06 December 2024 :
November 27, 2024 - Council of Europe. Round table on measures against the trade of goods used for the death penalty
The Steering Committee on Human Rights organised an event on “Strengthening multilateral efforts to curb trade in torture and death penalty goods”. As a follow-up to Recommendation Rec(2021)2, which was adopted by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers in 2021, the workshop provided a valuable opportunity to discuss how member States are implementing the Recommendation and how they can further develop this work.
During this workshop, one session, which was moderated by the Coordinator for the Abolition of the death penalty, was dedicated to addressing death penalty challenges within the Framework of the aforementioned Council of Europe Recommendation. The Recommendation distinguishes between 2 categories of execution-related equipment: (i) a list inherently abusive equipment and goods that Member States should prohibit the export, import and transit of; (ii) a list of pharmaceutical chemicals which are used for lethal injection but also for medical and other legitimate purposes: Member States should regulate and license the export and transit to ensure that they are not used in lethal injection executions.
Mrs Gala Veldhoen, PACE General Rapporteur on the Abolition of the Death Penalty, addressed the general trends concerning the abolition of the death penalty, the inception and content of Recommendation Rec(2021)2, and urged all Member States to implement this recommendation.
Mrs Robin Maher, Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Centre, Washington DC, discussed the issues regarding the current methods of executions in the United States of America, lethal injection being the most frequently used method. She touched upon the controversial new method of execution carried out with nitrogen gas, which was used for the first time this year in Alabama. She also highlighted the increasing prevalence of secrecy provisions across U.S. states that practice the death penalty, which limit transparency around executions, inter alia on execution protocols and the chemicals used.
The final speakers, Mr Dan Dolan, Deputy Executive Director, and Mrs Jennifer Roberts, US death penalty project officer at Reprieve, addressed the implementation of the Council of Europe Recommendation and Pharmaceutical Trade from a Civil Society Perspective, stressing that the European Union and Council of Europe frameworks are unique and vital in preventing the export of potential lethal injection drugs.
The session highlighted the need for continued international efforts to regulate the trade in execution-related goods.
