EU Reaffirms Stance Against Death Penalty in Human Rights Discussions with India

The European Union (EU) has reaffirmed its stance against the death penalty in all circumstances during the Human Rights Dialogue with India, which, in turn, emphasized its position on recognizing the Right to Development as a distinct, universal, inalienable, and fundamental human right.

India and the EU shared perspectives and addressed the challenges each faces regarding civil and political rights; social, economic, and cultural rights; the elimination of discrimination in all its forms; migrants’ rights; freedom of religion or belief; as well as freedom of expression and opinion, both online and offline; gender, LGBTQI+ rights, and children’s rights.

They reinforced their dedication to fostering trustworthy, sustainable, human-centric AI, as communicated during the AI Impact Summit 2026 hosted by India, while exploring shared interests in enhancing cooperation on humanitarian aid and disaster response.
The 12th India-European Union (EU) Human Rights Dialogue took place in New Delhi on 24 June 2026, co-chaired by MEA’s Additional Secretary (Europe West) Piyush Srivastava and the EU Ambassador to India, Hervé Delphin, with the next dialogue scheduled for 2027.

Both parties appreciated the discussions under the Dialogue framework, agreeing on the significance of its regularity. They exchanged views on developments in the EU and India, as well as at regional and international levels, since the last dialogue in January 2025.

Emphasizing the necessity to strengthen and collaborate with national and international human rights institutions and mechanisms for the protection and promotion of human rights, both sides acknowledged the importance of safeguarding freedom, independence, and diversity for civil society actors and organizations, along with relevant stakeholders like journalists, while respecting the rights to association and peaceful assembly.

India and the EU reiterated their commitment to “continue engaging on human rights in both bilateral and multilateral contexts, including through the regular India-EU human rights dialogue and on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC),” as detailed in the Joint India-EU Comprehensive Strategic Agenda.

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