The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area 2. No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment or treatment. All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person. 3. Punishment shall not be extended to any person other than the criminal. Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights to Abolish the Death Penalty, A-53 (1990) Preamble The States Parties to this Protocol, Considering That Article 4 of the American Convention on Human Rights recognizes the right to life and restricts the application of the death penalty; That everyone has the inalienable right to respect for his life, a right that cannot be suspended for any reason; That the tendency among the American States is to be in favor of abolition of the death penalty; That application of the death penalty has irrevocable consequences, forecloses the correction of judicial error, and precludes any possibility of changing or rehabilitating those convicted; That the abolition of the death penalty helps to ensure more effective protection of the right to life; That an international agreement must be arrived at that will entail a progressive development of the American Convention on Human Rights, and That States Parties to the American Convention on Human Rights have expressed their intention to adopt an international agreement with a view to consolidating the practice of not applying the death penalty in the Americas, Have agreed to sign the following protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights to Abolish the Death Penalty 99