In December, 2018, for the first time, Guyana shifted its stance from opposing a moratorium on the death penalty, and instead, abstained from the vote at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
It was among 32 states to do so, with 121, including Dominica, having voted in favour of the death penalty moratorium, and 35 states, including the USA, India, Pakistan, Iraq and Iran, voting against it.
A press release from the Justice Institute Guyana (JIG), stated that Guyana’s move was acknowledged during the United Nations Biennial High Level Panel on the death penalty last week. The panel met at the 40th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.