On the occasion of the European and World Day against the Death Penalty, the Committee of Ministers reaffirms its unequivocal opposition to the death penalty. It also reiterates the Council of Europe’s objective to create a death penalty-free zone in Europe and beyond and pursue the fight against its reintroduction and in favour of its universal abolition, in line with the Reykjavík Declaration adopted by the Heads of State and Government in May 2023.
The Committee of Ministers welcomes the theme of the World Day: “The death penalty protects no one”, dedicated to fighting the misconception that the death penalty can make societies safer, and recalls that there is no conclusive evidence of the deterrent value of the death penalty.
In a series of decisions, adopted following a thematic exchange of views on the abolition of the death penalty devoted to the situation in Belarus, the Committee of Ministers deplores that Belarus had recourse to capital offences that were recently added to its criminal code, to sentence people to death and reiterates its strong call on the authorities to stop all executions and to apply the alternative punishment provided for in the Belarusian criminal legislation.
The Committee of Ministers also welcomes the position taken by the leader of the Belarusian democratic forces in favour of abolition and encourages activities in the framework of the Contact Group between the Council of Europe and Belarusian democratic forces and civil society to promote the abolition of the death penalty amongst the population, in particular young people.
In addition, the Committee of Ministers regrets that executions continued to be carried out in 2024 in the United States, which on 26 September reached their 1600th execution since 1976. It calls once again on the authorities of observer States Japan and the United States to promote an open and democratic debate towards the abolition of the death penalty.
