EU Presidency on Annual World Day Against the Death Penalty

PRESS RELEASE:

On the occasion of "World Day Against the Death Penalty" taking place on 10 October, the Swedish Presidency of the European Union reiterates the longstanding opposition of the EU to the death penalty under all circumstances.

The European Union’s position is that the abolition of the death penalty contributes to the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights. The European Union views the death penalty as a cruel and inhuman punishment. It provides no added value in terms of deterrence, and any miscarriage of justice, which is inevitable in any legal system, is irreversible. The EU has consistently asked for universal abolition of the death penalty.

In 2007 the United Nation General Assembly adopted a resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty. Following the adoption of this resolution, the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights adopted a resolution reaffirming on the regional level the General Assembly Resolution.

The Swedish EU Presidency welcomed earlier this year the announcement on 3 August 2009 by the President of Kenya H.E. Mwai Kibaki of his decision to commute all existing death sentences in Kenya into life sentences. The EU Presidency notes that no executions have been carried out in Kenya since 1987.

The EU Presidency observes that there is a worldwide tendency to abolish the death penalty with positive examples of Rwanda, Burundi and Togo in the last couple of years.

The Presidency reaffirms the EU’s objective of working towards universal abolition of the death penalty and believes that formal abolition by Kenya would be an important step towards that aim.

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