On the occasion of the European and World Day against the Death Penalty, EU office in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo reiterate the strong opposition to capital punishment in all cases and for all circumstances.

All EU and Council of Europe member states have abolished the death penalty. The absolute ban on the death penalty in all circumstances is entrenched in the European Convention on Human Rights and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a full-fledged member of the Council of Europe and potential candidate for EU membership, is also expected to fully abide by the abolition of the death penalty. In this regard, EU and COE in BiH recall the obligation of the authorities in Republika Srpska to formally repeal Article 11 of the Constitution of Republika Srpska in order to ensure complete abolition of the death penalty as a symbol of strong commitment to common European values.

On Tuesday, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, and the COE Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland, issued a joint declaration expressing the support to work towards the abolition of the death penalty. This will include the endorsement of the upcoming Resolution of the UN General Assembly on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, and the EU and Belgium will host the 7th World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Brussels at the end of February 2019.