Death Penalty

The death penalty is arbitrary, unfair, not a deterrence of crime, more costly than life imprisonment and, moreover, it is a human rights violation that is taking away the lives of people who well may be innocent. More than 126 prisoners have been released form U.S. death row since 1976, because they were found innocent after spending years imprisoned. More than 100 countries around the world have abolished the death penalty and if all this wasn't enough, other countries, our allies have denounced the U.S. for the capital punishment. Now, the European Union is asking the United States to halt executions and it is not the first time they have appealed to the U.S. government to abolish the death penalty. What is it going to take for the U.S. to abolish the death penalty?

Friday 25, 2008 the European Union protested the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the use of lethal injection as a means for carrying out the death penalty and it asked Governor Ernie Fletcher of Kentucky to commute the execution of a convicted cop-killer. "The European Union notes with disappointment the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on this case and renews its call on Gov. Ernie Fletcher to commute the sentence" an EU statement said.

The EU also restated its opposition to capital punishment and encouraged the United States to reinstate the de-facto moratorium to allow a thorough nationwide debate. None of the 27 members of the EU has the death penalty.

~Tania, DPAC intern