25/10/2021 (Agence Europe) – On Saturday 23 October the EU condemned, through the spokesperson of the European External Action Service, the execution on 20 October of 24 people convicted of terrorism for starting fires in the coastal regions of Syria in September and October 2020. In his statement, the spokesperson also described the verdicts of 10 to 12 years in prison for minors on similar charges as “highly concerning”. “The European Union strongly opposes the death penalty at all times and in all circumstances”, recalled the spokesperson, calling the death penalty a “cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, which fails to act as a deterrent to crime and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity.” “The EU urges Syria to join the worldwide trend to abolish capital punishment”, he added. (CG)