24 July 1990

34th Plenary Meeting

1990/51. Capital punishment

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolutions 2857 (XXVI) of 20 December 1971, 32/61 of 8 December 1977, 39/118 of 14 December 1984 and 44/128 of 15 December 1989,

Recalling Economic and Social Council resolutions 1745 (LIV) of 16 May 1973, 1930 (LVIII) of 6 May 1975 and 1984/50 of 24 May 1984,

Recalling further Economic and Social Council resolutions 1989/64 of 24 May 1989 on the implementation of the safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty and 1989/69 of 24 May 1989,

Having examined the revised version of the fourth quinquennial report of the Secretary-General on capital punishment, which was submitted to it pursuant to its resolution 1990/29 of 24 May 1990,

Aware that only sixty Governments responded to the questionnaire sent by the Secretary-General requesting information for the preparation of the fourth quinquennial report,

1. Invites Member States to respond to the questionnaire to be sent by the Secretary-General in preparation of the fifth quinquennial report on capital punishment, in 1995, providing the information requested;

2. Notes that, in the period under review in the report of the Secretary-General, an increasing number of countries have abolished capital punishment and other countries have adopted a policy of reducing the number of capital offences or have reported not imposing death sentences on offenders, while others have retained capital punishment;

3. Requests the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control to keep the question of capital punishment under review;

4. Requests the Secretary-General, in preparing the fifth quinquennial report, to draw on all available data, including current criminological research, and to invite the comments of specialized agencies, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council on this question;

5. Requests the Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders to examine thoroughly the question of capital punishment under item 7 of its provisional agenda, entitled "United Nations norms and guidelines in crime prevention and criminal justice:

implementation and priorities for further standard-setting";

6. Recommends that the quinquennial reports of the Secretary-General on capital punishment, starting with the report to be submitted to the Economic and Social Council in 1995, should henceforth also cover the implementation of the safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty.