Brussels, 08/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 8 May, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton has spoken out against the death sentence handed down on 24 April by the Regional Court of Mahilyow, Belarus, to a prisoner for the murder of a fellow prisoner, her spokesperson has announced in a press release. Ashton hoped that the convicted man's right to appeal would be fully exercised. Stressing that the EU is opposed to the death penalty under all circumstances, Ashton once again “urged” Belarus, the only country in Europe still applying capital punishment, to join a global moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its universal abolition.
Marina Schuster and Andres Herkel, of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, called on the Belarus authorities on 3 May to prevent the execution from taking place “through whatever means necessary”. They stressed that “despite the signs indicating the prospect of a moratorium on the death penalty (…), this execution would remove Belarus further from the strong European consensus against the death penalty”. (CG/transl.fl)