On July 7, the Ukrainian Parliament demanded that the...

On July 7, the Ukrainian Parliament demanded that the death sentence passed on Kurd leader Abdullah Ocalan be reversed. This demand was stipulated in an appeal to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, to European parliaments and to the members of the European Parliament, following a 231 to 23 vote with 5 abstentions. The minimum number of votes required for adopting such a document is 226. The Ukrainian deputies stated that the Ocalan case must be passed over to the European Court of Human Rights which should also consider the current state of the Kurdish problem in Turkey. In the opinion of the deputies, the protection of human rights and liberties and control over their observance is the main aspect of the Council of Europe's work. The implementation of the death penalty in a Council of Europe member-state "is a challenge to the world community that tramples the norms and principles of international law underfoot," the document stated. The implementation of a death verdict will entail "unpredictable consequences for the entire world," the deputies affirmed.