The death penalty is incompatible with human dignity as it is an inhumane and particularly cruel form of punishment. Germany and all of the other EU member states are opposed to the death penalty under all circumstances.

We are campaigning worldwide for its abolition and prohibition. We are defending this position strongly in key international bodies such as the UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council, and we are also criticising close partners that retain the death penalty. Moreover, we are lending our support to civil society initiatives campaigning for the abolition of the death penalty.

It is clear that this tireless commitment is yielding results as fewer and fewer countries are imposing the death penalty. According to Amnesty International, fewer than 20 countries have carried out executions each year since 2018. In 2025, this figure had fallen to just 17. The number of executions carried out around the world is alarmingly high, however. With at least 2707 people executed, 2025 witnessed the highest figure since 1981.

Of the executions for which figures are available, the majority take place in Iran. According to Amnesty International, at least 2159 people were executed in Iran in 2025 – more than twice as many as in the previous year. The majority of these executions were carried out for drug-related or capital offences – and as a cynical means of deterring protesters and activists. Members of ethnic groups such as the Baloch, Kurds and Afghan nationals are particularly affected. I call on the Iranian regime to impose an immediate moratorium on executions, to suspend all death sentences and to abolish the death penalty in its entirety.

At the same time, I welcome the abolition of the death penalty in Lebanon as the first country in the Middle East to take this step. After more than 20 years without any death sentences being carried out, the Lebanese Parliament abolished the death penalty for all offences in August, thereby taking a significant step towards protecting the right to life and human rights. This historic decision sends an important signal in the region and strengthens efforts around the world to abolish the death penalty once and for all. I would like to offer Lebanon my congratulations on achieving this important milestone.