EU pushes to end death penalty

12.00.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 21st Jun 2007

Liberal Democrat European justice spokeswoman and London MEP Baroness Sarah Ludford has strongly welcomed the decision by EU foreign ministers, following a European Liberal Democrat campaign, to table a resolution at the next UN general assembly for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty:

"This is an important step forward and a victory for those who want to end this barbaric punishment. The European Parliament has shown strong leadership on this vital issue and with EU governments now behind us, the EU is taking a high profile to secure a universal end to state murder."

Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament had demanded that the EU should push for a General Assembly vote on a moratorium. 172 MEPs from all the 27 Member States and political groups in the European Parliament signed the Lib Dem-sponsored appeal.

The European Commission has also adopted a draft joint Declaration of the European Union and the human rights body the Council of Europe, establishing a European Day against the Death Penalty. This would be on 10th October of every year, starting in 2007. This declaration will aim to support on a European level the world-wide efforts to abolish the death penalty by adding a European dimension to the World Day against the Death Penalty held on that day.