Brussels, 10 March 2023
The EU welcomes Azerbaijan’s signature of the European Convention on Human Rights’ protocol banning the death penalty in all circumstances. All 46 members of the Council of Europe are now signatories.
As a matter of principle, the European Union is strongly and unequivocally opposed to the death penalty at all times and in all circumstances. It is a cruel and inhumane punishment, which represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity, and fails to act as a deterrent to crime. It is a definitive punishment that makes potential miscarriages of justice irreversible.
There is a worldwide trend towards abolishing the capital punishment, as just underlined by Azerbaijan’s signature, and the EU will continue to work for the abolition of the death penalty in the few remaining countries that still apply it.
Source – EEAS