US: Statement by the Spokesperson on the federal executions

21.11.2020
Brussels

The European Union expresses its deep concern over the latest federal death row executions in the United States on 19 November, the first-ever during a presidential transition.

Since the decision of the U.S. administration to resume the federal death penalty in July, after a nearly two-decade hiatus, eight death row inmates have been executed and six more are scheduled for execution in December and January. The European Union recalls its strong, unequivocal opposition to the death penalty at all times, and in all circumstances and urges the U.S. administration to reverse its decision and to halt all Federal executions.

The EU considers the death penalty a cruel and inhumane punishment, which fails to act as a deterrent to crime. It represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity while any miscarriages of justice are irreversible.

The high number of executions in the US at the federal level is in contradiction with the sharp decline on the use of death penalty in the individual states of the United States and global trends.

The European Union is committed to further advancing universal values for all and will continue its global leadership in the field of human rights and democracy as defined in the new EU Action Plan for Human Rights and Democracy for 2020-2024.

Peter Stano
Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
+32 (0)460 75 45 53