EU criticises US record on human rights ahead of Bush visit

Ann Cahill, Europe Correspondent

The document, prepared by Ireland South MEP Simon Coveney, is bound to be controversial coming ahead of President George W Bush’s first visit to the EU later this month.

It details human rights concerns throughout the world and under a number of headings from the death penalty to child trafficking and limiting human rights under the guise of anti-terrorism measures.

The US is referred to a number of times throughout the fourteen page document presented to the Human Rights sub-committee yesterday for the first time.

It notes that more than half the countries in the world have now abolished the death penalty in law or practice and says that its retention in the US “is not consistent with the image of a country endeavouring to bring human rights standards, freedom and justice to the world.”

In the meantime it says countries should establish a moratorium on executions as requested by the UN Commission on Human Rights on April 21, 2004 pending its abolition.

However, the document welcomes what it calls the encouraging trend in the USA where the number of persons sentenced to death has reduced. Since 1999, death sentences have reduced by 54%, executions have reduced by 40%, and the numbers on death row have reduced by 6%.

The report notes that Asia remains the continent that executes the highest number of people and says it’s alarmed that China remains the top executioner in the world with thousands of reported executions in 2004. It also calls on China to release their official figures for executions in 2004.

Europe, it notes, is close to being death-penalty free, except for Belarus, and it calls on this country to abolish state execution also.