EU and Council of Europe: Belarus stays last country in Europe that retains the death penalty
The European Union and the Council of Europe have strongly reaffirmed their unequivocal opposition to the death penalty, in all cases and in all circumstances, and called for its abolition, including in Belarus.
A joint statement by the EU High Representative and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, released on 9 October, European and World Day against the Death Penalty, said that more than two-thirds of all countries have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice. In 2024, a record number of 130 countries voted in favour of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.
“The death penalty, including the process leading to its execution, represents an inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and the ultimate denial of human dignity,” the statement says.
Capital punishment is still carried out in certain countries. The five countries with the highest number of executions in 2024 were China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Yemen. Belarus is the only country in Europe that still retains the death penalty. Executions also continue to be carried out in the United States.
The EU and the Council of Europe call on those few remaining states that still carry out death sentences to introduce a legal moratorium as a first step towards full abolition.
“Proponents of the death penalty often base their argument on deterrence,” the statement says. “However, studies consistently show that states with capital punishment do not have lower crime rates than those without. The death penalty also makes miscarriages of justice irreversible and any reformation and social rehabilitation impossible.”
The Council of Europe and the EU will continue to counter narratives promoting the reintroduction of the death penalty, including in Europe, and foster an open and democratic debate towards its full abolition in all parts of the world.
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