A statement by Secretary General Alain Berset and High Representative Kaja Kallas on European and World Day against the Death Penalty, 10 October 2026

 The European Union and the Council of Europe are unequivocally opposed to the death penalty, in all cases and in all circumstances.

Progress towards the global abolition continued over the past year. Lebanon abolished the death penalty in August 2026. The Gambia and Vietnam reduced the number of crimes punishable by death and Sierra Leone ratified the second optional protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ruling out execution within the jurisdiction of the state party. Cambodia, the Central African Republic and Chad all took steps towards ratification. These examples serve as a reminder that change is always possible.

Only 17 countries are known to have carried out executions in 2025, but the sharp increase of executions is alarming. Recorded executions have risen by 78% compared with 2024. Most took place in Iran but there were significant increases in Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Yemen. Executions continued in the United States. The executions carried out in China are not reflected in global statistics because of state secrecy, although it is estimated that thousands of death sentences were carried out in the country last year. Belarus remains the only country in Europe applying the death penalty.

Moreover, the continued use of the death penalty for drug-related offences is particularly   concerning. Under international human rights law, capital punishment is restricted to the most serious crimes, understood as crimes of extreme gravity involving intentional killing. Using the death penalty to punish drug production and trafficking does not meet this threshold, nor is it effective. Evidence shows it does not deter crime better than other sentences. The death penalty also removes any hope of rehabilitation and will always carry the risk of fatal miscarriages of justice.

On this European and World Day against the Death Penalty, the European Union and the Council of Europe call on all states that retain the death penalty to immediately establish a moratorium on executions as a first step towards abolition. A moratorium should lead to existing death sentences being commuted and the full compliance with international human rights law and standards, pending abolition.

The European Union and the Council of Europe remain resolute in opposing any attempt to reintroduce or expand the death penalty, including in Europe. Alongside international partners, civil society, and legal professionals, we will continue to promote democratic debate grounded in human rights and the rule of law, with the goal of achieving universal abolition. In this respect, the recent World Congress against the death penalty in France demonstrated the pivotal role that the judiciary can play in abolition, as well as the importance of engaging young people. We welcome Morocco’s decision to host the 10th World Congress in 2029.

The death penalty – including the process leading to execution – constitutes inhumane and degrading treatment. We call on all states to embrace restorative justice and join the growing global movement rejecting capital punishment.

 Committee of Ministers’ decision on the death penalty

 Secretary General Alain Berset

 The Council of Europe and the European Union