The European Union (EU) Tuesday reiterated its position against the death penalty "under all circumstances."
"The European Union is unreservedly opposed to the use of capital punishment under all circumstances and has consistently called for the worldwide abolition of this punishment," said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in a statement.
The statement was issued in the context of an international conference on the death penalty in Lisbon.
"The death penalty is against human dignity. We want to give visibility to the efforts of the many non-governmental organizations and individuals who strive, day after day, towards the abolition of the death penalty," added Barroso.
The EU has become the lead institutional actor in the world against the death penalty. In June, the bloc tabled a resolution at the U.N. General Assembly proposing a worldwide moratorium on executions.
The commission, the executive body of the EU, has funded around 30 anti-death penalty projects worldwide since 1994, with an overall budget of about 15 million euros (21 million U.S. dollars).
A total of 133 countries have abolished the death penalty in practice or in law.
Source: Xinhua
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