(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The number of people who support the death penalty has increased in the Czech Republic, according to a poll by CVVM. 62 per cent of respondents think the practice should be allowed in the country, up four points since June 2007.

More than 1,200 people were executed between 1945 and 1990 in Czechoslovakia. The death penalty was officially eradicated in May 1990. When the Czech Republic was instituted in 1993, the abolition of the capital punishment was enshrined in the new constitution.

The country’s civil law system is derived from Austro-Hungarian codes, while its criminal law has been revised to conform to Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) standards. The Czech Republic joined the European Union (EU) in May 2004.

On Jun. 16, European foreign ministers signed a joint statement calling for the global abolition of the death penalty, saying, "The Council [of ministers] recalls the opposition of the European Union to the death penalty in all cases and in all circumstances. The abolition of the death penalty contributes to the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights."

Polling Data

Do you think the death penalty should be allowed in the Czech Republic?

Source: CVVM
Methodology: Interviews with 1,066 Czech adults, conducted from May 12 to May 19, 2008. No margin of error was provided.

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