Biaroza human rights defenders mark the World Day against the Death Penalty
Despite the picket ban,
the human rights defenders held a meeting with the local citizens in
order to discuss the abolition of the death penalty in Belarus. The
meeting participants watched the documentary: “Death penalty: a way
to the past".
After this, the people expressed their
opinions concerning the abolition of the death penalty in Belarus.
Here are the most typical ones:
- I am strongly against the
death penalty, as miscarriages of justice happen.
- Judges are
ordinary people . Law enforcement agencies do not work
professionally. Their work is somewhat chaotic. Take the explosion in
the metro, for instance. It is hard to believe that these guys are
guilty.
- The death penalty has been abolished in Europe, but
the crime rate is well below ours.
- Europe is guided by the
Christian norms in this respect. It leaves it to the God to solve who
is to live and who is to die, not to a man.
- The sayings of
Metropolitan Filaret are quite interesting in this respect: God gave
life to a man and it's up to God to take it back. You mustn't become
a killer to punish a killer.
The participants of the meeting
came to the conclusion about the need for continual educational
outreach programs on the abolition of the death penalty in Belarus.
