The European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) on Thursday reiterated their longstanding opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances.

The reaction came after Harkat-ul-Jihad (Huji) chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and his associates — Delwar Alias Ripon and Sharif Shahedul Alam alias Bipul — were hanged over the grenade attack on ex-British envoy Anwar Choudhury in Sylhet in 2004, reports UNB.

‘Three death sentences were executed in Bangladesh on 12 April 2017. The European Union universally opposes the use of capital punishment,’ said the EU delegation to Bangladesh in a statement.

It said capital punishment is not a deterrent against crimes and it renders miscarriages of justice irreversible.

The EU delegation to Bangladesh urged Bangladeshi authorities to introduce a moratorium on executions as a first step towards definitive abolition of capital punishment.

‘It’s right that the perpetrators of terrorist crimes are brought to justice,’ a spokesperson at the British High Commission told UNB mentioning that the 2004 attack on the Dargah-e-Shah Jalal mosque was deeply shocking, resulting in three tragic deaths and injuring many people, including the then British High Commissioner.

The UK reiterates its longstanding opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances, said the official.