The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area–Background Paper 2021 penalty was a violation of the right to life, and the right to be protected against torture and inhuman and degrading treatment.122 Inter-governmental organizations were also significant for Latvia’s road to abolition. Following independence, Latvia’s plan to enter the Council of Europe and the EU proved vital. It has been noted that political support for abolition was largely (though not entirely) based on these pragmatic considerations.123 In February 1995, Latvia became a member of the Council of Europe and signed the ECHR.124 In January 1996 however, Igor Strukov and Rolans Laceklis-Bertmanis were executed, marking the first executions to have been carried out since Latvia became a member of the Council of Europe and signed the ECHR.125 In June 1996, PACE adopted Resolution 1097 (1996) in which it expressed its regret that Latvia had not kept its commitment to ratify Protocol No. 6 within one year of accession. The Resolution warned that further executions would have consequences.126 In May 1998, the Government presented the Saeima (the parliament of Latvia) with a Criminal Code amendment that abolished the death penalty under all circumstances with no exceptions, thus going beyond the requirements of Protocol No. 6. In parliamentary debates, the importance of Latvia’s accession to the Council of Europe membership was highlighted. The Government signed Protocol No. 6, which entered into force on 7 May 1999. Soon afterwards, a Criminal Code amendment replaced the death penalty with life imprisonment, but permitted capital punishment during times of war.127 Correspondents reported that while most Latvians supported the death penalty, the country’s political leaders saw compliance with EU legislation as vital for Latvia’s chances of joining the EU.128 In September 2008, discussions about reintroduction of capital punishment surfaced, following the murder of a young girl.129 The President of PACE denounced these 122 Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights Report, Abolition of the death penalty in Council of Europe observer states, Doc. 9115, 7 June 2001, para 40. 123 Cornell Center, op. cit., note 90. 124 Amnesty International, Report, 1996. 125 Amnesty International, Report, 1997. 126 Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Abolition of the death penalty in Europe, Doc. 7589, 25 June 1996. 127 Cornell Center, op. cit., note 90. 128 BBC News, World: Europe Latvia abolishes death penalty, 15 April 1999. 129 Amnesty International, Amnesty International report 2009: The state of the world’s human rights, 2009. 32