By Aswat Masriya Egypt has objected to a UN Human Rights Council resolution on prohibiting the death penalty, Egypt’s permanent delegate to the UN said on Saturday. The UN Human Rights Council adopted the resolution which was submitted by Belgium on Thursday, with 26 votes in favour, 13 against and 8 abstentions. According to state news agency MENA, Amr Ramadan, Egypt’s delegate to the UN in Geneva, expressed Egypt’s deep concern over the use of economic sanctions and conditions to development aid to shape the choices of developing countries over the use of the death penalty. These practices are “unethical” and are “wholly rejected,” he said, in his word before the council. Last year, 15 executions took place in Egypt, according to a review by Amnesty International, making it the seventh biggest executioner in the world. Ramadan says there is a “deep divide” in talks inisde the UN over the death penalty, especially since the international human rights law is not binding on this matter. He said the opposition front to the resolution includes Saudi Arabia, China, Pakistan and Nigeria. Yet, the UN has for years been urging states and adopting…
