An article titled “EU is Against Death Penalty, Except Certain Cases” was published by an information agency Pirveli on January 4. The material holds that Israel’s legislative body supported the capital punishment of a suspect in terrorism, while the EU opposed it. Unlike the title, the text cites European Commission Spokesperson, who states the opposite:
“EU is against the capital punishment, without exceptions. This is our answer to this legislation” – stated the Spokesperson of the European Commission during a talk with journalists.
The title of Pirveli misleads the readers, as, according to the European Commission Spokesperson, the EU opposes the capital punishment without exceptions and considers it a violation of human dignity and human rights. Universal abolition of the capital punishment is one of the cornerstones of the EU human rights policy.
Real Facts
The Parliament of Israel approved a regulation on January 3 that would facilitate the procedures of the capital punishment of terrorists by the military tribunal. Knesset, the legislative body of Israel, adopted the bill with 52 votes against 49.
European Commission Spokesperson, Carlos Martin Ruiz De Gordejuela, during an interview with journalists in Brussels on January 4, stated that the EU opposes the death penalty under all circumstances and cases without exception.
On January 7, the Ambassador of the EU to Israel, Emanuele Giaufret, noted during his TV interview that according to the position of the EU, death penalty is a violation of human dignity and human rights.
The section about the EU position on the death punishment at the official webpage of the EU explains that it is the EU’s strong and principled position to oppose death punishment under all circumstances and cases. It is also notes that the universal abolition of the death penalty is one of the key priorities of its Human Rights external policy.
