How was the topic of the death penalty covered in Belarus more than 15 years ago? One of the first extensive articles appeared in the independent Belarusian newspaper "Svaboda" February 17, 1998, when its editor was Ihar Hermianchuk. The article was placed in the "Topic" column and was titled "Death Penalty". Read more…
2 July 2014 – The death penalty has no place in the 21st century, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared today, calling on all States take concrete steps towards abolishing or no longer practicing this form of punishment. Read more…
Palina Stsepanenka, a writer and an activist of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty”, tells about the issue of the death penalty and the “place for the press” in an interview for Radio Racyja. Read more…
Why does Belarus retain such a means of punishment as the death penalty? Deputy Chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Valiantsin Stefanovich believes that the cause must be sought in the Soviet past. In the USSR, the death penalty was used for a wide range of crimes. Read more…
The Minsk-based Graffiti club hosted yesterday the presentation of the project of Belarusian musicians called Aposhni Zolak (“The Last Dawn”). In this way, a number of famous musicians, among them Hanna Khitryk, Aliaksandr Pamidorau, Zmitser Vaitsiushkevich, Anastasia Shpakouskaya, Viktar Rudenka, Liavon Volski, spoke against the death penalty. Last year they had a big concert in Bialystok, and Belarusian fans were able to watch it online. Read more…
Aposhni Zolak (“The Last Dawn”) continues the traditions of such musical projects as “Narodnya Albom” ("The People's album ") “Ya Naradziuskia Tut” ("I Was Born Here") and “Sviaty Vechar” ("Holy Night"). However, the project is devoted to a very sensitive and vital issue – the death penalty. Read more…
During the filming of “Cause of Death – “, activists of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty” met with public and political figure, Honored Lawyer of Belarus Mechyslau Hryb. Read more…
The issue of abolition of the death penalty in Belarus should not be solved artificially and briskly. The society “should maturate for it”, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Uladzimir Makei said in an interview. Read more…
The fourth film in the series “Six Arguments against the Death Penalty” tells about the killings of political opponents and the mass shootings. Read more…
The “corridor of death” is a corridor in the prison basement where cells for death convicts are located, and there is one way out of it – to be shot. And exceptions never happen. But… Read more…
Karel Schwarzenberg, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, Oscar-winning screenwriter and actor Zdeněk Svěrák and gymnast, seven-time Olympic champion Věra Čáslavská have signed a petition of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus”. Read more…
The International Commission against the Death Penalty (ICDP) condemns the execution of Ryhor Yuzepchuk (45) by authorities in Belarus; the second in 2014. Read more…
In 1998, the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, which was then called “Viasna-96”, received a complaint from the mother of Ivan Famin, who was sentenced to death. The woman gave the human rights defenders several letters that were written on death row and were passed through so called prison mail. Read more…
Belarus executes second prisoner this year. At least two men remain on death row at imminent risk of execution. Amnesty International appeals to write to Belarusian authorities to call them to abolish death penalty. Read more…
Mahilyou regional court informed that Ryhor Yuzepchuk has been executed. 45-year-old man was sentenced to death for killing his cellmate. The cellmate allegedly gambled away his life in domino game. Read more…