The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area
maintain the death penalty to abolish it completely and, in the meantime, to establish
a moratorium on executions,
Recalling further the important results accomplished by the former Commission on
Human Rights on the question of the death penalty, and envisaging that the Human
Rights Council could continue to work on this issue,
Considering that the use of the death penalty undermines human dignity, and convinced that a moratorium on the use of the death penalty contributes to the enhancement and progressive development of human rights, that there is no conclusive
evidence of the death penalty’s deterrent value and that any miscarriage or failure of
justice in the death penalty’s implementation is irreversible and irreparable,
Welcoming the decisions taken by an increasing number of States to apply a moratorium on executions, followed in many cases by the abolition of the death penalty,
1. Expresses its deep concern about the continued application of the death penalty;
2. Calls upon all States that still maintain the death penalty to:
(a) Respect international standards that provide safeguards guaranteeing the protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, in particular the minimum
standards, as set out in the annex to Economic and Social Council resolution
1984/50 of 25 May 1984;
(b) Provide the Secretary-General with information relating to the use of capital punishment and the observance of the safeguards guaranteeing the protection of the
rights of those facing the death penalty;
(c) Progressively restrict the use of the death penalty and reduce the number of offences for which it may be imposed;
(d) Establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death
penalty;
3. Calls upon States which have abolished the death penalty not to reintroduce it;
4. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its sixty-third
session on the implementation of the present resolution;
5. Decides to continue consideration of the matter at its sixty-third session under the
same agenda item.
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