18/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - EU calls on Minsk to respect right of appeal of death row detainee. On Wednesday 17 February, the European Union called on Belarus to ensure that Sergei Khmelevsky, who was sentenced to death on 16 February 2016, had his legal right to appeal fully guaranteed. The spokeswoman for the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy pointed out that the EU opposes the use of death penalty, “a cruel punishment, which fails to act as a deterrent”. The spokeswoman called on Belarus, the only country in Europe still applying capital punishment, to join a global moratorium. According to the spokeswoman, commuting the sentences of persons sentenced to death and launching a public debate on the death penalty with Belarusian society would be an important move in this regard. In its conclusions on Belarus on 15 February, the Foreign Affairs Council condemned the use of capital punishment in the country and urged the authorities to introduce a moratorium. (CG)