Capital punishment in Europe

The death penalty has been totally abolished in almost all European countries (47 out of 50). A moratorium on the death penalty is a condition of membership in the Council of Europe and abolition is considered a central value to the European Union.

Only in Belarus and Kazakhstan is it still practiced - this being one reason for which they have been refused membership into the Council of Europe. Belarus maintains the death penalty for all crimes, Kazakhstan has abolished it for ordinary crimes but maintains it for series crimes and war time. Latvia technically has the penalty for war time, but its usage and EU commitments means in practice the law is non-applicable.

Abolition

Abolition has been common in European history, but has only been a real trend since the end of the Second World War when human rights became a particular priority. The European Convention on Human Rights was adopted in 1950 but some countries took many years to ratify it. The United Kingdom retained the death penalty for high treason until 1998 (William Joyce was the last person to be put to death for high treason in the UK, on 3 January 1946).

France was the latest country (October 10, 2007) to ratify protocol 13 in abolishing the penalty for all crimes. Azerbaijan and Russia have not signed protocol 13, while Armenia, Italy, Latvia, Poland, and Spain have not yet ratified. All but Russia and Latvia have, however, abolished the death penalty.

European Union

The European Union has long since been against the death penalty and its Charter of Fundamental Rights included a ban on the death penalty. The Charter was included in the now stalled European Constitution so that it would be legally binding for the Union. This would have been alongside the Union, as a single entity, joining of the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights. The EU has been an active promoter of abolition worldwide.

Capital punishment in EU member states

Austria Belgium Bulgaria Cyprus Czech Rep. Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece	Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Malta Netherlands Poland Romania Slovenia Sweden United Kingdom

Methods of execution and dates of last actual peacetime use

Country	Method	Year of use	Abolished
	Beheading	1825	1972
	Guillotine	1863	1996
	Beheading	1892	1978
	Guillotine	1910	1975
	Hanging	1943	2000
	Firing Squad	1947	1994
	Guillotine	1949	1949 (West Germany), 1987 (East Germany)
	Hanging	1950	1968
	Hanging	1860	1982
	Hanging	1954	1990
	Hanging	1957	1989
	Hanging	1962	2002
	Hanging	1964	1998
	Firing Squad	1972	2004
	Firing Squad	1975	1995
	Guillotine	1977	1981
	Hanging	1988	1990
	Hanging	1988	1997
	Shooting	1989	1998
	Hanging	1989	1990
	Firing Squad	1989	1990
	Shooting	1991	1998
	Shooting	1996	Not abolished
	Shooting	1995	1996

Retentionist states

Russia maintains it for ordinary crimes, but observes a moratorium in practice. Their last execution was in 1996. Russia has signed but not ratified Protocol No. 6 to the European Convention on Human Rights (abolition in peace time). Latvia maintains it for crimes committed in war time but is a member of the European Union. It has also signed, but not yet ratified, Protocol No. 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights (total abolition). In addition the unrecognised states of Transnistria and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have not abolished the death penalty and are blocked from the Council of Europe. However neither have executed anyone to date.

• Capital punishment in Russia
• Capital punishment in Belarus

See also

• Country-specific details on executions in European nations
• Capital punishment abolitionism
• European Court of Human Rights

External links

• Amnesty International - Abolitionist and Retentionist Countries
• Amnesty International - Last Executions
• Amnesty International - Ratification of International Treaties