The European Union deeply regrets the execution of Michael Smith in the State of Oklahoma, and deplores the planned execution of Brian Dorsey in Missouri on 9 April.

The execution of M.Smith was the first that Oklahoma has carried out this year. To date, 37 states in the US have abolished the capital punishment in law or in practice, and we hope Oklahoma will eventually join these states.

As a matter of principle, the EU strongly opposes the death penalty at all times and in all circumstances. It is a violation of the right to life, fails to act as a deterrent to crime and represents the ultimate punishment that makes miscarriages of justice irreversible. 197 innocent people have been exonerated from death row in the United States to date.

The EU continues to call for the universal abolition of the death penalty and for States, that maintain the capital punishment, to implement a moratorium and move towards abolition, in line with the worldwide trend.