March 22 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The European Union has condemned this Wednesday the execution of 15 people in Saudi Arabia during the month of March and has affirmed that the death penalty is a “cruel and inhuman punishment” that represents a violation of human dignity.
“As a matter of principle, the European Union strongly opposes the death penalty at all times and in all circumstances. It is cruel and inhumane punishment, which does not act as a deterrent to crime and represents an unacceptable denial of dignity and human integrity,” said EU Foreign Affairs spokesman Peter Stano in a statement.
Likewise, he added that he “will continue to work for the abolition of the death penalty”, applied by less than 40 countries today. According to data from international organizations, in 2021 67 people were executed, 148 percent more than in the previous year.
On March 12, 2022, the Saudi authorities executed 81 people, a move that was condemned by the European Union, which said at the time that it was the “largest mass application of the death penalty.” Among the charges are charges of terrorism, murder, rape, kidnapping and drug trafficking.
