The United Kingdom (UK) urged Antigua and Barbuda to retain its de facto halt on executions and consider legal steps toward abolishing capital punishment during a human rights review on Nov. 6.
The statement came during the 53rd session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group, which included Antigua and Barbuda among the countries reviewed. The UPR allows governments to report progress, describe challenges and consider recommendations on protecting human rights.
Kumar Iyer, the UK's permanent representative to the World Trade Organization and the United Nations, delivered the statement in Geneva. Britain cited a 2020 change to sentencing guidelines, saying the revision should make a death sentence less likely.
The UK also asked the government to consider further reforms on equal rights and domestic violence. It called for stronger legal and policy measures against discrimination and violence, including issues affecting LGBT+ people, and said human rights should be protected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
On the judiciary, Britain recommended continued efforts to uphold judicial independence through existing structures. The statement also welcomed Antigua and Barbuda's participation in the review and said the UK looked forward to continued engagement on human rights.
The UK published a separate statement on Samoa's U.N. review on Nov. 5, calling for stronger rights for vulnerable groups and safeguards for independent reporting, as covered in EconoTimes' earlier account of the Samoa recommendations.
