Belarusian musicians speak against the death penalty
The rock concert
“Last Dawn” was broadcast on-line by the web-page of the
newspaper “Nasha Niva” and the websites tut.by and naviny.by.
Creative persons united to remind that Belarus is the only country in
Europe where the death penalty is not only permitted, but actively
used.
NASTA SHPAKOUSKAYA, MUSICIAN:
" Such projects
provide an opportunity to think about it, because if we do not
address this topic, we simply close our eyes and refuse to think.
Here is a possibility to rethink our attitude."
The
concert "Last Dawn" started the Week against the Death
Penalty, during which the Human Rights Center “Viasna” will
myths: one in three of us mistakenly believe that there is a
moratorium on the death penalty in Belarus. At the same time, a
strong majority, about 60%, advocate for the death penalty, despite
the sad historical experience.
LIAVON VOLSKI, MUSICIAN:
"If
there is even a tiny chance, a 0,01% of miscarriage of justice, that
a person is not guilty... As it was with the killer Mikhasevich:
several people were killed after having wrongly testified against
themselves."
One of the last cases of the death penalty,
the case of Kavaliou and Kanavalau, is at least controversial. All in
all, in 1998-2010 102 people were sentenced to death.
ALES
DZIANISAU, MUSICIAN:
"Our judicial and penal system is far
from ideal. They are also far from ideal in other countries, but in
our country it sometimes acquires a political character."
The
performing musicians draw attention to the fact that the relatives of
the death convicts aren't informed about the time of the execution
and the place of the burial, which adds to the severity of the
capital punishment in Belarus.
