Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-07-05-Speech-4-123"
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"en.20010705.6.4-123"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, no one is unaware of the loathing felt in this house for the death penalty, wherever it may occur. The European Parliament is continuing its long and dedicated battle against this barbaric punishment, and we know that we have a good ally in Commissioner Patten. Commissioner, we
appreciate your work in this area. Our joint fight has resulted in one applicant country after another abolishing the death penalty. This requirement is irrevocable for membership of the European Community. It is high time that Turkey also abolished the death penalty – without delay.
It can sometimes feel hopeless fighting against the death penalty when the world is the way it is. Mr Van den Berg has just mentioned figures showing the worldwide situation. It is important to note that 90 per cent of all executions occur in only four countries. The worst by far is China with over
executions this year alone.
It is also deeply tragic to have to place the US on the same list as the dictatorships. Over and over again, we have appealed to the American leaders to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty and to stop sentencing teenagers and the mentally disabled to death. Just the suspicion that one single person has been falsely executed – and we know this has happened in the US – should be sufficient reason to abolish the death penalty.
However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. It is encouraging that there is a certain, albeit slow, shift in opinion in the US. It is also the case that, during the 1990s, 30 countries abolished the death penalty. Here in Strasbourg, a successful conference was held two weeks ago. Both the EU and the European Council will continue to fight tirelessly.
In order to further strengthen the fight against the death penalty and to ensure that this issue is always on the agenda, a year ago in this House my colleague Mr Rutelli proposed a European day against the death penalty. We could hold this every year until the death penalty is abolished everywhere. It is encouraging that this is also the view of this House, and I hope that the Council and the Commission can work with the European Parliament to bring about such a day."@en1
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