EU REITERATES OPPOSITION AGAINST DEATH PENALTY

the European Union (EU) reiterated its position against the death penalty "under all circumstances." "The European Union is unreservedly opposed to the use of capital punishment under all circumstances and has consistently called for the worldwide abolition of this punishment," said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in a statement. The statement was issued in the context of an international conference on the death penalty in Lisbon. "The death penalty is against human dignity. We want to give visibility to the efforts of the many non-governmental organizations and individuals who strive, day after day, towards the abolition of the death penalty," added Barroso.