Death penalty: choice between revenge and humanity

On October 5-10 a “Week against the Death Penalty in Belarus” took place in Minsk. Its organizers are convinced that no humanization of the Belarusan society is possible without moratorium.

The Week is conducted within the framework of the campaign "Human rights defenders against the death penalty in Belarus”. Actions held within the frames of the campaign are aimed at stopping the use of death penalty as a type of punishment, by this introducing our country to the all-European values. A lot of honorary foreign visitors, ambassadors, famous creative people, relatives of executed convicts shot and sentenced to death, advocates and activists of the abolitionist movement in Belarus attended the Week.

- In 2013 executions were carried out in 22 countries, which is one more than the previous year, - marks Andrei Paluda, the campaign coordinator of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus". - The total number of officially reported executions in the world is 778, 15% more than in 2012. But since 2009, due to lack of reliable information, Amnesty International has not published information on the death penalty in China, where it is a state secret, and thousands of executions are carried out. 
Apart from China, nearly 80% of all known executions in the world have been reported in three countries: Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia. The five notorious leaders include the United States - the only country in North and South America where nine people were executed in 2013. At the same time, as noted in the report, the number of executions there continues to decline, and Maryland became the 18th state to abolish the death penalty. 
Amnesty International states: in spite of these alarming developments, the overall evidence indicates that the trend towards abolition of the death penalty in the world continues. 
Our country is presented in the Amnesty International report as the last country in Europe and Central Asia, where the death penalty is still used. In 2013, according to available information, no death verdicts were executed in Belarus were not met, but at least four were issued. As you know, two of them were enforced in the spring of 2014 - against Pavel Sialiun and Ryhor Yuzepchuk. At least two people are now awaiting the execution of sentences – Eduard Lykau and Aliaksandr Hrunou. These sentences can be enforced at any time, because, despite the demands of international bodies, in particular the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations, Belarus does not postpone executions of the individuals whose cases are pending at the committee. 

- Since 2010, since the first passage of the UPR by Belarus, we have learned about the executions of nine persons, - notes Valiantsin Stefanovich, Deputy Chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”. - We are particularly concerned that in five cases the death penalty was enforced despite the fact that the individual appeals of these persons had been registered in the UN Human Rights Committee. The Belarusian Government was informed by the Committee about registration of these appeals and that the sentences could not be enforced prior to the consideration of these appeals on the merits.

We also note the continued imposition of the death penalty by the Supreme Court of Belarus in the first instance, which implies that the verdicts are without appeal. Let me remind that this was the case with Kavaliou and Kanavalau, who were executed by shooting within two months after the sentencing by the Supreme Court.

We also call on Belarus to change the procedure for execution of the death penalty, which has been repeatedly recognized by the UNCHR as inhuman treatment.

The topic of the death penalty was being mentioned in the Council of Europe in line with the attempts of the Belarusian authorities to improve their image in the relations with the European Union and the USA.

In the light of the latest events happening around Belarus, Lukashenka has become such a" dove of peace", and many people in the Council of Europe started talking about "windows of opportunities" for Belarus. 

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe Tornbjorn Jagland also said that the dialogue with Belarus was extremely important for them. On the other hand, Mr. Jagland also stressed the importance keeping to the values in such a dialogue, and one of the basic values of the Council of Europe is the right to life. Therefore, the country cannot become a member of the Council of Europe without a moratorium on the death penalty.

We, as Belarusian human rights activists, support the accession of Belarus to the Council of Europe, which means ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights, recognizing the competence of the Strasbourg Court of Human Rights and declaring a moratorium on the death penalty. 

Of course, we are asking for a moratorium on the death penalty not only because it is a question of Belarus' membership in the Council of Europe. First of all, the moratorium is needed for the Belarusian society, because we cannot talk about the humanization of the society when the state allows itself to kill its citizens.