The EU’s high representative, Kaja Kallas, and the Council of Europe’s secretary general, Alain Berset, issued a joint statement to mark World Day Against the Death Penalty, which is observed on 10 October every year.

“More than two-thirds of all countries have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice,” they said.

“In 2024, we welcomed the abolition of the death penalty by Zimbabwe, and the ratification of the second optional protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by Zambia and Côte d’Ivoire.

“The same year, a record number of 130 countries voted in favour of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.”

However, they warned: “Despite the growing worldwide trend in support of the abolition of the death penalty, capital punishment is still carried out in certain countries.

“The five countries with the highest number of executions in 2024 were China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Yemen.

“Belarus is the only country in Europe that still retains the death penalty. Executions also continued to be carried out in the United States.

“We call on those few remaining states that still carry out death sentences to introduce a legal moratorium as a first step towards full abolition.”

The joint statement also addressed arguments made by proponents of the death penalty, in particular the argument of deterrence.

Research studies “consistently show that states with capital punishment do not have lower crime rates than those without”, they said.

“The death penalty also makes miscarriages of justice irreversible and any reformation and social rehabilitation impossible.”

The Council of Europe and the EU “will continue to counter narratives promoting the reintroduction of the death penalty, including in Europe, and foster an open and democratic debate towards its full abolition in all parts of the world”, they said.

“In this respect, we welcome the organisation of the regional Congress against the Death Penalty in Japan in November 2025 and of the World Congress against the Death Penalty in France in 2026.

“These events demonstrate the important leadership role of civil society in advocating for a world free of capital punishment.

“The death penalty, including the process leading to its execution, represent an inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and the ultimate denial of human dignity.

“The EU and the Council of Europe call for its abolition.”