Anti-death penalty commission moves to Geneva

The International Commission against the Death Penalty will move its headquarters from Madrid to Geneva, Swissinfo reported. Speaking at the fourth meeting of the group, Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey welcomed the move to Geneva where the commission will be integrated into the Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. Established in 2010 in Madrid, the commission is supported by 15 countries, including Switzerland. It aims to fight the death penalty in all regions of the world with a view to establishing a moratorium on the use of the death penalty to be followed by complete abolition of the practice. The commission consists of high-ranking personalities from several countries. From October 2011 it will be chaired by Switzerland’s ambassador for human rights issues Paul Koller.