EU Policy On The Death Penalty

EMBASSY OF SWEDEN
WASHINGTON
Office of the Press Counselor
Tel: (202) 467-2655
Fax: (202) 467-2656

PRESS RELEASE

June 6, 2001

THE EUROPEAN UNION APPEALS TO THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA TO
HALT A SCHEDULED EXECUTION

In a letter to the Governor of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, the European Union asks for a repeal of the death sentence in the case of a Mexican citizen, Mr. Gerardo Valdez Maltos.

The Oklahoma authorities failed to notify Mr. Valdez at the time of his detention about his right to contact a Mexican Consulate for assistance. The right for foreign nationals to contact their own consulates in case of an arrest is set forth in the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, a treaty signed by the United States as well as the members of the European Union. The same right applies to US citizens abroad and is considered to be essential, not least in capital cases.

The European Union has also noted that Mr. Valdez, according to prison records, may have organic brain damage. The EU believes that the execution of persons suffering from mental disorders is in contradiction with the minimum standards of human rights set forth by United Nations organs.

The European Union's opposition to the death penalty is stated in a Memorandum, which can be found at http://www.eurunion.org/legislat/DeathPenalty/deathpenhome.htm#EUPolicyDocuments.

The petition in the case of Mr. Valdez is signed by Sweden, the current President of the European Union, and Belgium, the subsequent President and the European Commission.

Letter to Oklahoma Governor Keating

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Embassy of Sweden,
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