BRUSSELS (ChatnewsTV) — On the occasion of the European and World Day Against the Death Penalty, top officials from the European Union and the Council of Europe renewed their strong opposition to capital punishment, calling for its worldwide abolition.
In a joint statement issued on October 9, 2024, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union, and Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, described the death penalty as “inhuman” and “the ultimate denial of human dignity.” They urged countries that still carry out executions to adopt moratoriums as a first step towards full abolition.
“The death penalty is a relic of the past which should have no place in the 21st century. It has to be abolished now,” the statement read.
While welcoming global progress towards abolition—more than two-thirds of countries have eliminated capital punishment in law or practice—the EU and the Council of Europe expressed concern over the continued use of the death penalty in a handful of nations. In 2023, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and the United States were among the countries with the highest number of executions, with Iran alone accounting for 74% of all recorded executions.
“The use of nitrogen hypoxia, a controversial method of execution in the United States, is a major concern,” the statement added. Belarus remains the only European country still practicing the death penalty.
Borrell and Berset rejected claims that the death penalty serves as a deterrent to crime, citing evidence that it has “little or no effect on reducing crime” and warning that it makes miscarriages of justice irreversible.
Both officials pledged continued efforts to counter pro-death penalty narratives and promote open dialogue, particularly with young people and civil society, to achieve a global end to capital punishment.
“The death penalty does not make societies safer,” the statement concluded. “It is time to leave it in the past.”
