Brussels, 12/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - In a resolution adopted on Thursday 11 March, the European Parliament greatly deplores the decision taken on 25 February this year by the constitutional court of the Republic of Korea to continue to apply the death penalty (in this country, over 55 prisoners are currently on death row). Furthermore, the EP recognises the fact that the Republic of Korea has not carried out executions since 1998 and that it thus belongs to the group of nations that are “abolitionist in practice”. Parliament welcomes this progress in the protection and promotion of human rights.
The EP encourages the Republic of Korea to establish a legal moratorium on executions “until parliament (of that country) has passed a law abolishing the death penalty”. The decision by the constitutional court of South Korea was taken by a very slim majority (5 to 4) and the debate on abolition of the death penalty is to be conducted at the national assembly (and not during constitutional procedure). The EP calls on the government of the Republic of Korea to support the United Nations resolution on abolition of the death penalty and notes with satisfaction that a clear majority of the world's countries - representing more than two-thirds of the international community - have now completely abolished capital punishment de jure or instituted de facto moratoria on executions. Unlike the view often held by the public, capital punishment does not help to bring down the crime rate, the EP points out. (L.C./transl.jl)