| Return to Toronto Patterson's Homepage |
From: EU POLICY ON THE DEATH PENALTY
Royal Danish Embassy
Washington, DC
EU Presidency
Chairman Gerald Garrett
Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles
Executive Clemency Section
PO Box 13401
Capital Section
Austin, Texas 78711
File: 27.USA.1
29 July 2002
Dear Chairman Garrett,
The European Union has learnt that Mr. Toronto Patterson is to be
executed in the State of Texas on August 28, 2002. On behalf of the
European Union, Denmark, as current President, together with
Greece, the subsequent President, and the European Commission
would like to make an urgent humanitarian appeal to spare the life of
Mr. Patterson.
As stated in the EU memorandum on the Death Penalty, which has
been shared with you on previous occasions (it can also be found on
the web page:
www.eurunion.org/legislat/deathpenalty/eumemorandum.htm), the
European Union opposes the death penalty in all cases and
accordingly aims at its universal abolition, seeking a global
moratorium on the death penalty as a first step.
Mr. Patterson was 17 years old at the time of the crime, for which he
has been sentenced to death. The European Union considers that in
those countries, which have not yet abolished the death penalty, this
penalty should not be imposed on persons under the age of 18 at the
time of the crime.
The EU strongly believes that the execution of juvenile offenders is
contrary to widely accepted human rights norms and the minimum
standards of human rights set forth by the United Nations. A
significant number of treaties, including treaties signed and ratified
by
the United States, prohibit such executions, specifically the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the
American Convention on Human Rights. Article 6 of the ICCPR – to
which the United States is a party – explicitly forbids the execution of
juvenile offenders.
We therefore respectfully urge you, Chairman, as we have also urged
the Governor of Texas, to take these factors into account and to
exercise all the powers vested in your office to grant Mr. Patterson
relief from the death penalty.
Sincerely,
Ulrik Federspiel
Elefthenos
Anghelopoulos
Gérard Depayre
Ambassador of
Denmark
Chargé d'affaires, a.i.
Embassy of Greece
Chargé d'affaires, a.i.
Delegation of the
European
Commission
Danish Presidency July 25, 2002 statement at Organization for
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Permanent Council
meeting.
Royal Danish Embassy
3200 Whitehaven Street, NW
Washington, DC 20008-3683
(202) 234-4300 Fax (202) 328-1470
E-mail: wasamb@um.dk
Website: http://www.denmarkemb.org/
European Union
Delegation of the European Commission to the United States
2300 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037
Telephone: (202) 862-9500 Fax: (202) 429-1766
| Return to Toronto Patterson's Homepage |
