EU Policy On The Death Penalty

March 4, 2002

Hon. Roy E. Barnes
Governor of Georgia
203 State Capitol
Atlanta, Georgia 30334-4909

Dear Mr. Governor:

On behalf of the European Union, Spain as its current president, together with Denmark, its subsequent president, and the European Commission, we would like to convey to you an urgent humanitarian appeal to spare the life of Tracy Housel who has been sentenced to death and is scheduled to be executed in March, 2002.

As stated in the EU Memorandum on the Death Penalty (http://www.eurunion.org/legislat/DeathPenalty/eumemorandum.htm) which has been shared with you, 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.

We understand that Mr. Housel is reported to be suffering from a mental disorder. The European Union considers that the execution of people with mental disorders is contrary to human dignity and to international human rights instruments such as the United Nations Economic and Social Council 1984/50 resolution on the safeguards for the protection of persons facing the death penalty and resolution 2001/68 adopted at the last session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, which specifically urges all states that still maintain the death penalty "not to impose the death penalty on a person suffering from any form of mental disorder or to execute any such person." Furthermore, Mr. Housel has been diagnosed with and is being treated for hypoglycaemia.

We therefore respectfully urge you, Mr. Governor, to take all the aforementioned factors into account and to exercise all powers vested in your office to commute Mr. Housel's sentence to any penalty other than capital punishment in accordance with international law.

 

Letter to Board of Pardons and Paroles.

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Embassy of Spain
2375 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20037
Telephone: 202-452-0100
Website: http://www.spainemb.org/ingles/indexing.htm