UNITED NATIONS A General Assembly Distr. GENERAL A/HRC/12/45 18 August 2009 Original: ENGLISH HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Twelfth session Agenda item 3 PROMOTION AND PROTECTION OF ALL HUMAN RIGHTS, CIVIL, POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT Question of the death penalty Report of the Secretary-General* Summary The Secretary-General submitted annual reports to the former Commission on Human Rights on the question of the death penalty, the most recent being pursuant to Commission resolution 2005/59. Pursuant to Human Rights Council decision 2/102, the Secretary-General submits this report on the question of the death penalty to update his previous reports, in particular his quinquennial reports to the Economic and Social Council. The present report contains information covering the period from June 2008 to July 2009, and draws attention to a number of phenomena, including the continuing trend towards abolition, the practice of engaging in a national debate on the death penalty, and the ongoing difficulties in gaining access to reliable information on executions. * Late submission. GE.09-15007 (E) 260809