"Death penalty is a major breach of human rights", "especially the right to life". Hans-Gert Poettering, in opening the session of the EU Parliament in Brussels, confirmed today the opposition of the Assembly to "this kind of punishment" and highlighted that "several third countries, such as Rwanda, have abolished death penalty". Poettering then made an appeal to those countries that still make use of the lethal injection, shooting or other, similar means: "Follow our example, repeal death penalty". Poettering recalled the value of the International Day against Death Penalty, which is celebrated today and which has been proclaimed by the Council of Europe. Then he stated that "the forthcoming Olympic Games are an opportunity to break the wall of silence around death sentences in China". Then, the German politician said he was "extremely glad" to receive in Parliament the Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian doctor who had been sentenced to death in Libya and who have been recently freed. Poettering also mentioned the "European initiative at UN level as the first step towards the abolition of death penalty" all over the world. At the end of his speech, the president asked to observe a minute’s silence "to commemorate all the victims of death penalty".
