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Death penalty issue remains crucial in relations between Belarus and Council of Europe

The issue of the abolition of the death penalty remains crucial in relations between Belarus and the Council of Europe, Daniil Khochabo, of the Directorate General of Democracy and Political Affairs in the Council of Europe, said at a news conference in Minsk on Friday, BelaPAN said.

The conference was held within the framework of a two-month exhibition of posters titled, "Death is not Justice," which began in Minsk on October 8 to mark World Day Against the Death Penalty.

In June 2009, PACE decided that the Belarusian parliament’s Special Guest status in the Assembly might be restored only after Minsk declared a moratorium on the death penalty.
Aware of the complexity of the issue, the Council of Europe is patient and ready to work with Belarus to do away with the death penalty in Europe, Mr. Khochabo said.

The Council of Europe condemned the execution of two prisoners in Belarus in the spring and a Belarusian court's recent decision to impose a new death sentence, Mr. Khochabo said. The imposition of death sentences, not to mention their administration, does not help develop bilateral relations or hold a productive dialogue, he noted.

Representatives of the Council of Europe try to convince the Belarusian government at different levels that it would only benefit from a bold political decision aimed at protecting fundamental human rights, such as the right to life, Mr. Khochabo said.

Belarus knows full well that most European governments abolished the death penalty despite opposition, said Mikalay Samaseyka, head of the Belarusian parliament’s working group on the issue of the death penalty.

More than 80 percent of those who took part in a 1996 national referendum reportedly voted against abolishing the death penalty, he noted.

Nevertheless, the death penalty in Belarus will be abolished and the only question is when this will happen, Mr. Samaseyka said. "We believe that Belarus has its own peculiarities and should have its own way of resolving this issue," he said. The working group is studying people's attitudes toward the death penalty, and opinion polls indicate that it is gradually changing, he said.

Nevertheless, the complete abolition of the death penalty requires a constitutional amendment and therefore it is only possible through a referendum, Mr. Samaseyka said.
The European Union fully supports the Council of Europe in its campaign the death penalty, said Jean-Eric Holzapfel, charge d’affaires of the EU’s Delegation to Belarus. He expressed hope that Belarus would get closer to abolishing the death penalty by declaring a moratorium on it.