(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Poland, although only by a small margin, are against the use of capital punishment, according to a poll by GfK Polonia published in Rzeczpospolita. 52 per cent of respondents oppose the death penalty, while 46 per cent support it.

No person has been executed in Poland since 1995. The country joined the European Union (EU) in May 2004, and the abolition of capital punishment is a pre-requisite to gain membership into the continental group.

Current Polish president Lech Kaczynski has defended the use of the death penalty for murder convictions, and the League of Polish Families (LPR)—which was part of the governing coalition from October 2005 to August 2007—has called for a referendum on capital punishment.

In August 2006, European Commission spokesman Stefaan de Rynck criticized Kaczynski, saying, "The death penalty is not compatible with European values."

On Sept. 18, Poland was the only one of the 27 current EU member nations to reject a proposal which sought to declare Oct. 10 as the annual "European day against the death penalty". Polish deputy justice minister Andrzej Duda said the continental group "should approach the subject in a broader way and debate the protection of life," adding, "The death penalty is only one element of the debate; there are more—for example, abortion and euthanasia."

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