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People in Minsk oppose abolition of death penalty, poll suggests

People in Minsk seem to oppose the abolition of the death penalty in Belarus in defiance of calls by the Council of Europe to put at least a moratorium on it.

Belarus is the last European country that still uses capital punishment.

Two death row inmates were executed in the country last week, Amnesty International said on Monday referring to the mother of one of them who was told by prison staff about the executions.

“I think that people should be executed if they deserve this,” an elderly woman told a BelaPAN correspondent in Minsk. “If someone has killed a person, he also must be killed.”

”Capital punishment should be in place,” a middle-aged woman said. “I think that it should be used, for instance, against pedophiles. But it is bad that the bodies of convicts are not given to their relatives and the places where they have been buried are not disclosed. In any case, they are sons or fathers for someone.”

“I am against it. People should not be executed. People should be given a chance. But capital punishment is needed for grave crimes,” a man said in a somewhat contradictory comment.

“There are instances when it must be used,” a young man noted. “I cannot say whether I am definitely against or for it. I think that every case should be studied very thoroughly. Perhaps, time should be taken or additional requirements should be established for it. But I don’t think that I support its complete abolition.”

“It is a disputable issue,” a young girl said. “It should be used in some instances. Yet sometimes, a life sentence is better than to kill a person. He will not even feel the responsibility that he should bear.”

“It depends,” an elderly woman said. “But anyway, people should be merciful.”

Another woman said, “It depends on the crime. I would have lynched for rapes. I really don’t like pederasts and those who abuse children and women. Capital punishment should be applied for the crimes. But here, people are jailed for a loaf of bread and may get away with more serious crimes.”

“I think that it is needed because there are people who deserve it,” a young man said. “It must be handed down for rape and murder. The state should not pay for the maintenance of criminals.”

“I am against the death penalty. I believe that it is too cruel,” a young woman opined.

A friend of her, however, said that she supported the use of capital punishment. "I would have eradicated all rapists or, at least, castrated them,” she said.

“My opinion is that we don’t need it,” a man said. “Many countries have abandoned it and Russia considers the move. People jailed for life live in a hell. And I think that this is a serious punishment for what they have done.