EU Justice Ministers, Ashcroft to Discuss Death Penalty, Extradition

     U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft is scheduled to meet with European Union justice ministers in Copenhagen this week to try to boost cooperation in extraditions and to address EU concerns about the United States' use of the death penalty. While EU member nations have expressed a willingness to cooperate more closely with the United States in the fight against terrorism, officials do not want any extradition deal that could lead to their citizens facing the death penalty. Nations belonging to the EU enforce a mandatory ban on capital punishment. (Reuters, September 4, 2002)

    Earlier this month, Germany - a EU member nation - told the United States it will withhold evidence against Sept. 11 conspiracy defendant Zacarias Moussaoui unless it receives assurances that the material won't be used to secure a death penalty against him. Source: DPIC