The EU Heads of Mission (HoMs) in Colombo and its Member States reiterated their strong and unequivocal opposition to capital punishment in all circumstances and in all cases.
Issuing a statement, the EU called on Sri Lanka to maintain its moratorium on the death penalty with a view towards complete abolition..
This statement has been released following a visit by a group of United National Party parliamentarians today Thursday 18 to discuss the death penalty.
EU Heads of Mission in Sri Lanka has written to President Maithripala Sirisena to verify the worrying information in the public domain about the intention of the Sri Lankan government to resume implementing the death penalty after a moratorium of more than 40 years.
In a previous statement EU stated that the death penalty is incompatible with human dignity, does not have any proven deterrent effect, and allows judicial errors to become fatal and irreversible.
The diplomatic missions have requested the President to maintain the moratorium on the implementation of the death penalty and to uphold Sri Lanka’s tradition of opposition to capital punishment
The Government of Sri Lanka has recently taken measures towards resuming executions and bringing an end to Sri Lanka's 43-year moratorium on the death penalty as part of its stepped up anti-drug policy.
While acknowledging that combating the proliferation of drugs is a serious challenge for countries around the world, and that action to counter the illicit drug trade is important and necessary, the evidence does not support the argument that the death penalty is an effective deterrent. EU claimed in the previous statement.
It noted that EU stands ready to share their experiences in addressing the threat posed by drugs.
More than two-thirds of countries around the world, with a variety of legal systems, traditions, cultures and religious backgrounds, have either abolished the death penalty or do not practise it.
The death penalty is an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity.
EU called on the Sri Lankan Government to maintain its moratorium on the death penalty in line with its vote at the 73rd United Nations General Assembly in December 2018.
While the Sri Lankan authorities have cited the need to address drug-related offences, studies show that the death penalty fails to act as a deterrent to crime.
Resuming the death penalty would also send a wrong signal to the international community, investors and partners of the country.
The European Union will continue to monitor Sri Lanka’s effective implementation of the 27 international conventions relating to the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) commitment, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
(LI)