Ashton condemns latest execution in Belarus
Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
"The High Representative strongly condemns the execution of Pavel Selyun, who was sentenced to death in June 2013.
The High Representative is conscious of the serious nature of the crimes for which he was convicted. However, she does not believe that capital punishment can ever be justified. The European Union opposes capital punishment under all circumstances. The death penalty is considered to be a cruel and inhuman punishment, which fails to act as a deterrent and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity.
The High Representative urges Belarus, the only country in Europe still applying capital
punishment, to join a global moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its
universal abolition."
