Court Martial: EU rejects death sentences

The European Union (EU) has rejected the death sentence handed to 12
Nigerian soldiers by the General Court Martial in Nigeria for alleged mutiny.
The EU in a statement issued yesterday on the occasion of the World Day
against Death Penalty condemned all death sentences especially after mass
trials as was the case with the Nigerian soldiers.
The union, headed by Secretary-General, Mr. Thorbjørn Jagland, argued that
execution had stopped in that region of the world for close to two decades
According to the statement: “On the European and World Day against the Death
Penalty, the European Union and the Council of Europe reaffirm their strong and
absolute opposition to capital punishment in all cases and under all
circumstances, and their commitment to its worldwide abolition.
“We are deeply concerned about setbacks in some countries, such as recent
mass trials leading to a vast number of death sentences. No execution has
taken place in our member states in the last 17 years.
The European Union and the Council of Europe welcome the fact that all
Member States of the European Union have now ratified both Protocols 6 and 13
to the European Convention on Human Rights, and urge all other European
States that have not yet done so to sign and ratify these instruments which aim
at the abolition of the death penalty.”