NEW YORK — Last week, the United States voted against a United Nations human rights resolution that condemned using the death penalty for same-sex relationships, the Washington Blade reported.
From the Blade:
The resolution — which Belgium, Benin, Costa Rica, France, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia and Switzerland introduced — passed by a 27-13 vote margin.
Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Albania, Croatia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Slovenia, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama, Paraguay, Venezuela, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and the U.K. supported the resolution. Botswana, Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, China, India, Iraq, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates joined the U.S. in opposing it.
“It is unconscionable to think that there are hundreds of millions of people living in States where somebody may be executed simply because of whom they love” said Renato Sabbadini, Executive Director of The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), said in a statement on their website. “This is a monumental moment where the international community has publicly highlighted that these horrific laws simply must end.”