EU, UK, other nations call for abolition of death penalty over human rights concerns

They argued that the death penalty was degrading and served no deterrence to executed persons.

ADEFEMOLA AKINTADE • May 22, 2026

LEGISLATIVE GAVEL[CREDIT: WALLPAPERS.COM]

The United Kingdom and 40 other countries, including members of the European Union, called for the global abolition of the death penalty, arguing that executions violate human dignity and fundamental human rights.

In a joint statement on Thursday, the nations expressed grave concerns over the significant rise in global executions, saying the scale at which countries resumed imposing the death penalty after a long suspension was extremely worrisome.

“We call for the universal abolition of the death penalty and commend the efforts undertaken worldwide towards this objective,” the statement said.

They argued that the death penalty was degrading and served no deterrent effect, reiterating their call for a moratorium to suspend the death penalty in all UN member states.

“The death penalty is inhumane and degrading, contrary to human dignity, and has no deterring effect,” the statement said.

“We deplore the fact that the use of the death penalty leads to violations of the human rights of the persons facing the death penalty and of other affected persons, including violations of the right to life and to the prohibition of torture.”

It acknowledged that some countries had already stopped imposing the penalty, stating that over two-thirds of UN member states have abolished the practice.

“We urge all United Nations Member States to support the upcoming General Assembly resolution on the moratorium on the use of the death penalty, presented on behalf of the Inter-Regional Task Force, as well as the Human Rights Council’s biennial resolution on the abolition of the death penalty,” the statement added.

The 41 nations that signed the statement are Albania, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

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