20/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - EU calls for respect of right to appeal. On Thursday 19 March, the European Union called for Siarhei Ivanou's right to appeal to be “fully guaranteed”. Ivanou, 21, was sentenced to death by the Homyel Regional Court in Belarus for raping and murdering a young woman in 2013. “We are conscious of the serious nature of the crimes for which Siarhei Ivanou was convicted (…) Nevertheless, the European Union opposes capital punishment in all cases as it cannot be justified under any circumstances”, said the spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. The EU also called on Belarus to join a global moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its universal abolition. Belarus is the only country in Europe still applying capital punishment. (Camille-Cerise Gessant)