President of PACE expressed his condolences to the families of the executed

The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Jean-Claude Mignon, has said he is appalled by the executions of Vladislav Kovalev and Dmitry Konovalov in Belarus, confirmed by several different sources today.

“An irreparable act has been committed. The Belarusian authorities have once again remained deaf to the many calls of the international community for clemency. The death penalty is cruel and unnecessary, it is a barbaric practice that has no place in a civilized society,” the PACE President said.

The Assembly had called on the Belarusian authorities several times not to execute MM. Konovalov and Kovalev, Mr Mignon pointed out, not only because the death penalty is wrong in principle but also because of the many questions about the fairness of their trial. The Supreme Court of Belarus had found the two young men guilty of the tragic bomb attack on 11 April 2011 in the Minsk metro.

The President expressed his condolences to the families of the executed.