1. Abolitionist States On 2 October 2007, France acceded to the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR. On 10 October, it ratified Protocol No. 13 to the ECHR concerning the abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances.15 On 17 October 2007, Albania and Ukraine acceded to the Second Optional Protocol. In October 2007, Canada reversed a long-standing policy, stating that clemency would no longer be sought for Canadian citizens sentenced to death in democratic countries that adhere to the rule of law.16 Following amendments to Kyrgyzstan’s Criminal Code in June 2007, on abolition of the death penalty, the cases of the 174 prisoners already sentenced to death were to be reviewed by the Supreme Court within six months. The outcome of these reviews was still pending at the end of 2007.17 Uzbekistan abolished the death penalty as of 1 January 2008.18 15  See the chapter on France in Amnesty International Report 2008: State of the World’s Human Rights (London: Amnesty International, 2008), <http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/regions/europe-and-centralasia/france>. 16  See the chapter on Canada, ibid., <http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/regions/americas/canada>. 17  See the chapter on Kyrgyzstan, ibid., <http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/regions/europe-and-centralasia/kyrgyzstan>. 18  See pp. 14-16 for developments in Uzbekistan covering the period from 1 July 2007 to 1 January 2008. 3