A/HRC/21/29 precautionary measures had been granted on behalf of the alleged victim, and requested a stay of execution until such time as it should pronounce on the merits of the petition. 45 D. Pardon or commutation 42. Amnesty International recorded pardons or commutations of death sentences in 33 States.46 This practice could be seen as a sign that: a growing number of States accept that in some cases death sentences or executions are inappropriate for the crimes allegedly committed, or the legal process that led to the conviction is not consistent with international standards; and that by avoiding executions, they wish to undertake steps to protect the right to life in line with national law and their obligations under international law. 43. In April 2011, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of independence, the Government of Sierra Leone pardoned at least four death row prisoners, including one woman, and commuted all other death sentences to life imprisonment, except one.47 On 27 April 2011, the President of Sierra Leone commuted all death sentences to life imprisonment and three death-row prisoners were granted pardon (A/HRC/18/10, para. 29). In Myanmar, on 2 January 2012, the death sentences of all 33 inmates on death row were commuted to life imprisonment by Presidential Order. In April 2012, King Mohammed of Morocco commuted five death sentences to terms of imprisonment .48 On 14 February 2012, a presidential amnesty was introduced in Tunisia, which led to commuting death sentences of 122 convicts to life imprisonment (A/HRC/WG.6/13/TUN/1, para. 63). 44. In some cases, death sentences against children who were under 18 at the time of the offences were commuted or pardoned by the judiciary or the executive authorities. For instance, on 2 April 2012, the Constitutional Court of Sudan issued a decision rejecting the death penalty imposed on a person under 18 in the Red Sea State. After continuous advocacy and psychosocial and legal aid provided by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), OHCHR and other international organizations, the death sentence pronounced against three juveniles was commuted by the Appeal Court in Mauritania in December 2011 to 12 years’ imprisonment, the maximum penalty for minors under national law. E. Methods of execution 45. In its resolution 1996/15, paragraph 7, the Economic and Social Council urged States to effectively apply the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners in order to keep to a minimum the suffering of prisoners under sentence of death and to avoid any exacerbation of such suffering. 46. During the reference period, executions were reportedly carried out publicly in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia and Somalia.49 Contrary to previous years, no execution by stoning was recorded during the reporting period. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the new Islamic Penal Code, passed by its parliament in January 2012, does not provide provision for punishment by stoning. The 45 46 47 48 49 12 Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, report No. 16/12 on petition P-1528-11, Admissibility, Ivan Teleguz v. United States, 20 March 2012. Death Sentences and Executions, p. 6. Ibid., p. 50. Death Sentences and Executions, pp. 41–42; see also submission to the Committee against Torture by the Advocates for Human Rights, in collaboration with the World Coalition against the Death Penalty. Available from http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cat/cats47.htm. Death Sentences and Executions, p. 8.