Death convict Ivan Kulesh executed
Ivan Kulesh during the hearing of his case in the Supreme Court. Photo: spring96.org
Death convict Ivan Kulesh has been executed, according to Andrei Paluda, coordinator of the campaign Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus.
Kulesh, 28, was reportedly shot on November 5. The exact date will be known after receiving a death certificate by the convict’s family members.
On 20 November 2015, the Hrodna Regional Court chaired by Judge Anatol Zayats sentenced Ivan Kulesh to death.
He was found guilty of three murders, theft, robbery and attempted murder of another person. Some inconsistencies between the defendant's testimony and the investigation materials have been attributed to the fact that at the time of committing the crime Kulesh was drunk and the crimes were committed a long time ago. By the way, journalists still have a lot of questions on the case.
On 29 March 2016, Kulesh’s appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court. During the hearing, Ivan Kulesh said he fully agreed with the sentence because he had taken a human life. The convict chose not to request for President’s pardon.
