The European Union (EU) and UK Tuesday reiterated separately their opposition to death penalty saying that the case of Abdul Quader Mollah now reached a stage where an execution of the death sentence given by the Supreme Court on September 17 could be imminent.
“The European Union is opposed to the use of capital punishment in all cases and under all circumstances, and has consistently called for its universal abolition,” said a statement issued by the EU Heads of Mission in Dhaka.
The European Union has followed the judicial proceedings in Bangladesh concerning the crimes committed during the war preceding the independence of Bangladesh in 1971.
“From the start of the trials, the European Union has repeatedly stressed its concern about the possible application of the death penalty under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act.”
It said the EU reiterates its position regarding the recent death penalties issued by the International Crimes Tribunal and the Supreme Court as well as the 152 death sentences that were recently handed down in the trial following the BDR mutiny in 2009.
The European Union called on the Bangladeshi authorities to commute these sentences and to introduce a moratorium on executions as a first step towards definitive abolition of capital punishment.
On the other hand, United Kingdom called again for Bangladesh to implement a moratorium on the death penalty leading to the eventual abolition of the death penalty.
In a statement, Senior Foreign Office Minister Baroness Warsi said, “I’m deeply concerned at reports of plans to execute Abdul Qader Mollah in the coming days.”
The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle, said the statement adding, “We consider that its use undermines human dignity and that there is no conclusive evidence of its deterrent value.”
Bangladesh’s commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) require that all citizens be treated equally before the law, Warsi said.
-With The Independent input
