborating with the interna-

tional abolitionist community.

OBJECTIVES• Spearhead the lobbying efforts to convince Caribbean decision-makers to abolish the

death penalty

• Build the grassroots struggle in the region by encouraging activism

• Campaign and educate the wider Caribbean public about the need to abolish the

death penalty

• Support Caribbean activists with all the tools, information and strategies necessary to

campaign for abolition

• Cooperate with and take part in the international campaigning efforts against the

death penalty

Founding members of GCL at the organisation’s launch, 2 October 2013.

AFRICA1 : Gambia2 : Guinea Bissau3 : Guinea4 : Sierra Leone5 : Liberia6 : Ghana7 : Togo

ASIA1 : Georgia2 : Azerbaijan3 : Armenia4 : Lebanon5 : Cyprus6 : Israel/Palestine7 : Jordan

Guatemala

M e x i c oIslas Marias

Islas Revillagigedo

Ile Clipperton (Fr.)

Guadalupe

Cedros

GEOATLAS® WORLD VECTOR - GRAPHI-OGRE® - France - 1997

STOP CRIME, NOT LIVES!

Caribbean states represent more than 1/4 of the votes opposed to the global moratorium on the use of the death penalty at the UN

GCL is an independent, not-for-profit civil society organization, incorporated under the laws of Puerto Rico.

The paradox of retentionist Caribbean:

Few executions but a core of countries strongly opposed to abolition.

Even though most of the Caribbean retentionist states have not carried out any execution

for the past 10 years, they have consistently voted against the UN General Assembly

resolutions on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty and have signed the Note

Verbale, dissociating them from the moratorium.

DEATH PENALTY IN THE GREATER CARIBBEAN The Greater Caribbean, also known as the Caribbean Basin, is composed of 25 countries.

It includes 13 Caribbean islands, the Caribbean states of South America, and the countries

of Central America and Mexico (in addition to Puerto Rico, and the US, British, Dutch and

French Caribbean territories).

10 countries are abolitionist in law: Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic,

Salvador (for ordinary crimes only), Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama,

and Venezuela;

2 countries are considered abolitionist in practice: Grenada and Suriname;

13 countries are retentionist: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize,

Cuba, Dominica, Guatemala, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia,

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Guyane Fr.

Newfoundland

Martinique (Fr)Grenada

South Georgia (UK.)

Falkland Islands (UK.)

Guadeloupe (Fr)

Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego

PuertoRico (US)

Trinidad & Tobago

Dominica

Panama

Costa Rica

Venezuela

Peru

Bolivia

Argentina

Uruguay

ColombiaGuyana

Suriname

Nicaragua

Ecuador B r a z i l

Chile

Cuba

BelizeHonduras

GuatemalaEl Salvador

Dom. Rep.Haiti

Mexico

C a n a d a

U n i t e d S t a t e s

Jamaica

Bahamas

Morocco

Portugal

United

Iceland

Ireland

ASIA1 : Georgia2 : Azerbaijan3 : Armenia4 : Lebanon5 : Cyprus6 : Israel/Palestine7 : Jordan

Abolitionist in lawAbolitionist in practiceRetentionist

Cuba

Guyana

Panama

Costa Rica

Nicaragua

Honduras

Belize

GuatemalaEl Salvador

Haiti Dominican

Rep.Puerto

Rico (US)

Turks & Caicos Islands

Colombia

Venezuela

Brazil

Juventud

Islas del Cisne (Hond.)

Cayman Islands (UK)

San Andreas (Col.)

Guadeloupe (Fr)

DominicaMartinique (Fr)Saint-Lucia

Barbados

Grenada Trinidad and TobagoNueva Esparta

Antigua and Barbuda

St Kitts and Nevis

Anguilla (UK)VirginIslands

Jamaica

Bahamas

Saint Vincentand the Grenadines

Venezuela

Members of the 1st elected Executive Committee (left to right):

Mariana Nogales-Molinelli, Puerto Rico, Secretary;

Carmelo Campos-Cruz, Puerto Rico, Deputy Chair;

Leela Ramdeen, Trinidad and Tobago, Chair; Lloyd Barnett, Jamaica;

Fenella Wenham, Dominica, Treasurer; Mario Polanco, Guatemala.

Missing from photo: Nicole Sylvester, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Deputy Secretary.

Creating a cultureof Respect for theright to Life andfor the Dignity ofall human beings

CONTACT US:295 Palmas Inn Way, Suite 134,

Humacao, Puerto Rico 00791

Tel: 1 (787) 375-6787

15 Pinewood Avenue,

Ridgeview Heights,

Tacarigua, Trinidad, W.I.

Tel: 1 (868) 299-8945

www.gcforlife.orgcontact@gcforlife.org

facebook.com/GCFLife twitter@GCLnoDP

This document has been produced with the support of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.