8. Human rights: Moratorium on capital punishment
B5-0272, 0274, 0282, 0283, 0284, 0287, 0297 and 0306/1999
European Parliament resolution on establishing a worldwide moratorium on capital punishment,
with particular reference to the sentences against Joaquín José Martínez, Mumia Abu Jamal and
Larry Robinson
The European Parliament,
1dash having regard toits previous resolutionsonthe death penalty,
1dash having regard to the memorandum by the European Union at the 54th United Nations General
Assembly,
A. having regard tothe continuing use ofcapital punishmentin manycountries,
B. reiterating that the abolitionofcapital punishment constitutesa fundamentalstep towardsenhancing
human dignity, ongoing developing ofhuman rights andincreasing respect forthoserights,
C. deeply concerned at the threat of execution hanging over thousands of people in the world, but
encouraged bythe fact that the number ofabolitionistcountries is steadilygrowing,
D. reiterating the welcome it extended to the initiative taken by the Council on behalf of the EU at the
54thUnitedNationsGeneral Assemblywith regard toa moratoriumoncapital punishment,
E. disturbedbythedeathsentencehandeddownonJoaquínJoséMartínez,aEuropeancitizenofSpanish
nationality,byacourtinFlorida(USA)in1997,andhavingregardtothedecisiontobetakenbytheFlorida Supreme Court on the appeal lodged by his defence which is claiming that the trial wasmarred by numerousprocedural irregularities,
F. whereas the journalist Mumia Abu Jamal was sentenced to death in December 1982; whereas there
hassofarbeenaconsistentrefusaltoreviewthetrial;w hereas theexecution scheduledfor2Decem-ber 1999hasbeen postponed,
G. havingregardtothecaseofLarryRobinson,whoseexecutionhasbeenpostponedintheUSfollowing
doubtsabouthis mentalhealth,
H. disturbedby the frequent executions ofUS citizens who are later proved tohave been innocent;
1. Deplores in the strongest possible terms the fact that the requisite conditions were not forthcoming
duringtheUNGeneralAssemblynegotiationsontheadoptionofaresolutiononamoratoriumoncapitalpunishment;
2. Voices its disappointment that the Finnish Presidency-in-Office of the Council found itself con-
strainedtoaskforpostponementofthenegotiationoftheresolutioncontainingthecallforamoratoriumonexecutions, pending totalabolition;
3. Urges all the Member States and the Presidency-in-Office of the Council to do everything in their
powertobringaboutavoteonamoratoriumoncapitalpunishmentduring thecurrentsession,stressingthatachievingsuchanobjectivewithintheUnitedNationswouldconstituteconsiderableprogresstowardsthe ultimate goalofabolishing the death penalty;
4. CallsontheEuropeanUnionInstitutionstoputpressureontheUSAnottoproceedwiththeexecu-
tions;
5. Callsfora retrial forJoaquín JoséMartínez, withallduelegal guarantees, andforhisdeath sentence
tobe liftedonce andforall;C189/234 EN7.7.2000 Official Journal ofthe European Communities
Thursday 18 November 1999
6. Calls on the Federal Court of Pennsylvania to commute the death sentence passed on Mumia Abu
JamalandinstructsitsdelegationforrelationswiththeUSAtoraisetheissueatitsnextmeetingwiththeUS parliamentary representatives;
7. Calls on the members of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Governor George Bush Jr to
grant clemency toLarry Robinsonandcommutehis sentence;
8. Appeals to the Supreme Court of the United States to meet its obligations under the International
CovenantonCivilandPoliticalRightsandtoabolishcapitalpunishmentforcrimescommittedbyminors;
9. Calls on the Council to consider the possibility of making the abolition of capital punishment an
integral part ofthe human rights clause when negotiating agreements with third countries;
10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission, the President of
theUNCommissiononHumanRights,theCongressandAdministrationoftheUSA,theGovernoroftheState of Pennsylvania, the Federal Court of Pennsylvania, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, theGovernor ofthe State ofTexas andthe Florida Supreme Court.
9. Human rights: Respect for Serbs and other minority groups in Kosovo
B5-0270, 0275, 0281, 0298 and 0305/1999
European Parliament resolution on the situation of the Serb and other national minorities in
Kosovo
The European Parliament,
1dash having regard toits previous resolutionsonthe situation in Kosovoandthe former Yugoslavia,
1dash having regard to the conclusions of the Presidency of the European Council in Cologne on 3 and
4June 1999,
1dash havingregardtoUNSecurityCouncilResolution1244(1999),thefullwithdrawalofallSerbsecurity
forces, the end of NATO’s air campaign, as well as the development of the Kosovo InternationalSecurity Force (KFOR) and the setting up of the UNMIK (UN Interim Administration Mission inKosovo),
1dash havingregardtotheMilitaryTechnicalAgreementbetweenKFORandthegovernmentsoftheFederal
Republic ofYugoslavia andthe Republic ofSerbia, agreed on9June 1999,
1dash having regard tothe Stability Pact forSouth-Eastern Europe signed by the Councilon10June 1999,1dash having regard to the Statement by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the demilitar-
isationofthe KosovoLiberation Army (KLA) of23September 1999,
1dash having regard to the Statement by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on 4 November
1999concerning the ongoing violence in Kosovo,
A. deeply concerned abouttherecent actsofviolence against the Serb andRomapopulationofKosovo,
in particular aboutthe attacksonthe convoyof155Serbs, organised bythe UNHCRon27October1999in Pec,
B. deeply concerned about the shooting attack against Mr Momcilo Trajkovic, President of the ‘Kosovo
Serbian Residence Movement’andco-chairman oftheSerbianNationalCouncil,on31October1999in hishome in Pristina,
C. deeply concerned about the murder of the Bulgarian UN official Valentin Krumov in Pristina on
12October 1999,7.7.2000 EN C189/235 Official Journal ofthe European Communities
Thursday 18 November 1999