Sat, Feb 11 2012

EU criticises US over death penalty

Wed, Jul 22 2009 12:52 CET 3884 Views 13 Comments
EU criticises US over death penalty

A lethal injection table at the Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Virginia in the US.

The European Union said in a July 21 2009 statement that it "notes with deep regret" that, with the execution of Marvallous Keene by the US state of Ohio that day, the US had carried out its 1000th execution by lethal injection since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976.
 
"The EU is opposed to the use of capital punishment in all cases and under all
circumstances and has consistently called for its universal abolition," said the statement issued by Sweden, current holder of the rotating presidency of the EU.
 
"We believe that the abolition of the death penalty is essential to protect human dignity, and to the progressive development of human rights."
 
The European Union considered this punishment "cruel and inhuman".
 
"It has not been found to act as a deterrent, and any miscarriage of justice – which is inevitable in any legal system – is irreversible. Consequently, the death penalty is
abolished throughout the European Union," the EU Presidency said.

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Comments

Anonymous JusticeX84 Sat, Apr 30 2011 10:11 CET

Many people view Iran as a barbaric and uncivilized nation, however, I have to admit that the Iranian government knows how to protect its people from criminals and foreign enemies. I am strongly against the way the Iranian government treats their people but if we just ignore Iran for imposing the death sentence for homosexuality and many others, and just focus on the way they execute people for the crimes of terrorism, drug trafficking and murder, they are doing an excellent job of fighting crime.
Many people have the mentality that the European Union is leading the world [...]

Read the full comment in Human Rights, when the only human rights they are giving to is to protect the rights of criminals. The innocent unborn babies have no human rights when they die by abortion, while the guilty criminals have all the rights to keep their lives. The European Union does not care for the rights of their own countries’ victims. Any country that joins the EU must be forced to be nice to criminals. While the good citizens of Europe who suffer from being victims to criminals have to endure, the EU does nothing to comfort them. The EU who controls the Council Of Europe has fooled the world into believing that they are the leaders of human rights in the world.
If I were a victim’s family member, I personally will applaud Ramin Mehmanparast, the Foreign Ministry spokesman who spoke up for his country, Iran. He is the man who has the courage to expose the hypocrisy of the European Union and their ‘human rights’. For those of us who supports capital punishment and dislike the European Union, we must salute Ramin Mehmamparast who is an excellent example of how one should not give in to foreign governments who choose to protect the bad and not good people of their own nation.

Anonymous kilou Wed, Nov 11 2009 14:49 CET

We all agree that a criminal doesn't respect human rights. But death penalty is all about a State not respecting human rights as well. That is far more dangerous and it's the main problem. Not to mention death penalty doesn't bring any solution to the extreme criminality the US faces.... Usually people learn from their mistakes, but obviously some don't.

Nothing against the US though, just against any countries that do use death penalty while seeing itself as a "developped country"...

Anonymous Alex Wed, Nov 11 2009 03:46 CET

Not only should the EU keep it's nose out of US affairs, it should also keep it's nose out of the nations of Europe's affairs. EU, and Barosso, We don't want you, go away and leave us alone as separate sovereign nations. Having said that, I do not agree with the death penalty... even one mistaken conviction can never be reversed, that is reason enough for me.

Anonymous MC hammer Fri, Sep 04 2009 11:33 CET

The EU needs to stay out of American's business and do what they consider right for themselves. Do you really think that the powers that be in America wake up and wonder what the EU thinks about our death penalty? NO And the death penalty is a deterrent, it's just most repeat offenders plea bargain for 2nd degree murder so they do get a little happy needle. Personally if I were sentenced to life in prison, I would rather be given an injection, a life time of rape and getting your ass kicked don't seem like much fun to me. [...]

