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On World Day against the Death Penalty abolition should remain a priority, OSCE human rights head says

WARSAW, 10 October 2019 – In line with commitments by all OSCE countries, political leaders have a responsibility to promote a discussion about abolishing the death penalty, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said on World Day against the Death Penalty.

“The death penalty is cruel, inhuman and degrading,” said ODIHR Director Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir. “Most countries across the OSCE region recognize the extreme anguish a capital sentence causes to those on death row, as well as to their families. It denies the humanity of those convicted, treating them as objects to be eliminated by the state.”

This year’s edition of ODIHR’s Background Paper on the Death Penalty in the OSCE Area  focuses on the re­lationship between the death penalty and the right to life. It also includes a discussion of arguments used to retain or even to reintroduce the death penalty, including assertions that the death penalty is still legally permissible, or arguments based on alleged public support for the use of capital punishment or its purported effect on crime reduction.

The vast majority of OSCE participating States have either completely abolished the death penalty or maintain moratoria on executions as an important step towards abolition. ODIHR’s 2019 report highlights the increasingly shaky basis of the death penalty in international law. States are obliged to take steps toward the progressive abolition of the death penalty, including steps aimed at sensitising the public about arguments in favour of abolition, and keeping the question under policy review.

“There is ample evidence that the death penalty does not act as a deterrent, while of course making any miscarriage of justice irreversible,” ODIHR’s Director added. “The idea of reinstating capital punishment even in some places or instances is of great concern, and runs entirely counter to the global trend towards abolition.”

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