Strasbourg, 09.08.2012 - Renate Wohlwend (Liechtenstein, EPP/CD), the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly's General Rapporteur on the death penalty, strongly condemned the execution, in Texas, of Marvin Wilson, considered as mentally impaired because of his low IQ.

"The death penalty is a violation of human rights. The execution of Marvin Wilson is particularly shocking, as even the US Supreme Court, in 2002, had outlawed the execution of mentally handicapped persons. The case of Marvin Wilson shows that any limits placed on the death penalty in order to make it fairer and more humane do not work. The death penalty system cannot be fixed, it must be abolished. New Jersey, New Mexico, Illinois and, most recently, Connecticut, have shown the way", says Ms Wohlwend. "This execution is another blemish on the human rights record of the United States, an observer state with the Council of Europe."