§ Mr. CarmichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made to(a) Pakistan and (b) the United States of America regarding their use of the death penalty for people under the age of 18. [161066]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienWith our EU partners, we make regular representations to the Pakistani Government on human rights issues including the use of the death penalty, most recently in June 2003.
We also make regular representations to the US, along with our EU partners, urging them to abolish the death penalty. On average, the EU makes representations to the US around once a month on individual cases.
We are particularly concerned about cases where the use of the death penalty contravenes customary international law, e.g. the execution of those who were juveniles at the time of the crime, and the execution of those suffering from mental retardation. We particularly urge the US to abandon this practice. Furthermore, we also raise the issue bilaterally with the US authorities.