EU Delegation's Statement on the World Day Against the Death Penalty
Today, the 10th October, is the World Day Against the Death Penalty. The European Union is a strong and principled opponent of the use of the death penalty, and we advocate its restriction and abolition with all our partners in the world. Capital punishment is inhumane and unnecessary. No compelling evidence exists to show that the death penalty serves as a deterrent to crime more effectively than other punishment. The death penalty violates the right to life and human dignity. The risk of sentencing an innocent person to death is always present and the consequences of a mistake are irreversible.
All EU member states have abolished the death penalty in line with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the European Convention on Human Rights. In 1977, only 16 countries had abolished the death penalty. Today, 146 countries of the world have abolished the death penalty in law (114) or in practice (32), meaning that three quarters of all countries do not practice capital punishment anymore. Last year people were executed in 20 countries.
Although the legal scope of application on the death penalty has been narrowed down, Viet Nam remains one of the countries that impose the death penalty for some crimes. Within South East Asia, three countries have already abolished the death penalty, namely Cambodia, East Timor and the Philippines. In October 2018, the Malaysian government announced that the country intended to abolish the death penalty for all crimes. Brunei, Laos and Myanmar have abolished the death penalty in practice.
We publish a report today on the possibility of Viet Nam ratifying the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights aiming at the abolition of the death penalty. The report was produced as part of the EU Justice and Legal Empowerment Programme, which is funded by the European Union as well as by UNDP and UNICEF. The report was implemented by these UN agencies in partnership with the Ministry of Justice of Viet Nam. It is based on desk review, as well as interviews with relevant stakeholders and it looks at the current legislation on capital punishment in Viet Nam and gives recommendations on how Viet Nam can move towards the abolishment of the death penalty.
You can access the report here.