Commute all death sentences

The European Union has called on Bangladeshi authorities to commute all death sentences and to introduce a moratorium on executions as a first step towards definitive abolition of capital punishment.

The call was made following the rejection of Jamaat leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman's appeal by the Supreme Court challenging the death sentence awarded to him for his involvement in crimes against humanity during the country's Liberation War in 1971.

The EU “reiterates its opposition to the use of capital punishment in all cases and under all circumstances,” the EU spokesperson said in a statement issued in Brussels yesterday.

 “Capital punishment is not a deterrent against crime and makes miscarriages of justice irreversible,” the statement said.