European Parliament President Buzek condemns executions "anywhere and in all circumstances"

[News_Editor]

European Parliament President Buzek condemns executions "anywhere and in all circumstances"

2010-10-09 01:48:28 GMT+7 (ICT)

BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) -- European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek on Friday condemned executions anywhere in the world and in all circumstances as Saturday marks the World Day against the Death Penalty.

Buzek expressed particular concern about Iran and China where the largest number of executions take place, stating that the European Union (EU) considers the death penalty as the "ultimate cruel, inhumane and degrading punishment," and that there is "no ground for the justification of capital punishment."

"The European Parliament strongly opposes the death penalty in all circumstances. We condemn all executions wherever they take place. We call all on nations to enforce the implementation of the UN resolution on a universal moratorium on executions," Buzek said, underlining that Europeans share the rejection of the death penalty.

Citing Cesare Beccaria, the Milanese philosopher author of On Crimes and Punishments, Buzek described the death penalty as absurd, and the "laws that are the expression of public will, and that despise and punish murder, commit murder themselves, publicly."

Buzek called on China to improve the transparency of death penalty cases, as well as the procedural guarantees to a fair trial. He also condemned Iran's methods of capital punishment, such as stoning, describing them as the most inhumane.

Last year there were 5,679 known executions in the world in addition to the many more undocumented cases.

While 43 countries worldwide retain the death penalty, the highest number of executions took place in China, Iran and Iraq; whereas China alone carried out about 5,000 or 88 percent of the world total of executions; Iran put at least 402 people to death, Iraq at least 77 and Saudi Arabia, at least 69.

The European Parliament called on Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) member states, in particular the United States and Belarus, to adopt an immediate moratorium on executions. It also called on Japan "to shed further light into its system of capital punishment."

"We welcome the extension of the moratorium in Russia on the death penalty and we call on Russia to take further to steps to fully abolish the death penalty for all crimes," Buzek stated.

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