EU and Council of Europe call for moratorium on executions

The European Union and the Council of Europe have issued a joint statement calling for an immediate moratorium on executions as a first step toward the global abolition of the death penalty. The announcement, made by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset on the occasion of the European and World Day against the Death Penalty, describes the practice and the processes leading to it as ‘inhumane and degrading treatment.’

Despite a global trend toward abolition, the organizations noted a sharp rise in recorded executions. While only 17 countries were known to have carried out executions last year, the number of executions increased by 78 percent compared to 2024. Iran recorded the highest number of executions, with significant increases also noted in Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Yemen. Executions also continued in the United States.

In China, official statistics are unavailable due to state secrecy, but estimates suggest thousands of executions were carried out last year. Within Europe, Belarus remains the only country still applying the death penalty. The EU and Council of Europe expressed particular concern regarding the use of capital punishment for drug-related offenses, noting that international human rights standards restrict the death penalty to the most serious crimes involving intentional killing.