Walter Schwimmer, the Secretary General of the Council...

Walter Schwimmer, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (COE), said that he believed Turkey would take the necessary steps to abolish capital punishment. Speaking in a programme broadcast in a private television channel on Turkey's European Union (EU) membership, Schwimmer said that the abolition of capital punishment was a very important standard of Europe. He said he did not want to see people executed in Turkey. Schwimmer noted that capital punishment was one of the most important criteria that differentiated Europe from other regions of the world.