Campaigners present documentary to mark decade of anti-death penalty activism
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- Campaigners against the death penalty, Ales Kaputski and Andrei Paluda. Photo: spring96.org
On June 30, Maladziečna hosted the premiere screening of a documentary entitled “We are against the death penalty” filmed to mark 10 years since the launch of “Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus”, a nation-wide campaign fighting to end executions in Belarus.
The film was presented by the campaign leader Andrei Paluda, and Palina Stsepanenka, who wrote the script for the movie.
The documentary directed by Viktar Tratsiakou tells the story of a man who was executed for a crime he did not commit. It also summarizes the campaigners' activities for the past 10 years.
“Human rights are a complex topic. Very often, it causes confusion and debates. There are hotter issues, such as the rights of LGBTQ people, and there are more understandable themes, e.g. the rights of people with disabilities, children’s rights and torture. The death penalty is a topic that is still perceived with much controversy,” Andrei Paluda said during the presentation.
The activists believe that the first step is the introduction of a moratorium on executions. They cite the example of Russia, which declared a moratorium in 1996, and it did not result in an increase in the number of violent crimes.
