Russia won't overturn death penalty ban - Chairman of Human Rights Council
MOSCOW, January 30 (RAPSI) – Chairman of the Human Rights Council Mikhail Fedotov says that no one has the right to demand to overturn ban on death penalty, following a proposal of a group of Russian lawmakers to lift the ban, RIA Novosti reported on Friday.
MPs from the Liberal Democratic Party said that Russia’s possible decision to withdraw from the Council of Europe would automatically lead to the termination of decisions of the European Court of Human Rights in Russia and hence to the reintroduction of the death penalty. They believe that the moratorium’s cancellation would allow the execution of many death row criminals.
“The issue of the death penalty in Russia has not been decided by the Council of Europe but by Russia’s Constitutional Court,” Fedotov stressed. “I’d like to remind everyone that no one, including MPs, can request a review.”
“Advocating the reintroduction of the death penalty, or worse still, connecting this call to Russia’s possible withdrawal from the Council of Europe, is illogical, to say the least. I’m sure that Russia can withdraw from the Council of Europe no easier than it can withdraw from Europe. Russia is a European country, as Catherine the Great said long ago,” Fedotov added.
Source: rapsinews.com
