The European Union has reiterated its call for the total abolition of the death penalty, arguing that capital punishment violates the right to life and is incompatible with human dignity, in a statement delivered on 18 June 2026 at the UN Human Rights Council's 62nd session. The EU also endorsed the outgoing Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Morris Tidball-Binz, whose final report argues that the death penalty cannot be reconciled with the absolute prohibition of torture and the duty to protect human dignity, regardless of safeguards applied. The EU noted that this conclusion is supported by the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights.
The statement, issued by the EU Delegation to the UN in Geneva, thanked Tidball-Binz for his contributions throughout his mandate, including guidance and country-level engagement. The EU agreed that capital punishment is often discriminatory and disproportionately affects persons in vulnerable situations. It urged states to implement moratoria as a step toward abolition, ahead of the next World Congress against the death penalty, set to open in Paris on 30 June 2026, where new commitments from several states are expected.
The EU also posed a question to the Special Rapporteur, asking him to share key insights from interviews he conducted with persons formerly on death row, family members of executed persons, and professionals involved in executions. The statement did not announce any new EU measures or funding, but reaffirmed the bloc's longstanding opposition to capital punishment globally.