Declaration by the High Representative, Catherine Ashton, on behalf of the European Union on the occasion of the decision of the Ethiopian President to uphold the moratorium on the death penalty
BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, June 30, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The EU welcomes the Ethiopian Government’s decision to uphold the prevailing moratorium on executions in accordance with United Nations General Assembly resolutions 62/149, 63/138 and 65/206 and to commute the death sentences of 23 Derg officials, announced on 1st June 2011.
This demonstrates that the pardon mechanism is an important feature of the rule of law in Ethiopia and will help Ethiopians bring closure to one of the darkest periods of recent Ethiopian history.
The EU remains committed to working for the abolition of the death penalty across the world.
SOURCE
European Council
