Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-10-25-Speech-3-221"

PredicateValue (sorted: default)
rdf:type
dcterms:Date
dcterms:Is Part Of
dcterms:Language
lpv:document identification number
"en.20001025.9.3-221"2
lpv:hasSubsequent
lpv:speaker
lpv:spokenAs
lpv:translated text
"Mr President, in the same way as the Treaty of Amsterdam and the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, Parliament has repeatedly declared itself to be opposed to the death penalty which sadly, as has been pointed out, still exists in many countries of the world: countries with antidemocratic traditions such as Communist China and extremely liberal countries such as the United States. We are also aware of how difficult it is to succeed in eliminating this penalty which is so very unnatural and inhumane. It is even difficult in America where, as Mrs Frassoni pointed out, those who represent the institutions, the policy-makers, do not dare to propose abolishing capital punishment for fear of losing support. The reason is clear: with the rise in organised crime the death penalty is considered to be a deterrent, containing and checking the increase in crime and illegal activity. However, we know that this is not at all the case; we know that the death penalty is an abhorrent practice, a form of State-legalised crime. We know that, even though it is strict and uncompromising, the fight against crime must be pursued under the banner of the law and social rehabilitation, certainly not in the name of repression alone or, what is even worse, with the mentality of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. This is precisely why we must promote a Europe-wide campaign for a moratorium on the death penalty, a large-scale human rights campaign which involves everybody, from those with political or institutional roles to the citizens themselves, especially the younger citizens, precisely in order to create genuine civil awareness of the matter and to put political pressure on the countries in which the death penalty is still part of the law. I would also like to propose that the European States refuse to trade with those countries in which the death penalty is still practised, but I know that this is nothing but a utopian dream. I refer, in particular, to China, which, as the Commissioner too mentioned, issues a death sentence every day of the week and in general shows very little respect for human rights but which, regrettably, is also a highly attractive trading partner for all the European countries and one they cannot do without. I would like to end by saying that these campaigns against the death penalty would be much more efficient and much more widespread if we were to succeed, as an institution, in conveying to our citizens the idea that we are simultaneously working, with equal determination and efficiency to build a safe Europe where it will be possible to eradicate terrible criminal scourges, such as drug trafficking, the exploitation of human beings and child abuse, in the very near future."@en1

Named graphs describing this resource:

1http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/rdf/English.ttl.gz
2http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/rdf/Events_and_structure.ttl.gz
3http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/rdf/spokenAs.ttl.gz

The resource appears as object in 2 triples

Context graph