EU Policy On The Death Penalty
EMBASSY OF SWEDEN
WASHINGTON
Office of the Press Counselor
Tel: (202) 467-2655
Fax: (202) 467-2656
June 12, 2001
PRESS RELEASE
THE EUROPEAN UNION APPEALS TO THE STATE OF OHIO TO
COMMUTE A SENTENCE
In a letter to the
Governor of Ohio, the European Union makes an urgent humanitarian appeal on behalf
of Mr. Jay Scott, who is scheduled to be executed on June 14th.
Mr. Scott is reported to have developed a serious mental illness
in the past few years. The European Union believes that executing a person suffering
from a mental disorder would be in contradiction to standards set forth in several
international human rights instruments.
The European Union opposes the death penalty in all cases and
promotes universal abolition. We seek to ensure that executions in countries which
are applying it are carried out in accordance with the minimum standards of human
rights.
The letter is signed by Sweden, the current President of the
European Union, Belgium, the subsequent President and the European Commission.
Please see the homepage http://www.eurunion.org/legislat/DeathPenalty/deathpenhome.htm
for further information on the EU's position regarding the death penalty.
Letter to
Ohio Governor Taft
Embassy of Sweden,
1501 M Street, N.W.,
Washington DC 20005
tel: (202) 467-2600, fax: (202) 467-2699
Homepage: www.swedenemb.org
