The Secretary General of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, has expressed his concern at suggestions in the United States that the death penalty should be extended to drug trafficking offences.
“The Council of Europe is firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances. All states should develop drug policies that respect human rights rather than executing offenders. The death penalty is inhuman and degrading, and it is not proven to be an effective deterrent,” said the Secretary General.
Through the European Convention on Human Rights, all 47 Council of Europe member states have abolished the death penalty either in law or in practice.
- Joint EU/Council of Europe declaration on the 2017 European and World Day against the Death Penalty