The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area–Background Paper 2017 United Nations General Assembly Resolution 70/146: Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (17 December 2015) […] Recognizing that States must protect the rights of those facing criminal sentences, including the death penalty and life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, and of other affected persons in accordance with their international obligations, […] Report of the United Nations Secretary-General, Question of the death penalty, A/HRC/24/18 (2013) […] 59. In his report to the General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur on Torture noted that there is no categorical evidence that any method of execution in use today complies with the prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Even if the required safeguards are in place, all methods of execution currently used can inflict inordinate pain and suffering. States cannot guarantee that there is a pain-free method of execution (A/67/279, paragraph 41). […] VIII. Conclusions 78. Developments on the question of the death penalty during the reporting period suggest that the trend towards abolition is continuing. However, numerous concerns remain with regard to respect for relevant international human rights norms and standards in States where the death penalty is still imposed. Until it is fully abolished, retentionist States must ensure that the death penalty is imposed only for those crimes that involve intentional killing. It should not be imposed for drug-related offences and any other ordinary crime that does not meet the threshold of “most serious crimes”. The mandatory death penalty is not compatible with the limitation of the use of the death penalty only to “most serious crimes”. States should abolish the mandatory death penalty, where it still exists. States must also ensure that the highest level of compliance with fair trial and other international human rights norms and standards are met in all death penalty cases. 79. States should amend national laws on extradition and deportation to specifically prohibit the enforced transfer of persons to States where there is a genuine risk 63