Statement by the Spokesperson on the recent death sentences passed in Chad

The criminal court in N'Djamena has recently sentenced four people to death.

The European Union reiterates its absolute opposition to capital punishment in all cases and restates its commitment to the worldwide abolition of the death penalty. The death penalty is a cruel and inhumane punishment which fails to act as a deterrent and which represents a grave denial of human dignity and integrity. It constitutes a violation of the right to life enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The European Union calls on Chad to join the majority of African Union Member States which, to date, have abolished the death penalty or apply a de facto moratorium on executions, as a first step towards abolition.