Capital punishment in Belarus, analytics, Petition against the Death Penalty in Belarus

Belarus is the last country in Europe and former Soviet Union that is still carrying out the death penalty. Amnesty International, Human Rights Centre “Viasna”, Belarusian Helsinki Committee and other human rights defenders in Belarus oppose the death penalty in all cases without exception. The death penalty is a violation of the right to life, guaranteed by the Constitution of Belarus and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Nothing can justify the purposeful and ruthless taking of a human life by State.

The death penalty is a destructive and divisive public policy that has been shown to have no special deterrent effect on crime. It distracts from effective measures being taken against criminality through promoting simplistic responses to complex human problems. It denies the possibility of rehabilitation and reconciliation. It prolongs the suffering of the murder victim’s family, and extends that suffering to the relatives of the condemned prisoner. Amnesty International, Human Rights Centre “Viasna”, Belarusian Helsinki Committee does not seek to belittle the suffering of the families of murder victims, and recognizes and endorses a government’s duty to protect the rights of all people under its jurisdiction. However, executions are a symptom of a culture of violence rather than a solution to it. By executing a person the state commits a premeditated killing and shows a similar readiness to use physical violence as the criminal.

In Belarus the use of the death penalty is compounded by a flawed criminal justice system that administers capital punishment in a manner that violates international laws and standards pertaining to the death penalty. There is credible evidence that torture and ill-treatment are used to extract “confessions”; condemned prisoners may not have access to effective appeal mechanisms; and the inherently cruel, inhuman and degrading nature of the death penalty is compounded for death row prisoners and their relatives by the secrecy surrounding the death penalty. Neither prisoners nor their families are told the execution date in advance and prisoners must live with the fear that every time their cell door opens they may be taken for execution.

We call on the President and Parliament of Belarus to immediately declare a moratorium on death sentences and executions as a first step towards full abolition of the death penalty.

