On 8 March 2023 Azerbaijan signed Protocol No. 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which concerns the abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances (ETS No. 187). The text now requires ratification to become legally binding for Azerbaijan. This signature coincides with the 25th anniversary of the abolition at national level (1998).
Protocol No. 13 to the ECHR entered into force on 1 July 2003 and has been ratified 44 of the 46 Member States of the Council of Europe (for more details, see signatures and ratifications). The treaty complements Protocol No. 6 to the ECHR (abolition of the death penalty in all cases except in time of war), which has been ratified by all Member States (ETS No. 114). Accession to both Protocols is optional and signifies the states’ commitment to the overall abolition of the death penalty in law and practice.
