The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area ment is inhuman and unnecessary.124 On 8 October 2015, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the death penalty125 reiterating its condemnation of the use of the death penalty and its strong support for the introduction of a moratorium as a step towards abolition. Condemning all executions as a violation to human dignity, the European Parliament expressed particular concern about the imposition of the death penalty on minors and persons with mental and intellectual disability. The resolution on the death penalty makes specific reference to CAT. On 9 July 2015, the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE approved by majority vote their 2015 Helsinki Declaration, at its 24th annual session in Helsinki. OSCE participating States affirmed the right of and responsibility for OSCE/ODIHR and themselves to speak out when abuses take place in other States, including the imposition of the death penalty. Calling for an immediate moratorium on executions, representatives of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly consider the death penalty to be an inhuman and degrading punishment, an act of torture unacceptable to states respecting human rights 126 In taking note of the ongoing discussions, in recent statements ODIHR has welcomed the increased number of abolitionist OSCE participating States, acknowledging that most of the OSCE region recognizes the inherently cruel, inhuman and degrading nature of capital punishment.127 OSCE participating States The increased focus on examining whether the death penalty in itself violates the prohibition of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, is also reflected in statements by individual participating States’ before various international forums. Representatives of various OSCE countries have indicated that the death penalty is a violation of the prohibition of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,128 and is incompatible with respect for human dignity.129 For instance, before the OSCE Permanent Council, European Union Member States,130 124  EU Guidelines on Death Penalty, 8416/13, 12 April 2013, <https://eeas.europa.eu/human_rights/guidelines/ death_penalty/docs/guidelines_death_penalty_st08416_en.pdf>. 125  European Parliament Resolution 2015/2879 (RSP), Op. Cit., note 9. 126  OSCE PA Helsinki Declaration and Resolutions adopted by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly at the Twenty-fourth Annual Session, (AS [15] DE) Helsinki 5-9 July 2015, para. 98 and 138, <http://www.oscepa.org/documents/all-documents/annual-sessions/2015-helsinki/declaration-3/2977-2015-helsinki-declaration-eng/file>. 127  ODIHR statement of 18 February 2016, <http://www.osce.org/odihr/223246>; ODIHR statement of 11 December 2015, <http://www.osce.org/odihr/209026>. 128  See Secretary General, op. cit., note 22, para. 28: Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Mongolia, Slovenia, Spain, European Union. 129  Ibid. para. 7. 130  See PC DEL/201/16, 18 February 2016, <http://www.osce.org/pc/224671?download=true>; PC DEL/52/16, 21 January 2016, <http://www.osce.org/pc/219831?download=true>; PC DEL/1689/15/REV.1, 14 December 2015, <http://www.osce.org/pc/212926?download=true>; PC DEL/1653/15, 27 November 2015, <http://www.osce. org/pc/205761?download=true>; PC DEL/1342/15, 16 October 2015, <http://www.osce.org/pc/197626?download=true>; PC DEL/1299/15, 9 October 2015, <http://www.osce.org/pc/197901?download=true>. 31