09/03/2018 (Agence Europe) – On 8 March, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service once again reiterated the EU's "strong opposition" to capital punishment in all circumstances, following the execution of Kiryl Kazachok – carried out in October 2017 but only announced on 7 March. "The death penalty violates the inalienable right to life enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment", the spokesperson added in a press release. Kazachok was charged in December 2016 with killing his children. The spokesperson called on Belarus "to introduce without delay a moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its abolition". Belarus is the only country in Europe still applying capital punishment. (CG)