The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area–Background Paper 2017 […] Taking note of the reports of the Secretary-General on the question of the death penalty, in the latest of which1 the Secretary-General concluded that the imposition of the death penalty was incompatible with human dignity, the right to life and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and highlighted the consequences of the lack of transparency in the imposition and application of the death penalty and the consequences arising at various stages of the imposition and application of the death penalty for the enjoyment of the human rights of other affected persons, Mindful of the work of special procedure mandate holders who have addressed human rights issues related to the death penalty, including the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, […] Strongly deploring the fact that the use of the death penalty leads to violations of the human rights of the persons facing the death penalty and of other affected persons, Recalling the calls to consider whether the use of the death penalty violates the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including because of the death row phenomenon or the methods of execution, Emphasizing the need to ensure that persons facing the death penalty are treated with humanity and with respect for their inherent dignity, and to improve conditions in prisons in accordance with international standards, such as the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, Recalling that all methods of execution can inflict inordinate pain and suffering, and that the circumstances in which executions are carried out, in particular public executions, which imply an undignified exposure of the persons sentenced to death, and secret executions or those with short or no prior warning, add to the suffering of the persons sentenced to death as well as of other affected persons, Emphasizing that lack of transparency in the use of the death penalty has direct consequences for the human rights of the persons sentenced to death as well as for other affected persons, 75