Brussels, 04/08/2009 (Agence Europe) - In a statement published by the Swedish Presidency of the EU on Tuesday 4 August, the European Union welcomes the announcement made by Kenyan President Mr Mwai Kibaki on 3 August that he had decided to commute all existing death penalties to life imprisonment.
The Swedish Presidency notes that no executions have taken place in Kenya since 1987.
On behalf of the EU, it says that the abolition of capital punishment contributes to the enhancement of human dignity. It repeats that the EU will continue to work for its ultimate objective, the universal abolition of the death penalty, and says that it believes that formal abolition by Kenya would be an important step towards achieving that aim. (A.N./transl.rt)