BHC petitions Supreme Court with opinion on case of death convict Ryhor Yuzepchuk

In July 2012, two inmates killed a cellmate in a prison in Mahiliou. The verdict in the case was handed down to them on April 25, 2013 by Mahiliou Regional Court. One of the prisoners, Ryhor Yuzepchuk, was sentenced to death. The appeal in the case is now subject to review by the Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus.

The Belarusian Helsinki Committee prepared conclusions of a public examination of the case as an amicus curiae procedure. In the international legal practice, such activities (“amicus curiae”, Latin “friend of the court”) are used as a tool to improve the legal system. Such investigations by human rights organizations are not held for the benefit of the procedural side, but as an opportunity to present a neutral view of the authors with a deep respect and recognition of the high authority and independence of the court.

The objective of this study was to find the reasons for the abolition of the death penalty to Ryhor Yuzepchuk and its replacement with an alternative punishment, i.e. life imprisonment.