EU Policy On The Death Penalty
Washington, October 3, 2001
Governor Perry
State Capitol
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, Texas 78711-2428
Dear Governor Perry:
On behalf of the European Union, Belgium, as current president, together with
Spain, the subsequent president, and the European Commission, would like to convey
to you an urgent humanitarian appeal to spare the life of Mr. Gerald Mitchell,
who has been condemned to capital punishment for a crime he committed when he
was 17 years old.
As stated in the
EU Memorandum on the Death Penalty, which was shared with the Governor of
Texas in the past, the European Union is opposed to the death penalty in all cases
and accordingly aims at its universal abolition.
The European Union considers that, in those countries which have not yet abolished
the death penalty, the death penalty should not be imposed on persons under 18
years of age at the time of the crime. This approach to juvenile justice is consistent
with the spirit and the letter of several international human rights instruments,
which expressly prohibit the execution of juveniles, specifically the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the American Convention on Human Rights.
Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
- to which the United States is a party - expressly forbids the execution of people
whose crimes were committed when they were under 18 years of age. The EU considers
that this would be contrary to generally accepted human rights norms.
We therefore respectfully urge you, Governor, as we have also
urged the members of the Board of Pardons and Paroles of Texas, to take the aforementioned
factors into account and to exercise all powers vested in your office to
commute Mr. Mitchell's sentence to any penalty other than capital punishment as
is compatible with international law.
I thank you in advance for your consideration of this extremely
urgent matter.
Sincerely,
| Alex Reyn |
Javier Ruperez |
Günter Burghardt |
| Ambassador of Belgium |
Ambassador of Spain |
Head of the Delegation of the European Commission |
Letter to Texas
Board of Pardons & Paroles.
Embassy of Belgium,
3330 Garfield Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20008
Tel. (202) 333-6900 - Fax. (202) 333-3079
Homepage : www.diplobel.org/usa/
