The European Union wants to see the death penalty abolished in Barbados and the rest of the Eastern Caribbean.
It is therefore putting its money behind the work of civil society organisations in the region that are working towards this goal, as well as supporting those seeking to protect the human rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities.
Head of the EU delegation to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Daniela Tramacere, said yesterday “the EU views capital punishment as inhumane, degrading and unnecessary” and had therefore made the universal abolition of the death penalty one of the two priorities in its external policy.
Speaking during disbursement of EU Human Rights and Civil Society Grants to six civil society projects in the region, Tramacere said contrary to the belief held by some, there was no link between the EU’s position on these human rights issues and a cut in EU aid.
Rather, she said the EU was “putting our money where our mouths are” by allocating grants worth approximately five million euros, allocated for a four-year cycle, “to help the region build resilient societies and protect values and principles”.
“The EU is a stable partner of Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean and will remain such” Tramacere stressed, adding: “we do not want to impose our model; it is up to your society to decide how you want to respect the universality of human rights.”
However, she contended there was no valid scientific evidence to support claims that the death penalty deterred crime more effectively than other punishments. “Neither can there be an economic argument that detention costs the state a lot,” Tramacere contended. She also suggested that the possibility of miscarriage of justice by the “intentional killing of innocent persons by the state” ought to be a higher consideration in any argument regarding the death penalty.
Tramacere noted Barbados and most of the countries of the Eastern Caribbean had not carried out executions in over two decades and observed that, in essence, a de facto moratorium on the death penalty already existed.
“Why not just abolish the practice altogether?” Tramacere asked. (GC)