The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area Deeply concerned about the recent lifting of moratoriums on executions in several countries, Noting the consideration of issues relating to the question of the death penalty by the Human Rights Committee, Welcoming the efforts of various sectors of civil society at the national and international levels to achieve the abolition of the death penalty, 1. Expresses its concern at the continuing use of the death penalty around the world, alarmed in particular at its application after trials that do not conform to international standards of fairness and that several countries impose the death penalty in disregard of the limitations set out in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child and of the safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty; 2. Condemns the continuing application of the death penalty on the basis of any discriminatory legislation, policies or practices; 3. Condemns also cases in which women are subjected to the death penalty on the basis of gender-discriminatory legislation, policies or practices and the disproportionate use of the death penalty against persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities; 4. Welcomes the seventh quinquennial report of the Secretary-General on capital punishment and implementation of the safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty (E/2005/3), submitted in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolutions 1745 (LIV) of 16 May 1973, 1995/57 of 28 July 1995 and Council decision 2004/242 of 21 July 2004, which concludes that there is an encouraging trend towards the abolition and restriction of the use of the death penalty in most countries, but that much remains to be done in the implementation of the aforementioned safeguards in those countries that retain it; 5. Calls upon all States that still maintain the death penalty: (a) To abolish the death penalty completely and, in the meantime, to establish a moratorium on executions; (b) Progressively to restrict the number of offences for which the death penalty may be imposed and, at the least, not to extend its application to crimes to which it does not at present apply; 57