On Thursday 17 November, the Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Stefano Sannino, summoned the Ambassador-designate of the State of Kuwait to the European Union, Nawaf N. Alenezi, in order to express the EU’s regret at the execution of seven people in Kuwait the previous day.
Five men and two women were executed for a series of murders, the first executions to happen since 2017.
The executions coincided with a visit to the country by the Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for promoting the European way of life, Margarítis Schinás.
Mr Sannino warned the ambassador that the EU would continue to raise its concerns about the human rights situation with its Kuwaiti interlocutors at all levels and on all occasions, “including at the regular EU/Kuwait human rights dialogue due to take place next week”.
For their part, the Chairs of the European Parliament's Sub-Committee on Human Rights, Maria Arena (S&D, Belgian), and of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with the Arabian Peninsula, Hannah Neumann (Greens/EFA, German), were of the opinion that “the resumption of executions in the country (was) a negative sign after no executions taking place for five years”.
Both the EEAS and the Members of the European Parliament have reiterated that the EU opposes the death penalty in all circumstances. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)