Condemned prisoner's death date revealed more than a year after the execution

The date of execution of Viktar Skrundzik from Sluck, whose death sentence came into force on May 4, 2021, has become known.  One year and a month and a half later the authorities carried out the execution: Skrundzik was shot dead on July 16, 2022, according to the documents available to human rights defenders. 

Skrundzik and three other people were accused of murdering seniors and the attempted murder of an 85-year-old woman. On March 6, 2020, the three local residents were sentenced to imprisonment and Viktar Skrundzik was sentenced to the death penalty by the Minsk Regional Court at an off-site hearing in Sluсk.  However, a few months later the Supreme Court overturned the death sentence on appeal. The case was returned to the Minsk Regional Court for a new hearing.

At a court hearing held on January 15, 2021, in Sluck, the Minsk Regional Court handed down the same sentences as the first time. Viktar Skrundzik was again sentenced to death. Another appeal was considered five months later by the Supreme Court. This time the Collegium did not satisfy it. On May 4, 2021, the death sentence entered into force.

This is not the first time the public learns about the fate of a person sentenced to a condemned prisoner after a long time. For example, Viktar Paulau was executed on May 13, 2021, and his relatives received documents only in November 2021. all this time they were unaware of his fate.

So far, human rights defenders do not know the fate of Viktar Serhel, who was sentenced to death on October 25, 2019. The Supreme Court turned down his appeal on January 31, 2020. Since then, he could have been shot at virtually any time.