The European Union issued a statement welcoming the...

The European Union issued a statement welcoming the Kazakh leadership's decision to declare a moratorium on the death penalty. "The European Union considers that Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev's decision is a significant step towards ensuring the protection of human rights in Kazakhstan and is a major contribution to the complete abolishment of capital punishment," the Kazakh Foreign Minister said in a press release. The ministry's press release said that the European Union noted in the statement "with satisfaction" that the moratorium had come into force immediately and would be in effect until the death penalty had been completely abolished in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan declared the moratorium on capital punishment on 17 December 2003.