Court Martial: European Union rejects death sentences

The European Union (EU) has rejected the death sentence handed to 12 Nigerian soldiers by the General Court Martial in Nigeria for alleged mutiny.

The EU in a statement issued yesterday on the occasion of the World Day against Death Penalty condemned all death sentences especially after mass trials as was the case with the Nigerian soldiers.

The union, headed by Secretary-General, Mr. Thorbjørn Jagland, argued that execution had stopped in that region of the world for close to two decades

According to the statement: “On the European and World Day against the Death Penalty, the European Union and the Council of Europe reaffirm their strong and absolute opposition to capital punishment in all cases and under all circumstances, and their commitment to its worldwide abolition.

“We are deeply concerned about setbacks in some countries, such as recent mass trials leading to a vast number of death sentences. No execution has taken place in our member states in the last 17 years…