EU condemns executions in Thailand

Earth Times
http://www.earthtimes.org

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:26:43 GMT
Author : DPA

Brussels - The European Union on Thursday condemned the recent execution by lethal injection of two drug traffickers, in a move that ended a de facto six-year-long moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Thailand. "The European Union would like to state its well-known position that the death penalty has not been found to act as a deterrent and that any miscarriage of justice - which is inevitable in any legal system - is irreversible," said a statement issued by the Swedish presidency of the EU on behalf of the bloc's 27 member states.

Bundit Charoenwanich, 45, and Jirawat Phumpruek, 52, were executed in Bangkok's Bang Kwang on Monday, more than eight years after being arrested for possessing more than 114,000 methamphetamine pills.

Calling capital punishment "cruel and inhuman," the EU called on the Thai government to abolish the death penalty and establish a moratorium in the meantime.

"Such steps would contribute to the Royal Thai Government's expressed ambition to promote human rights," the EU statement said.

There are currently 832 convicts on death row in Thailand. Of these, 127 have had their final court ruling, meaning they can no longer appeal, according to Thai media reports.

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