The Question of the Death Penalty

A/HRC/RES/30/5No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 3Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development, published in 2015.

What other versions does this mandate have?

4 versions · 2014–2019

This is an older version — the most recent is A/HRC/RES/42/24

2019A/HRC/RES/42/24The question of the death penaltyLatestCompare with previous version
2017A/HRC/RES/36/17The question of the death penaltyCompare with previous version
2015A/HRC/RES/30/5The question of the death penaltyCompare with previous version
2014A/HRC/RES/26/2The question of the death penalty

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What subjects does this mandate have?

7 topics

Access to Information Capital Punishment Criminal Statistics Human Rights Prisoner Treatment Prisoners' Families Torture Prevention

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2017.

2017A/HRC/36/26Capital punishment and the implementation of the safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty yearly supplement of the Secretary-General to his quinquennial report on capital punishment

Identified automatically from the metadata in each report’s UN Digital Library catalogue record.

What does this mandate say?

9 operative paragraphs

Urges all States to protect the rights of persons facing the death penalty and other affected persons by complying with their international obligations, including the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;

Calls upon States that have not yet acceded to or ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights aiming at the abolition of the death penalty to consider doing so;

Calls upon States that have not yet abolished the death penalty to make available relevant information, disaggregated by sex, age and other applicable criteria, with regard to their use of the death penalty, inter alia, the number of persons sentenced to death, the number of persons on death row, the number of executions carried out and the number of death sentences reversed, commuted on appeal or in which amnesty or pardon has been granted, which can contribute to possible informed and transparent national and international debates, including on the obligations of States with regard to the use of the death penalty;

Calls upon States to ensure that children whose parents or parental caregivers are on death row, the inmates themselves, their families and their legal representatives are provided, in advance, with adequate information about a pending execution, its date, time and location, to allow a last visit or communication with the convicted person, the return of the body to the family for burial or to inform on where the body is located, unless this is not in the best interests of the child;

Requests the Secretary-General to dedicate the 2017 supplement to his quinquennial report on capital punishment to the consequences arising at various stages of the imposition and application of the death penalty on the enjoyment of the human rights of the persons facing the death penalty and other affected persons, paying specific attention to the right to equality and non-discrimination, including on foreign nationals, and to present it to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-sixth session;

Decides that the upcoming biennial high-level panel discussion to be held at the thirty-fourth session of the Human Rights Council will address the human rights violations related to the use of the death penalty, in particular with respect to the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;

Requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to organize the panel discussion and to liaise with States, relevant United Nations bodies, agencies, treaty bodies, special procedures and regional human rights mechanisms, as well as with parliamentarians, civil society, including non-governmental organizations, and national human rights institutions with a view to ensuring their participation in the panel discussion;

Also requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a summary report on the panel discussion and to submit it to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-sixth session;

Decides to continue its consideration of this issue in accordance with its programme of work.

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What does this mandate say?

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