EU Policy On The Death Penalty
PC.DEL/374/04
6 May 2004
ENGLISH only
Permanent Mission of Ireland
to the OSCE
Rotenturmstrasse 16-18,
A-1010 Vienna
Tel: +43 1 71576 9826
Fax: +43 1 715 5755
ireland-osce@chello.at
Irish Presidency
of the European Union
Organization
for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Permanent Council No. 505
06 May 2004
EU Statement on Death Penalty in the USA
The European Union considers that abolition
of the death penalty contributes to the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive
development of human rights. Our objective is the universal abolition of the death
penalty, and we have developed specific guidelines to that end. Where the death
penalty does exist, we insist that it be carried out according to minimum standards
as set out in the guidelines.
The EU strongly believes that the execution
of persons suffering from a mental disorder is contrary to accepted human rights
norms. We have been informed that Mr. Kelsley Patterson has been scheduled to
be executed on 18 May this year in the State of Texas. Mr. Patterson has a long
history of severe mental illness and has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia
and hospitalised on several occasions before his arrest. Therefore, the EU urges
the appropriate authority in Texas to grant Mr. Patterson relief from his penalty.
The EU also wishes to raise the case
of
Mr. Osvaldo Torres, who is also scheduled to be executed on 18 May this year
in the State of Oklahoma. The EU notes that the International Court of Justice
on 31 March this year found that the United States failed to notify Mexican consular
authorities of the opportunity to provide legal assistance to Mr. Torres prior
to his trial for capital murder, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular
Assistance. The ICJ called for the conviction and sentence in this case to be
reviewed and reconsidered. The EU urges the appropriate authority in Oklahoma
to grant Mr. Torres relief from his death penalty and to ensure that the required
review and reconsideration of the case be undertaken.
In the case of Mr. Hung Thanh Le, also
concerning the Vienna Convention, the EU wishes to express its deepest regret
that Mr. Le was executed in Oklahoma on 24 March this year by lethal injection.
The case of Mr. Le was raised by the EU on
11 December last year. The EU had also approached the appropriate authorities
in Oklahoma, unfortunately to no avail.
The EU would appreciate information
regarding how the Federal authorities in the US ensure that the ICJ jurisprudence
is implemented in local State jurisdictions.
The Candidate
Countries Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey align themselves with this statement.
