EU Policy On The Death Penalty
EMBASSY OF GREECE
Washington, DC
EU Presidency
May 30, 2003
Hon. Philip Bredesen
Governor of Tennessee
State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37243-0001
Dear Mr. Governor,
Following up on the letter sent to the former
Governor of Tennessee, the Honorable Don Sundquist, on April 5, 2002 during the
Spanish Presidency of the European Union, Greece, as its current
President, together with Italy, its subsequent President, and the European
Commission would like to convey to you an urgent humanitarian appeal to spare
the life of Abu–Ali Abdur'Rahman, who has been sentenced to death and is scheduled
to be executed on June 18, 2003.
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. Abu–Ali Abdur'Rahman is reported to be suffering from
serious mental disorders of longstanding duration. The EU 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 2003/67 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.”
We therefore respectfully urge you, Mr. Governor, as we have also urged the
Tennessee Board of Pardon and Parole, to take all the aforementioned factors into
account and to exercise all powers vested in your office to commute Mr. Abdur'Rahman’s
sentence to any penalty other than capital punishment, in accordance with international
law.
Sincerely,
Sergio Vento
Ambassador of Italy
2003 EU Letter to Tennessee Board
of Pardon and Parole
2002 EU Letter to Tennessee Governor Sundquist
2002 EU Letter to Tennessee Post-Conviction
Defender
Embassy of Greece
2221 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
(202) 939-5800 Fax (202) 939-5824
E-mail: greece@greekembassy.org
Website:
http://www.greekembassy.org/Embassy/content/en/Root.aspx
