On the occasion of the European and World Day Against the Death Penalty, both the Embassy of Finland in Beijing and the Embassy of Denmark in Myanmar reaffirmed their firm opposition to capital punishment. This day serves as a significant reminder of the ongoing global movement towards abolishing the death penalty.
Emphasis on human rights
The Embassy of Finland in Beijing emphasized that Finland, along with the European Union, opposes the death penalty in all circumstances. They described capital punishment as cruel and irreversible, violating the right to life and posing a risk of significant miscarriages of justice. Furthermore, capital punishment is prohibited under the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Similarly, the Danish Embassy in Myanmar shared a joint statement from the High Representative of the European Union and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on their Facebook page. This statement highlighted that the death penalty constitutes inhuman and degrading treatment, representing the ultimate denial of human dignity. It also called for ongoing global support for the abolition of capital punishment, noting that more than two-thirds of countries have eliminated it either in law or practice.
International implications
Despite this progress, several Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Myanmar, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, still enforce the death penalty. This ongoing practice underscores the significant divergence in how nations approach capital punishment and human rights.
Both embassies urged nations that continue to impose the death penalty to introduce moratoriums as a first step toward full abolition. They emphasized that evidence indicates the death penalty does not effectively deter crime or enhance societal safety.
The Council of Europe and the EU also pledged to strengthen their efforts against narratives that support the reintroduction of capital punishment. They advocate for open and democratic discourse surrounding this important issue
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