Catherine Ashton sees no justification of a new death sentence in Belarus

“Capital punishment can never be justified”, - stated Catherine Ashton on the new, fourth this year, sentence to death penalty in Belarus.

As the Human Rights Center "Viasna" reported, another death verdict was pronounced in Belarus. The convict is Eduard Lykov, 53, charged with five episodes of murder while intoxicated. The sentence was handed down by the Minsk Regional Court on November 26, 2013. The convict filed an appeal to the Supreme Court. Lykov was arrested in September 2011. During this time he has had three counsels.

The spokesperson of Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, issued the following statement today:

"The High Representative regrets the death sentence recently handed down to an individual by the Minsk Regional Court. She hopes that his right to appeal will be fully exercised.

 She is conscious of the serious nature of the crimes for which he has been convicted. However, capital punishment can never be justified. The European Union opposes capital punishment under all circumstances. The death penalty is cruel and inhuman punishment, which fails to act as a deterrent and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity.

The High Representative urges Belarus, the only country in Europe still applying capital punishment, to join a global moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its universal abolition."