A/HRC/30/21 what extent poverty and the absence of legal representation and of access to justice played a role. 48. Impunity bred popular support for the death penalty. In that regard, what was needed was a rational and calm discourse that took into account different perspectives, including the views of victims of crime. Panellists also highlighted the fact that combating impunity could be successful only where national laws were effective and applied in practice. 49. The panel further observed that lack of information on the use of the death penalty did not permit victims and other stakeholders to monitor and quantify practices in some countries. States should provide full information with regard to convictions and actual executions. The convicted person, the lawyers, family members and others concerned were also entitled to be informed about the execution. 50. Panellists emphasized that States that had abolished the death penalty, and had established a moratorium, should continue to exchange information with States that continued to use it. While welcoming the fact that several abolitionist States had offered to share their experiences, the panel called on those States that maintained the death penalty to reflect on such lessons. In that context, the panel underlined the role played by the Human Rights Council and other United Nations bodies, including human rights treaty bodies and special procedures to advance discussions on the universal abolition of the death penalty. 13

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