Say NO to the death penalty in Belarus

Answering the question whetherthere will be any changes in the near future of how journalists can be informedabout the imposition and execution of death sentences, Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court Valery Kalinkovich noted that this issue would be considered at the plenum of the Supreme Court.

Today,it is virtually impossible for journalists to obtain information on such sentences. The Department of Corrections of the Interior Ministry says the figures can be received at the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Justice claims the Supreme Court is in charge of it, writes TUT.BY.

“One can really think of approaches to disseminate information on the activities of courts. This will just be one of the subjects to be discussed at the Plenum of the Supreme Court,”said Kalinkovich, adding that in general today, “the bearer of this information is still the authority responsible for execution of sentences,” i.e. the Ministry of the Interior.

The latestdeath sentenceis known to have been handed down to Eduard Lykov, 53, who had beenunder investigationsince 2011. The Minsk Regional Court sentenced him to death nearly a month ago, on November 26. However, the investigative and judicial authorities started disclosing information to the media only after human rights activists reported some facts in this case.

Resolution of today’s Plenum of the Supreme Court is expected to be published within the next four to five days. The campaign “Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus” are monitoring information on this issue.