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Lukashenka says that he will yet consider whether to pardon Kanavalaw, Kavalyow

 

Alyaksandr Lukashenka said Friday that he would yet consider whether to pardon Dzmitry Kanavalaw and Uladzislaw Kavalyow sentenced to death in the subway bombing trial in Minsk on November 30, according to the government’s news agency BelTA.

While talking to reporters in the Ivatsevichy district, Brest region, Mr. Lukashenka defended the Supreme Court’s judgment.

“For some reason, I was sure that the court would arrive at such a conclusion,” he said.

Something what happened was firstly abnormal and secondly unacceptable for Belarus; thirdly, people were killed in the attack, he said. “Fourthly, you have seen how insolently he behaved during interrogations. He wanted to kill as many people as possible,” Mr. Lukashenka said, referring to a video of interrogations of the young men broadcast by state television channels the previous day.

But there are at the other end of the scale the parents of the convicts and some part of the public who have stood up for the men, said the Belarusian leader. “And here you begin thinking it over. I will make a decision very soon and will surely inform you of it.”

“But this is a hard decision for me regarding those two… -- I don’t know whether I should call them people. You do remember what happened, to say nothing of me. It was a very strong blow to our society. The court have made the decision and I have nothing to rebuke it for. Now the ball is in the president’s court.”

“I must either sign an edict to approve the court’s decision or, if there are pardon applications, consider these papers. This is the hardest thing in the president`s job. //BelaPAN