Minsk not to abandon death penalty soon
Belarus will not be able to abandon the death penalty in the near future, says Barys Batura, chair of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly, and therefore the authorities are not so far ready to implement the requirements of the Council of Europe and declare a moratorium on capital punishment. ‘It is not always so easy as our European partners see it,’ said Mr. Batura in an interview with the Interfax news agency.
Barys Batura says that many Belarusians ‘still think the death penalty is a reasonable punishment for gravest crimes.’ Therefore, he thinks a series of preparatory measures should be taken, including forming and monitoring public opinion.
The current Criminal Code has cut the cases of using the death penalty in half, judicial practice indicating a decrease in the use of the punishment, stresses the official.
However, the official Minsk has repeatedly failed to submit information on the use of the death penalty, the DPA agency reports. According to Amnesty International, four criminals were executed in Belarus in 2008.
