Armenia Commutes All Death Sentences

Walter Schwimmer, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, recent­ly praised the deci­sion of Armenian President Robert Kocharyan to com­mute all remain­ing death sen­tences in the nation to life in prison. ​“I am delight­ed that President Kocharyan has tak­en such a pos­i­tive and com­mend­able step for­ward. The death penal­ty is an affront to all notions of dig­ni­ty and human rights, and has no place in the Europe of today,” Schwimmer said. The President’s deci­sion to com­mute the death sen­tences is in line with Armenia’s efforts to com­ply with stan­dards set by the Council of Europe that for­bid mem­ber nations from main­tain­ing cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment. (The Council of Europe Press, August 2, 2003). See International Death Penalty.