India votes against UN draft resolution for global pause on death penalty

India has voted against a draft United Nations General Assembly resolution that calls on countries to set up a pause on the death penalty. The 193-member UNGA adopted the resolution on Friday, November 13, 2026. Mexico introduced the text titled 'Moratorium on the use of the death penalty'. A total of 133 countries voted in favour, 33 voted against, and 16 abstained. India joined nations like the U.S., China, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Maldives, Oman, and Qatar in voting against the resolution. The document expressed deep worry over the continued use of capital punishment. It also reaffirmed the right of all countries to set up their own legal systems and decide on legal penalties that fit international law. The text asked all States to pause executions with the goal of ending the death penalty completely. It also told States that have already ended it not to bring it back. The resolution highlighted a major rise in reported executions in the past year, even though countries generally tend to limit the punishment. It urged all States to slowly limit death penalty use. It asked countries not to give capital punishment to people under 18 years old. It also applied this rule to cases where a person's age over 18 at the time of the crime cannot be accurately checked. The text also asked to stop using the death penalty on pregnant women, older persons, and people with mental or intellectual disabilities. Finally, it asked countries to lower the number of crimes that carry the death penalty and to stop making it mandatory.

Context

Resolutions passed by the United Nations General Assembly express the global community's views on important policy matters. While these votes show where different countries stand on major human rights issues, they do not change domestic laws in nations that choose to vote against them.