Read the full comment Have any of you seen American prisons? They are not country clubs, they are bad, bad places. As for Iraq, that is just a stupid statement altogether.
Yes, eye for an eye is the way it should be, no other way. When American cares what the EU thinks, it will ask them, until then, they should just keep trying not to embarress themselves by allowing countries like Bulgaria in it with such organized crime and stealing EU money right out from under them, allowing Bulgaria into the EU was one of the dummest things the EU has ever done. These people will take and take and you'll never see a return on your invesment. You'll just fine your money missing, stolen by organized crime,ie: the govt.

Anonymous Herx Wed, Sep 02 2009 00:20 CET

To John Newby, UK: Do you have reading comprehension problems? I have repeatedly stated in these fora that we do NOT consider the US to be civilized, because we have too many barbarians, and that is PRECISELY why we need the death penalty. What part of that do you fail to comprehend?

And don't think your own homeland is so civilized. I read time and again about the barbarians on the loose over there. The UK needs to restore the death penalty.

Anonymous Herx Wed, Sep 02 2009 00:17 CET

Where is my comment I just posted?

Anonymous Jordan Mon, Aug 24 2009 17:41 CET

What I think is that they should practice the same policy. It is only fare.

Anonymous John Newby, UK Sun, Jul 26 2009 19:23 CET

Typical American comments. Strapping someone down on a trolley (gurney) or table is clinical murder. An Eye for and Eye, what biblical claptrap! How about thou shall not kill, except when it suits the American people? Call your selves a civilised country? Don't make me laugh.

Anonymous wrap it up! Thu, Jul 23 2009 11:42 CET

I suppose the EU countries are so safe and secure that they have no need to worry about being raped and killed for $5, well in America we do have to worry and with any luck the police get them, they get a fair trial, an automatic appeal and then the injection. I think the drugs and needles needed cost around $20 compare that to feeding, housing and taking care of a scumbag like that for the rest of there life. HE we won't do this, if fact in Texas, they use it so often they should have drive through [...]

Read the full comment death penalties like McDonalds, just get in line and next, bring them up with the needle in their arm. I say if American cared about what the EU thought, it would be a shock. We don't care what they think of us, why should we, they do nothing for us, it's normally the other way around in most cases. WOW they send a couple of thousand soldiers to Iraq and call it cooperation when we have had more killed then the amount that any other country sent over to help us out. If it wasn't for our troops they would be speaking German in France today. So EU, your free to say what you want but you have enough of your own problems, worry about them. Like how to once and for all stop corruption in Bulgaria and let them get on with building there country.

Anonymous Herx Thu, Jul 23 2009 02:16 CET

1. The death penalty is not cruel. The heinous crimes committed by the depraved criminals are cruel. The death penalty is merely the logical consequence of their actions. People need to pay the consequences for their depravity.
2. The D/P is an effective deterrent: The monsters who are executed will not harm any more innocent victims .

Anonymous Herx Thu, Jul 23 2009 02:08 CET

EU leaders: You are not from America. I am. You have no idea of the two-legged monsters we have there. They gunned down a 30-year single mother, on the sidewalk in front of her own home, because she only had $3 in her pocket.

We have not insignificant numbers of depraved individuals in teh urban underclass, misled by some of their leaders into blaming society for their situation, when it's their own damn fault. They refuse on principle to become educated. They refuse on principle to act like civilized human beings. The effective answer is either [...]

Read the full comment life imprisonment without possibility of parole, or the death penalty. And I for one am morally opposed to wasting precious tax money to keep these scum alive.

EU: Mind your own business.

Anonymous Dianne Hatton Wed, Jul 22 2009 22:06 CET

The death penalty is only issued to cases of murder, where is the murder victims human dignity and the victims family's human rights. An eye for an eye. As for being cruel and inhumane, tell that to the 1 million Iraqi's that have been killed by the US & EU in the last 15 years, for what, ficticious weapons of mass destruction.

Anonymous Cosmos Wed, Jul 22 2009 21:55 CET

If you take a life you must give up your own thats justice. Also if Micheal Shields is not guilty he should be set free and paid compensation but i have my doubts.

AnonymousCherie B.Wed, Jul 22 2009 21:16 CET

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