The European Union is gravely concerned by the resumption of executions in Benghazi and Derna, marking the end of a de facto moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Libya that had been in place since 2010, and strongly calls for the immediate suspension of any further executions and death sentences.
The EU reiterates its unequivocal opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances. Capital punishment is cruel, inhuman and irreversible, and incompatible with human dignity.
The EU also notes the requests for due process from the victims’ families. Sustained access to credible, transparent and rights-compliant judicial proceedings is essential, both to uphold justice and to maintain public confidence in the rule of law.
The EU encourages all competent parties to engage with UNSMIL and its Human Rights team to review the procedures applied in capital cases and to ensure full compliance with Libya’s national and international human rights obligations.
The European Union consistently calls on all countries applying the death penalty to abolish it, or to maintain, introduce or resume a moratorium as a first step towards abolition, and on those considering its reintroduction, to refrain from such a step back.