The Presidency of the European Union issued a declaration...

The Presidency of the European Union issued a declaration on behalf of the EU on the decision to commute the sentences of all prisoners on death row in Illinois, US. "The European Union opposes the death penalty in all cases. The European Union considers that the abolition of the death penalty contributes to the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights and reaffirms its objective to work towards its universal abolition, seeking a global moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards that aim. The European Union therefore welcomes the decision announced on 11 January 2003 by Governor George Ryan of Illinois to commute the sentences of all prisoners on the state's death row to prison terms of life or less. In February 2000 the Governor had already declared a moratorium on all pending executions in Illinois, which was welcomed by the EU. The possibility of miscarriages of justice leading to the execution of innocent individuals, as acknowledged by Governor Ryan, is one of the important considerations underlying the EU's philosophy concerning the abolition of the death penalty. Therefore, the European Union encourages all states with capital punishment to consider taking similar measures with a view to the abolition of the death penalty throughout the country."The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union, the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, and the EFTA countries, members of the European Economic Area aligned themselves with this declaration.