Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to Appendix Four of the HMG Strategy for Abolition of the Death Penalty 2010-15, as revised in October 2011, how his Department ensures that the EU minimum standards referred to are met in countries which maintain use of the death penalty as part of their judicial process.

We urge all states to introduce a moratorium on use of the death penalty. We urge those which continue to impose the death penalty to respect EU and UN standards; to reserve the death penalty for the most serious crimes, that is, for nothing less serious than murder; to ensure that proper process is followed including opportunities for appeal and clemency and not to execute those who committed crimes when under 18, pregnant women or people with learning difficulties. The Government makes representations when these standards are not respected and urges reform. We fund projects which aim to increase compliance with these standards and actively support the abolitionist work of the UN and the EU, including through adoption of moratoria.