Brussels, 02/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - On 30 April, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton called on the government of the Maldives to “retain the moratorium on the use of the death penalty in all circumstances, including cases that involve juvenile offenders, and to work towards abolishing the practice altogether”, in response to the government's adoption, on 27 April, of rules for the implement nation of capital punishment. “Implementing the death penalty now would break the de facto moratorium which has been in place since 1953 when the last execution took place”, Ashton stated in a press release issued by her spokesperson, saying that she was “deeply concerned” by the situation.
Stressing her “strong and principled” position against the death penalty, Ashton said that the abolition of capital punishment was “one of the key objectives of the European Union's human rights policy worldwide”. She argues that its abolition is “essential for the protection of human dignity, as well as for the progressive development of human rights”. “The death penalty is cruel and inhumane, and has not been shown in any way to act as a deterrent to crime”, she added.
The new regulation provides for the death penalty for cases of the crime of murder, including for people under the age of 18, which runs counter to international law. The age of criminal responsibility is 10 years old in the Maldives and is even as low as seven for certain crimes under sharia law. If a minor is found guilty, he or she may not be executed until the age of 18. (CG)