EU Policy On The Death Penalty

 

 

 

 

EU Presidency

May 29, 2003

Permanent Mission of Greece to the OSCE
Wohllebengasse 9/12
1040 Vienna, Austria
Tel: 001 43 1 503 39 30
Fax: 001 43 1 503 39 20/24
E-mail: greece.osce@chello.at

 

Delivered to OSCE Permanent Council No. 451, 29 May 2003

EU Statement on Death Penalty in the USA
(Abu-Ali Abdur Rahman, Kenneth Charm, Percy Walton)

The European Union is opposed to the death penalty in all cases and accordingly aims at its universal abolition, seeking a global moratorium on the death penalty as a first step.

The Union has learnt that Mr. Kenneth Charm is scheduled to be executed in the State of Oklahoma on June 5, 2003. Mr. Charm is suffering from mental retardation.

The Union has also learnt that Mr. Abu-Ali Abdur'Rahman is to be executed in the State of Tennessee on June 19, 2003. Mr. Rahman is reported to be suffering from serious mental disorder of longstanding duration.

We strongly believe that the execution of persons suffering from mental disorder is contrary to widely accepted human rights norms and standards set forth by the United Nations.

The European Union urges the appropriate authorities in the USA to grant Mr. Charm and Mr. Rahman relief from their death penalty.

On 15 October the EU raised the case of Mr. Percy Walton, who suffers from severe chronic schizophrenia. The EU therefore welcomes the granting of a stay of execution for Mr. Walton, and reiterates its appeal to the appropriate authorities in Virginia to grant Mr. Walton relief from his death penalty.

The Acceding Countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia and the Associated Countries Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey align themselves with this statement.