This paper was prepared by the Human Rights Section of the Office for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Co-operation
in Europe (OSCE) in co-operation with OSCE field offices. Every effort has been made to
ensure that the information contained in this paper is accurate and impartial.
This paper updates Background Paper 2004/1 of October 2004. It is intended to provide
a comparative overview of the death penalty throughout the OSCE region and to promote
constructive discussion. The content of this paper does not necessarily reflect the
policy or position of the OSCE or the ODIHR.
Any comments or suggestions should be addressed to the Human Rights Section of the
ODIHR.
Published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
(OSCE/ODIHR)
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© OSCE/ODIHR 2005
All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may be freely used and copied for
educational and other non-commercial purposes, provided that any such reproduction is
accompanied by an acknowledgement of the OSCE/ODIHR as the source.
This publication was funded by the European Commission in the framework of the
EC-ODIHR Joint Programme for Advancing Human Rights and
Democratization in Central Asia (and Developing Guidelines for
Media Monitoring in Elections).