Say NO to the death penalty in Belarus

Head of the main department for work with appeals of citizens and legal entities of the Presidential Administration Stanislau Buko refused to put the question of amending the legislation, which prohibits to issue the bodies of executed death row convicts to their relatives, on the agenda of the Constitutional Court.

This is stated in his answer to the mother of an executed, Volha Hrunova. The woman received an analogical answer from the Council of Ministers, too.

Bear in mind that Volha Hrunova has appealed to President, the both Houses of Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Government, asking to put before the Constitutional Court the question of the constitutionality of the Criminal Executive Code, which prohibits issuing the bodies of the shot convicts and report their places of burial.

"The limitation, established by Article 175 of the Criminal Executive Code, is dictated by the need to ensure public order and the protection of morals, because the information about the burial place of a convicted person may provoke negative behavior on the part of relatives and friends of victims of crime, as well as lead to other excesses," argues the Presidential Administration.

Volha Hrunova has got a similar response from the Council of Ministers:

"Please be informed that the Praesidium of the Council of Ministers decided to dismiss your request for a proposal to the Constitutional Court on the audit of Article 175 of the Criminal Executive Code for compliance with the Constitution," writes the head of department on work with citizens and legal entities of the Council of Ministers L. Astrouskaya.

It should be noted that earlier Volha Hrunova addressed the Constitutional Court directly, but was redirected to the state agencies which have the right of legislative initiative according to the Belarusian legislation.

The woman states that the current practice of the enforcement of the death penalty in Belarus and the refusals to report the burial place of her son caused and continues to cause her anguish and mental stress.

"I believe that the secrecy surrounding executions and places of burial, refusals to issue the bodies of the executed for burial are equal to intimidating or punishing the families of death row convicts by intentionally leaving them in a state of uncertainty and mental distress," streessed Volha Hrunova.

Aliaksandr Hrunou's mother is trying to find about the place of burial of her son with the assistance of human rights activists through courts, which also refused to instigate proceedings on her appeal. After exhausting all domestic remedies, Volha Hrunova intends to appeal to the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

Homel Spring