Brussels, 11/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - Strongly deploring the execution of Abdel Karim Muhammad Haza'a in Yemen on 9 March for a murder that he apparently committed when he was under the age of 18, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton called on the Yemeni government the same day to respect its obligations under international human rights law. Among these obligations is the prohibition to execute anyone convicted of committing a crime when under the age of 18. This is also prohibited under Yemen's penal law, Ashton's spokesperson stated in a press release. Ashton also called on the Yemeni authorities to take seriously the dialogue with the international community on this issue. The EU, along with its international partners, had called for the suspension of Haza'a's death sentence in order to gather more information on the case, notably regarding his age, the spokesperson said. (CG/transl.fl)