Statement by the Spokesperson of High Representative Catherine Ashton on the alleged execution by stoning of an unmarried couple by radical Islamists in Northern Mali

BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, July 31, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The spokesperson of Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, issued the following statement today:

"The High Representative is deeply concerned about the worrying human rights situation in

Northern Mali. She firmly condemns the alleged execution by stoning of an unmarried couple by radical Islamists in Aguelhok and insists on the need to put an end to such barbarism and to respect fundamental, universally-recognised human rights. The High Representative recalls the EU's opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances and to the execution by stoning as a particularly cruel and inhuman form of punishment."