European Union ambassadors unite on abolition of death penalty

Today on the World Day Against the Death Penalty, the European Union (EU) and its 27 member states reaffirm their opposition to the use of capital punishment in all circumstances and call for the universal abolition of the death penalty.

Working for the global abolition of the death penalty remains at the very heart of EU's human rights priorities as it continues voicing its strong opposition to the death penalty as a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, violating the right to life.

Society must be protected and perpetrators of crimes must be held accountable, through an efficient law enforcement system and a judicial process that guarantees the rights of the defendant. However, the experience of abolitionist countries has shown that the death penalty does not deter violent crime nor contribute to a safer society. On the contrary, killing as a punishment perpetuates a cycle of senseless violence. At the same time, abolition does not lead to an increase in crime. Rehabilitation of violent offenders has also been achieved which is ultimately to the benefit of society.

The death penalty disproportionately affects members of vulnerable groups, who cannot afford experienced defence lawyers, and death row prisoners continue to represent the most marginalised sections of society. Although women make up a small percentage of death sentences globally, there are at least 800 women sentenced to death around the world.

Seventy-three years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the worldwide abolition of the death penalty is closer to a reality than ever. The biennial resolution calling for a global moratorium on the death penalty at the United National General Assembly in 2020 saw a record high number of votes in favour of the moratorium, with 123 voting yes, 38 no, 24 abstentions and eight no votes [1]. Further, of the 193 UN member states, 162 have had no executions for at least 10 years and 114 have abolished the death penalty in law.

This goes in the direction that, like torture and slavery, the death penalty will be irrevocably removed from the judicial systems of all societies.

On the other hand, there are still countries executing people and committing serious violations of international laws in the process, such as the execution of juveniles and unfair trials. In 2021 thus far, 2,397 people have been executed and there are 32,994 individuals detained on death row. There are still 55 countries where current law provides for the death penalty for ordinary crimes [2].

The theme for this year’s World Day observance, Women and the Death Penalty, must resonate when one considers that in some countries, women continue to be sentenced to death for offences such as adultery and in many others, victims of domestic violence often do not have their extenuating circumstances taken into consideration in criminal proceedings.

Indeed, here in Trinidad and Tobago, research from the International Human Rights Clinic of the Faculty of Law indicates that female remand prisoners suffer double jeopardy given the high incidence of those who are on trial for murder that have also been victims of domestic violence.

The EU has made no secret of its abolitionist stance as well as its financial support of the efforts of abolitionist organizations around the world. Thus, we will continue to work for its abolition both in international fora as well as in our political dialogue with partners around the world.

We all know the well-worn arguments on both sides of the aisle about the death penalty, but it is important to continue to dialogue with those with differing perspectives. We need to allow questions from each side to be asked and answered in the hope that it can foster greater understanding of the issue and possibly bring the minority of retentionist countries over to the majority of abolitionists.

The EU will continue to do all it can to support this effort.

Joint Statement for World Day Against the Death Penalty

Ambassador Serge Lavroff – Embassy of the Republic of France

Ambassador Ute König – Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany

Ambassador Raphaël Varga van Kibéd – Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Ambassador Fernando Nogales Álvarez – Embassy of Spain

Peter Cavendish – Delegation of the European Union