A European Day Against the Death Penalty

The European Commission has proposed establishing an annual European Day Against the Death Penalty to be observed on October 10. The joint declaration establishing the day is to be signed by the European Parliament, the EU Presidency, the European Commission, and the Council of Europe to promote universal abolition of the death penalty.

Capital punishment  "is a violation of the most fundamental of human rights, namely the right to life," said Commission Vice President Franco Frattini. "Nothing justifies the death penalty, whether it is considered effective in combating crime or not. Such practice is ethically unacceptable, cruel, legally wrong and can all too often lead to innocent people being killed where no redress is possible." He added, "There are a growing number of countries abolishing the death penalty."

Abolition of capital punishment is required for membership in the European Union.

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