OSCE/ODIHR presents annual death penalty report

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented its 2013 background paper on the death penalty in the OSCE area at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw on 2 October 2013.    

The report, which covers the period from 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013, focuses on the situation in the two participating States – Belarus and the United States - that continue to apply the death penalty. The abolition of capital punishment for all future cases in the state of Maryland, which became the 18th jurisdiction in the United States that will no longer sentence offenders to death, is among the highlights of this year’s report.

The report also focuses on the four OSCE participating States – Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Russian Federation and Tajikistan – that do not currently impose the death penalty, but retain capital punishment in law. Developments in some of other 51 participating States that have abolished the death penalty are also covered by the report.

OSCE participating States have made a number of commitments relating to the death penalty. In 1989 in Vienna, participating States pledged to limit the use of capital punishment only to the most serious crimes and in a manner not contrary to their international commitments. In 1990 in Copenhagen, participating States agreed to make public information regarding the use of the death penalty and to keep the question of eliminating capital punishment under consideration.