EU, UK reiterate opposition to death penalty following Hannan execution

The European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) on Thursday reiterated their longstanding opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances. The reaction came after Harkat-ul-Jihad Bangladesh (HujiB) chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and his associates, Delwar Hossain Ripon and Sharif Shahedul Bipul, were hanged for the grenade attack on ex-British envoy Anwar Choudhury at the Dargah-e-Shah Jalal mosque in Sylhet in 2004. "Three death sentences were executed in Bangladesh on April 12, 2017. The European Union universally opposes the use of capital punishment," said the EU delegation to Bangladesh in a statement, reports UNB. The statement said capital punishment was not a deterrent against crime and that it rendered miscarriages of justice irreversible. The EU delegation to Bangladesh urged the country’s authorities to introduce a moratorium on executions as a first step towards the definitive abolition of capital punishment. "It's right that the perpetrators of terrorist crimes are brought to justice," said a spokesperson at the British High Commission as quoted by UNB, mentioning that the 2004 attack was deeply shocking, resulting in three tragic deaths and injuring many people including the then British High Commissioner. The UK reiterates its longstanding opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances, said the official.