European Union express concern over resumption of death penalty in Pakistan

Lahore: This week executions have resumed in Pakistan following a temporary suspension during Ramadan. More than 170 people have been executed in Pakistan since December 2014, when the Government lifted a moratorium on executions in place since 2008.

The Delegation of the European Union and Member States in Pakistan recall that on 20 July 2015 the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union, comprised of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Foreign Ministers of all 28 Member States, adopted Council Conclusions on EU-Pakistan relations, in which they said: “The EU is deeply concerned by Pakistan’s decision to lift the moratorium on executions in place since 2008 and to resume executions at an alarming pace.

The EU is strongly opposed to capital punishment in all cases and has consistently called for its universal abolition. The EU urges Pakistan to reinstate the moratorium immediately to commute the sentences of persons sentenced to death as first steps towards the abolition of the death penalty and to respect fully all its international obligations. Pakistan is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention against Torture, which affirm the right to fair trial, prohibit the death sentence for crimes committed by persons under eighteen years of age and require prompt and impartial investigation where there is reasonable ground to believe that torture has been committed.

Effective implementation of these conventions is a requirement under the GSP+ scheme.”