On the European and World Day against the Death Penalty, the Council of Europe and the European Union have reaffirmed their strong and unequivocal opposition to capital punishment in all circumstances and for all cases. “The death penalty is incompatible with human dignity. It constitutes inhuman and degrading treatment, does not have any proven deterrent effect and allows judicial errors to become irreversible and fatal,” an EU statement said.
Abolition of the death penalty is a distinctive achievement in Europe, with all European Union and Council of Europe Member States having abolished it. Abolition of the death penalty in law or in practice is a prerequisite for membership of the Council of Europe and the absolute ban on the death penalty under all circumstances is inscribed in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Reintroduction of the death penalty by any member State would be contrary to the fundamental values and obligations underlying both Organisations.
The Council of Europe and the European Union called on all European States to ratify the protocols to the European Convention on Human Rights which prohibit the death penalty. They urged Belarus, the only European country still applying the death penalty, to introduce a moratorium as a decisive step to bringing the country closer to pan-European legal standards.
