BIC Reaffirms Opposition to the Death Penalty in Line with European and International Abolition Standards
The Brussels International Center (BIC) reaffirms its unwavering opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances and its commitment to its global abolition. As a fundamental violation of the right to life and human dignity, capital punishment has no place in a world committed to justice, human rights, and the rule of law.
At a time when executions continue to be carried out in several parts of the world, BIC expresses particular concern over the continued use of the death penalty in Iran, where executions remain among the highest globally and are frequently employed against political dissidents and protesters. We are equally concerned by the adoption of legislation in Israel enabling the application of capital punishment against Palestinian prisoners in a context of occupation, raising grave concerns under international humanitarian law, due process, and the right to life.
The BIC calls on all states that retain capital punishment to establish immediate moratoriums on executions and take concrete steps toward abolition. We stand in solidarity with human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, and civil society actors working under increasingly difficult conditions to challenge this irreversible and inhumane practice. As a European-based organization operating within a regional framework where the death penalty has been fully abolished and firmly rejected as a matter of law and principle by the European Union, the BIC reiterates that its complete abolition remains a core condition of respect for human rights, and urges all remaining retentionist states to align with this global and irreversible trend toward abolition.
