rights can only be limited “in time of public emergency which threatens the life of the nation,” and even then no derogation is permitted from the rights to life, freedom from torture and slavery, freedom from retrospective law, the right to personhood, and freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Part 3 of the IC CPR (Articles 6–27) lists the rights themselves. For example, Article 6 (1) unequivocally declares that “[e]very human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life.” The Covenant goes further: “In countries which have not abolished the death penalty, sentence of death may be imposed only for the most serious crimes in accordance with the law in force at the time of the commission of the crime and not contrary to the provisions of the present Covenant and to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. This penalty can only be carried out pursuant to a final judgement rendered by a competent court.”17 Physical integrity, in the form of freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, is also guaranteed in the 17 Clause 2, Article 6 of the ICCPR. See, Article 7 of the ICCPR. The gap between international and national legal regimes and the actual practice as an indication of deviations from such national and international standards apropos the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment are discussed in Part II of this report. 19 Article 10 (1) of the Covenant. 18 26