Capital punishment in Europe

Europe holds the greatest concentration of abolitionist states

The death penalty has been totally abolished in almost all European countries (47 out of 50). A moratorium on the death penalty is a condition of membership in the Council of Europe and abolition is considered a central value to the European Union.

Only in Belarus and Kazakhstan (a small part of Kazakhstan is in Europe) is it still practiced - this being one reason for which they have been refused membership into the Council of Europe.

Abolition

Abolition has been common in European history, but has only been a real trend since the end of the Second World War when Human Rights became a particular priority. The European Convention of Human Rights was adopted in 1950 but some countries took many years to ratify it. The United Kingdom retained the death penalty for high treason until 1998 (William Joyce was the last person to be put to death for high treason in the UK, on 3 January 1946).

Albania was the latest country to ratify protocol 13 in abolishing the penalty for all crimes [1]. Azerbaijan and Russia have not signed protocol 13, while Armenia, France, Italy, Latvia, Poland, and Spain have not yet ratified.[2] All however have abolished the death penalty anyway except for Russia and Latvia.

European Union

The European Union has long since been against the death penalty and its Charter of Fundamental Rights included a ban on the death penalty. The Charter was included in the now stalled European Constitution so that it would be legally binding for the Union. This would have been alongside the Union's, as a single entity, joining of the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights. The EU has been an active promoter of abolition worldwide. Latvia is the only member to permit the death penalty during exceptional circumstances.

Capital punishment in EU member states;

Retentionist States

Russia maintains it for ordinary crimes, but observes a moratorium in practice. Their last execution was in 1999 and signed but not ratified Protocol No. 6 to the European Convention on Human Rights (abolition in peace time). Latvia maintains it for crimes committed in war time but is a member of the European Union. It has not executed anyone since 1996 and has signed, but not yet ratified, Protocol No. 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights (total abolition). In addition the unrecognised states of Transnistria and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have not abolished the death penalty and are blocked from the Council of Europe. However neither have executed anyone to date.

• Capital punishment in Russia
• Capital punishment in Belarus

See Also

• Country-specific details
• Abolitionism
• European Court of Human Rights

External Links

• Amnesty International - Abolitionist and Retentionist Countries
• Amnesty International - Last Executions
• Amnesty International - Ratification of International Treaties

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