EU STATEMENT ON THE OCCASION OF THE EUROPEAN AND WORLD DAY AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY
The Delegation of the European Union to Malaysia and the EU Member States represented in Malaysia issue the following statement on the occasion of the European and World Day against the Death Penalty:
Today, on the European and World Day against the Death Penalty, the Delegation of the European Union to Malaysia and the EU Member States represented in Malaysia reaffirm their strong and unequivocal opposition to capital punishment in all circumstances and for all cases. The EU considers capital punishment to be a cruel and inhuman punishment, which does not provide deterrence from serious crime and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity.
We welcome the announcement made this year by Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, on the Cabinet’s decision to review the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and allow courts to decide on the penalty for drug offences. This would
effectively abolish the mandatory death penalty for drugs trafficking. We encourage Malaysia to proceed with the planned reform.
The European Union calls on Malaysia to stop all executions and to institute a moratorium on capital punishment pending its stated intention to review the death penalty.
