The European Union condemns the recent execution of 24 people sentenced on charges of terrorism for starting wildfires in coastal regions of Syria in September and October 2020. It is also highly concerning that minors received verdicts of 10 to 12 years imprisonment for similar charges.

The European Union strongly opposes the death penalty at all times and in all circumstances. It is a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, which fails to act as a deterrent to crime and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity.

The European Union continues to work for the universal abolition of the death penalty and urges Syria to join the worldwide trend to abolish the capital punishment.