diff --git a/Lib/encodings/idna.py b/Lib/encodings/idna.py
index 8bdae32cea7..1f601c98d00 100644
--- a/Lib/encodings/idna.py
+++ b/Lib/encodings/idna.py
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ def nameprep(label):
            stringprep.in_table_c7(c) or \
            stringprep.in_table_c8(c) or \
            stringprep.in_table_c9(c):
-            raise UnicodeError, "Invalid character %s" % repr(c)
+            raise UnicodeError("Invalid character %r" % c)
 
     # Check bidi
     RandAL = map(stringprep.in_table_d1, label)
@@ -48,14 +48,14 @@ def nameprep(label):
             # 2) If a string contains any RandALCat character, the string
             # MUST NOT contain any LCat character.
             if filter(stringprep.in_table_d2, label):
-                raise UnicodeError, "Violation of BIDI requirement 2"
+                raise UnicodeError("Violation of BIDI requirement 2")
 
             # 3) If a string contains any RandALCat character, a
             # RandALCat character MUST be the first character of the
             # string, and a RandALCat character MUST be the last
             # character of the string.
             if not RandAL[0] or not RandAL[-1]:
-                raise UnicodeError, "Violation of BIDI requirement 3"
+                raise UnicodeError("Violation of BIDI requirement 3")
 
     return label
 
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ def ToASCII(label):
         # Skip to step 8.
         if 0 < len(label) < 64:
             return label
-        raise UnicodeError, "label too long"
+        raise UnicodeError("label too long")
 
     # Step 2: nameprep
     label = nameprep(label)
@@ -85,11 +85,11 @@ def ToASCII(label):
         # Skip to step 8.
         if 0 < len(label) < 64:
             return label
-        raise UnicodeError, "label too long"
+        raise UnicodeError("label too long")
 
     # Step 5: Check ACE prefix
     if label.startswith(uace_prefix):
-        raise UnicodeError, "Label starts with ACE prefix"
+        raise UnicodeError("Label starts with ACE prefix")
 
     # Step 6: Encode with PUNYCODE
     label = label.encode("punycode")
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ def ToASCII(label):
     # Step 8: Check size
     if 0 < len(label) < 64:
         return label
-    raise UnicodeError, "label too long"
+    raise UnicodeError("label too long")
 
 def ToUnicode(label):
     # Step 1: Check for ASCII
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ def ToUnicode(label):
         try:
             label = label.encode("ascii")
         except UnicodeError:
-            raise UnicodeError, "Invalid character in IDN label"
+            raise UnicodeError("Invalid character in IDN label")
     # Step 3: Check for ACE prefix
     if not label.startswith(ace_prefix):
         return unicode(label, "ascii")
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ def ToUnicode(label):
     # Step 7: Compare the result of step 6 with the one of step 3
     # label2 will already be in lower case.
     if label.lower() != label2:
-        raise UnicodeError, ("IDNA does not round-trip", label, label2)
+        raise UnicodeError("IDNA does not round-trip", label, label2)
 
     # Step 8: return the result of step 5
     return result
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ class Codec(codecs.Codec):
 
         if errors != 'strict':
             # IDNA is quite clear that implementations must be strict
-            raise UnicodeError, "unsupported error handling "+errors
+            raise UnicodeError("unsupported error handling "+errors)
 
         if not input:
             return "", 0
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ class Codec(codecs.Codec):
     def decode(self,input,errors='strict'):
 
         if errors != 'strict':
-            raise UnicodeError, "Unsupported error handling "+errors
+            raise UnicodeError("Unsupported error handling "+errors)
 
         if not input:
             return u"", 0