ODIHR Urged Belarusian Authorities To Impose Moratorium On Death Penalty

The OSCE especially condemned the secretness of the death penalty executions in Belarus.

The ODIHR OSCE condemned the execution of death sentences in Belarus and called on the authorities to impose an immediate moratorium on their executions. This is stated in the statement of the Director of the Bureau for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Michael Georg Link, interfax.by reports.

"Carrying into execution Siarhei Khmialeuski’s death sentences, as well as other reports on the execution of death sentences, are a cause for serious concern, as the ongoing death penalty executions in Belarus run counter to the growing international trend towards abolition of this inherently cruel, inhuman and degrading penalty," – Link stressed.

"The majority of the OSCE participant-states have already abolished the death penalty, and I urge the Belarusian authorities to introduce a moratorium as a first step towards the complete abolition of the death penalty," – the OSCE ODIHR Director said.

The Bureau also recalled that the OSCE participant-states have committed themselves to keep the capital punishment abolition under consideration.

"The secrecy of most of the death penalty executions is cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners and their families. And no matter how it is carried out, the death penalty is an unacceptable denial of human dignity," – Link stated.

Each year, the ODIHR publishes a report "The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area", containing information on the status of the death penalty in 57 countries - members of the Organization. Belarus and the United States are the only states - OSCE members, which support the death penalty in practice.

It is to be recalled that since the beginning of this year four convicted have already been executed in Belarus – Ivan Kulesh, Siarhei Khmialeuski, Siarhei Ivanou and Henadz Yakavitski. Three of them were executed in November this year. Presumably, that all the three of "November" condemned men were executed in the same day.

At the moment there is only one person in the "death row cell" – Homel resident Siarhei Ostrykau (for the rape and murder of two women).

Belarus is the only country in Europe and the former Soviet Union, which still applies the death penalty. Since the beginning of 1990, more than 400 condemned men have been sentenced to death, for all that time only one person’s death penalty was commuted to a prison term.

The European Union once again condemned the death penalty in Belarus. The head of EU diplomacy Federica Mogherini also stressed that the issue of the death penalty will shape the EU's policy towards Belarus.