The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area to that effect on 15 July 2004. The moratorium, which was applicable from the day of its announcement, is not limited to a specific time frame. The moratorium applies to those who were sentenced to death prior to 30 April 2004 and to those convicted of crimes for which the death penalty is envisaged after 30 April 2004. In the former case, death sentences were to be commuted to 25 years’ imprisonment; in the latter case, a sentence of 25 years’ imprisonment was to be passed as opposed to the death penalty. As indicated above, however, life imprisonment was also introduced on 1 March 2005 as an alternative to the death penalty. Official statistics on people currently subjected to the moratorium were not provided.90 Method of execution Shooting91 Statistics Death sentences None Executions None International Safeguards Pregnant women and minors Women and individuals who were below the age of 18 at the time of the crime cannot be sentenced to death.92 Fair-trial guarantees In its concluding observations on the initial report submitted by Tajikistan, the UN Human Rights Committee expressed its concern about a number of relevant areas, including the widespread use of ill-treatment and torture by investigative and other officials to obtain information; testimony or self-incriminating evidence from 90  Statistics on death sentences and executions are classified. See Article 9 (22) of the Law “On the enumeration of information constituting a state secret”, 10 May 2002. 91  Article 219 (2) of the Criminal Execution Code, 6 August 2001. This article also provides that executions shall not be carried out in public. 92  Article 59 (2) of the Criminal Code, and Law No. 45 “On amendments to the Criminal Code”, 1 August 2003. 28