Statement by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on the execution of Ramiro Hernández Llanas

EU News 163/2014

Brussels, 10 April 2014
140410/01

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, issued the following statement today:

''It was with deep regret that I learnt that Mr Ramiro Hernández Llanas was executed in the State of Texas on 9 April 2014. The European Union had called for the commutation of his sentence out of concern as regards his mental competence at the time of his offence.

I recognise the serious nature of the crimes involved and express my sincere sympathy to the surviving family and friends of the victim. However, the European Union is opposed to the use of capital punishment in all cases and under any circumstances, based on the conviction that the death penalty is cruel, inhumane and irreversible, and its abolition is essential to protect human dignity. In particular, the execution of people with mental disorders, including limited mental competence, is contrary to widely accepted human rights norms and is in contradiction to the minimum standards of human rights set forth in several international human rights instruments."

Source and additional information:
http://eeas.europa.eu/statements/docs/2014/140410_01_en.pdf

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