The number of signatories 17 565

Name Country Date of fill
stiefel barbara zürich, switzerland 04.07.2011
Александр Витвицкий Запорожье 04.07.2011
Александра Мальцева Запорожье 04.07.2011
Вольга Кашцялян Мінск 04.07.2011
Бабицкий Мирослав Александрович Минск 04.07.2011
Дар'я Візнэр Менск 04.07.2011
Iсаева Галiна Слуцк 03.07.2011
Ирина Беньковская Минск 03.07.2011
Heinz Schmid Kreuzlingen, Switzerland 01.07.2011
Бормотова Янина Шклов 30.06.2011
Каспяровіч Паліна Менск 30.06.2011
Сяргей Паленік Брэст 30.06.2011
Аляксей Аладка Минсая вобласць 30.06.2011
Калiнiна Марына Мiнск 30.06.2011
Wicki Raphael Merlischachen, Switzerland 30.06.2011
Ирина Шепель Минск 29.06.2011
Климович Елена Минск 29.06.2011
Кашкан Иван Минск 29.06.2011
Züllig Elisa Switzerland 29.06.2011
Махнач Владимир Узда 28.06.2011
Tatsiana Turgot Copenhagen 27.06.2011
Peter Gerber Langnau, Switzerland 25.06.2011
margherita farina aranno, switzerland 25.06.2011
Андрэй Смагiн Гомель 24.06.2011
Лосик Екатерина Гомель 24.06.2011
Святлана Смагiна Гомель 24.06.2011
Андрэй Малюжанец Шаркаушчына 24.06.2011
Давыдзенка Аляксандра Мінск 23.06.2011
Вольга Цixaновiч Мiнск 23.06.2011
андрэй кашэўскі Жодзіна-Смалявічы 23.06.2011
Арына Дзмітрыева Гродна 22.06.2011
Войцех Корчак Заслаўе 22.06.2011
Стэфанія Манько Менск 22.06.2011
Светлана Баруткина Минск 21.06.2011
Ирина Малышева Гродно 20.06.2011
Мария Малышева Гродно 20.06.2011
Murray Gibbs Versoix Switzerland 18.06.2011
Morciano, Francesco St.Gallen, Switzerland 18.06.2011
Натальля Шышкіна Менск 15.06.2011
Андрусь Крэчка Менск 15.06.2011
Artsiukh Iryna Berlin 15.06.2011
Fürst Martin Rheinfelden, Schweiz 14.06.2011
joel willi swiss mels 14.06.2011
Ilya Nahorny Солигорск 12.06.2011
Aliaksey Hrinevich Fanipol 12.06.2011
Хинич Вероника Минск 11.06.2011
Алина Кучеренко Новополоцк 11.06.2011
Юлiя Балакiр Слуцк 09.06.2011
Єніна Анна Київ 09.06.2011
Antje Cubela Zürich Switzerland 08.06.2011
Крыловіч Надзея Мінск 08.06.2011
Николай Петровский Москва 08.06.2011
Наста Іванчук Мінск 08.06.2011
Gobbert, Tobias Mannheim, Germany 07.06.2011
Stéphanie Ballanfat Switzerland 07.06.2011
Яніна Грыневіч Менск 06.06.2011
Caroline Tremblay Saint-Joseph-de-Sorel, Canada 05.06.2011
Арцём Быстрык Наваградак 04.06.2011
Валерый Жебрак Волковыск 03.06.2011
Valentina B Paris, France 02.06.2011
Грамович Александра Минск 01.06.2011
Sven Aydin Schwyz, Swizerland 01.06.2011
Lidia Asencio Córdoba- España 01.06.2011
Юшкевіч Андрэй Віцебск 31.05.2011
Pladys Alexandra Alpnach, Switzerland 31.05.2011
Rebekka, Raymann Grabs, Schweiz 31.05.2011
Чарняк Марына Менск 31.05.2011
Senn Lukas St. Gallen, Schweiz 30.05.2011
Іна Сярбаева Беларусь 29.05.2011
Borgin, Natalia Schaffhausen, Switzerland 28.05.2011
Андрусь Паджараў Мінск 26.05.2011
Achermann, Claudia Switzerland 26.05.2011
Frei Sabrina Zurich, Switzerland 26.05.2011
Андрэй Бука Шаркоўшчына 26.05.2011
Dufour Colette Rances, Suisse 25.05.2011
Pierre-Alain Geiser Romont ,Switzerland 25.05.2011
Наста Захарэвіч Менск 25.05.2011
Widmer, Karin Zürich, Switzerland 25.05.2011
veronique Locher geneva switzerland 25.05.2011
Нiка Слабчанка Менск 24.05.2011
Forney Annick lausanne, Suisse 23.05.2011
Sergi, Raffael Geneva, Suiss 22.05.2011
ferrari silvana 2108 couvet switzerland 22.05.2011
Céline Eggenberger Uzwil, Switzerland 21.05.2011
Максім Дудко Магілёў 21.05.2011
Вольга Белашэдава Мiнск 21.05.2011
Эдуард Непогода Кореличи 20.05.2011
Вольга Гельдыева Барысаў 20.05.2011
jung.arthur chur,switzerland 19.05.2011
Boris Calame Geneva, Switzerland 19.05.2011
Weber Judith Frauenfeld, Switzerland 19.05.2011
Вольга Шульга Гродна 18.05.2011
Catherine Jallow Ba Genève, Switzerland 17.05.2011
REGUIS Manuel France 17.05.2011
Anne-Kathrin Bützer Winterthur, Schweiz 17.05.2011
Zogg, Gioia St.Gallen, Switzerland 17.05.2011
Galina Aksiuchyts Zaslaue 16.05.2011
Ribeiro Miguel Sion, Switzerland 16.05.2011
Любовь Мосеева-Элье Калуга, Россия 16.05.2011
Laura W. Switzerland 16.05.2011

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