On the 17th World Day against the Death Penalty, France reaffirms its opposition to the death penalty everywhere and in all circumstances and encourages all states that still apply the death penalty to establish a moratorium on it with a view to its definitive abolition.
France welcomes the adoption in January of the annual UN General Assembly resolution calling for a universal moratorium on the death penalty, supported by a record 121 states.
The French presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, in conjunction with the city of Strasbourg, is hosting a conference today to mobilize support for the abolition of the death penalty, the almost complete elimination of which on the European continent remains one of the Council of Europe’s greatest successes.
Source: diplomatie.gouv.fr, Staff, October 10, 2019
Yet again: EU calls on Belarus to abolish death penalty
On October 10, the European and World Day against the Death Penalty, Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Marija Pejcinovic Buric, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, have made a joint statement.
According to the top EU officials, 142 countries, representing 74% of the UN member states, have already stopped using the death penalty, either by removing it from their penal code or not carrying out executions for a long time. The abolitionist trend is continuing, with the number of death sentences and executions also falling.
In 2018, executions were carried out in 20 countries, representing a historic low of 10% of the countries of the world, they state.
The Council of Europe member states which have not yet acceded to Protocols No 6 and 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights are called upon to do so without delay, the EU representatives stress.
“The Council of Europe and the EU once again urge Belarus to abolish the death penalty and join the community of nations that have chosen to replace vengeance with human dignity. They also invite those observers to the Council of Europe who have not yet abolished death penalty to engage in dialogue on the obstacles blocking their path towards abolition,” the statement reads.
Christina Johannesson, Sweden’s Ambassador in Minsk, has supported the campaign:
Belarus remains the only country in Europe that still applies capital punishment. The West has repeatedly called on the Belarusian authorities to join a global moratorium as a 1st step towards the abolition of death penalty.
The exact number of executions in Belarus is unknown, but local human rights defenders and journalists have worked tirelessly to uncover some information about death sentences and executions.
According to the Ministry of Justice of Belarus, 245 people were sentenced to death from 1994 to 2014. Human rights NGOs believe that around 400 people have been executed since the country gained its independence in 1991; president Alyaksandr Lukashenka granted a pardon to only 1 convict.
Source: belsat.eu, Staff, October 10, 2019
Spain Reiterates Opposition To Death Penalty
October 10 is World Day and, since 2007, European Day Against the Death Penalty. The Government of Spain reiterated Thursday its opposition to the death penalty on this 17th World Day.
There has been a global trend towards abolition for some decades now. At present, more than two thirds of countries do not enforce the death penalty, according to the Spanish government.
In a statement, the Spanish government said the fight against the death penalty will remain a priority of Spanish foreign policy, in conjunction with other European Union countries and the 22 countries that make up the Support Group of the International Commission against the Death Penalty.
The Government of Spain said it will continue to urge governments of retentionist States to limit cases in which it is applied and urge a moratorium with a view to its definitive abolition. And it will urge those countries that have presented draft laws to reinstate it to withdraw such draft laws and maintain abolition, thus respecting the absolute human right to life.
Spain took part in the 7th World Congress against the Death Penalty, held in Brussels in February this year. In December 2018, 121 member States of the United Nations voted in favor of the resolution of the General Assembly in favour of a moratorium. The government said it will continue to promote abolition at multilateral forums, particularly in its current role as a member of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations.
Spain will continue to support the International Commission against the Death Penalty, based in Madrid and founded in 2010 upon an initiative of the Government of Spain, as well as multilateral and civil society initiatives that are aimed towards universal abolition.
Source: eurasiareview.com, Staff, October 10, 2019
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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
