A/HRC/30/18 I. Introduction 1. The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 26/2, requested the Secretary-General to dedicate the 2015 annual 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 those facing the death penalty and other affected persons. 2. On behalf of the Secretary-General, in March 2015, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights sent notes verbales to various stakeholders, including States, international, regional and intergovernmental bodies, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations, requesting relevant information to enable the Secretary-General to prepare his report. Information received has been included in the present report to the extent possible.1 3. The Secretary-General draws the attention of the Human Rights Council to his ninth report on capital punishment and implementation of the safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty (E/2015/49), which finds that the marked trend towards abolition and restriction of the use of capital punishment in most countries continues. Attention is also drawn to other recent reports outlining various human rights consequences of the use of the death penalty. 2 4. The present report examines possible consequences of the imposition and application of the death penalty on the enjoyment of various human rights, including human dignity, the right to life, the right to freedom from torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the right to a fair trial and the right to equality and nondiscrimination. It also examines the impact on the enjoyment of human rights by children of parents who are sentenced to death or executed, and other individuals associated with sentenced persons. It further examines the human rights consequences of the lack of transparency in the imposition and application of the death penalty. II. Consequences of the imposition and application of the death penalty on the enjoyment of the human rights of those facing the death penalty A. Human dignity 5. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 provides that recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. The dignity of the human person is inherent in any right protected by international human rights law. Dignity lends real meaning to human rights, and as such is inherent in any right protected by international human rights law. 6. In the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty, which was adopted in 1989, States parties recognize that abolition of the death penalty contributes to enhancement of human 1 2 All submissions are on file with the Secretariat and available for consultation. See A/63/293 and Corr.1, A/65/280 and Corr.1, A/67/226, A/69/288, A/HRC/18/20, A/HRC/21/29, A/HRC/24/18, A/HRC/27/23, E/CN.4/2006/53/Add.3, A/HRC/10/44, A/67/275 and A/67/279. 3