[psych-hr] Council of Europe member states sign protocol to abolish death penalty in all circumstances

Vilnius, 03.05.2002 - The Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Representatives
of 36 member states (*) of the Council of Europe, present in Vilnius on the
occasion of the 110th session of the Organisation's Committee of Ministers,
today signed Protocol No. 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights,
concerning the abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances.

With Protocol No. 6, and a moratorium in the countries that have not yet
ratified it, the 44 Council of Europe member states already constituted a
death-penalty-free zone in peacetime.  Protocol No. 13 provides the
Organisation with an instrument that prohibits capital punishment, whatever
the circumstances.

"The Council of Europe was already proud to have banished the death penalty
in peacetime on a continent where more than 800 million people live. With
Protocol No. 13, it opens the way to abolishing this barbaric punishment in
all circumstances.  We hope that this will be a decisive step towards a
universal abolition of the death penalty and we shall spare no effort in
achieving this," declared Walter Schwimmer, Secretary General of the
44-nation Organisation.

The Protocol will enter into force with 10 ratifications.  The text and
further information available at http://conventions.coe.int


(*) 36 signatory States : Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San
Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, "the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia", Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
Ireland, Malta and Switzerland signed and ratified this Protocol.


Press Release
Council of Europe Spokesperson and Press Division
Ref: 240a02





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