Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the EU on the death penalty of Mr Troy Davis in the United States
The European Union is monitoring the latest developments in the case of Mr. Troy Davis, a U.S. citizen who was scheduled to be executed in the State of Georgia in September, 2008 and again in October, 2008 when a provisional stay was issued.
The EU would like to reaffirm its longstanding opposition to the use of the capital punishment under all circumstances. It considers the abolition of the death penalty to be essential for the protection of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights.
The EU further wishes to reiterate its concern as regards the continued uncertainty surrounding the case of Mr. Davis, uncertainty which has lead to questions as to his culpability. The European Union believes that this case illustrates one of the most alarming consequences associated with the use of capital punishment – the execution of a potentially innocent person.
The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Armenia align themselves with this declaration.
* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.
Contact:
- Jiří Beneš, press department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
- Tel: +420 224 182 052, mobile: +420 602 263 056, E-mail: press@mzv.cz
Last update: 16.8.2011 15:21
