The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

06.05.2016 Supreme Court confirms death sentence for Siarhei Khmialeuski

The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence handed down to Siarhei Khmialeuski after hearing today his appeal against a verdict by the Minsk Region Court.

04.05.2016 Amnesty International calls to commute death sentence to Henadz Yakavitski

"The Supreme Court of Belarus upheld the death sentence of Gennadii Yakovitskii [Henadz Yakavitski] on 4 April. He is now at imminent risk of execution," says Amnesty International in yesterday's urgent action press-release.

13.04.2016 EU again urges Belarus to join global moratorium on the death penalty

"The European Union urges Belarus, the only country in Europe which still applies capital punishment, to respect the right to life for each of its citizens and to join a global moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its full abolition," EU's Extrenal Action Spokesperson said in a statement.

08.04.2016 Supreme Court confirms death sentence for Henadz Yakavitski

The Supreme Court’s criminal board has upheld the death sentence handed down to Henadz Yakavitski on January 5 for the murder of his partner.

06.04.2016 Amnesty International issues annual review of the death penalty worldwide

“2015 saw a dramatic rise in the number of people executed – at least 1,634 – the highest recorded by Amnesty International since 1989,” says AI’s annual report on the death penalty in 2015.

31.03.2016 EU Speaks Out Against Death Penalty In Belarus Again

An official representative of the European External Action Service (EEAS) has called upon Minsk to join the moratorium on the death penalty.

29.03.2016 Supreme Court confirms death sentence for Ivan Kulesh

The Supreme Court’s Criminal Board has upheld the death sentence handed down to Ivan Kulesh on charges of triple murder, as well as attempted murder, theft and robbery committed in the Lida district in 2013 and 2014.

28.03.2016 US expert: People face incorrect question in votes on the death penalty

Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, who took part in the thematic conference in Minsk, told the Human Rights Center "Viasna" about the evolution of public debate on the death penalty in the United States and shared his views on this issue in Belarus.

23.03.2016 Kitchen TV: The issue of the death penalty in the US

The issue of the death penalty in the United States is of particular interest for the Belarusian human rights defenders, since the US is often cited as an argument for the retention of the death penalty in Belarus.

12.03.2016 EU envoy Stavros Lambrinidis: Civilized countries should be above revenge and abolish the death penalty

Stavros Lambrinidis, EU Special Representative for Human Rights, hopes that Belarus will soon be among the countries that have introduced a moratorium or even abandoned the use of the capital punishment.

10.03.2016 PACE insists on moratorium on the death penalty in Belarus

“A world without the death penalty will not be weaker, it will only improve,” said Andrea Rigoni, representative of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, in his speech at today’s international conference in Minsk.

03.03.2016 Death convict’s brother subject to pressure in a colony

Aliaxei Khmialeuski complains that he has been subject to unbearable pressure in Navasadskaya correctional colony No14 after death sentence was passed against his brother.

22.02.2016 Pope Francis Calls Death Penalty Inappropriate "No Matter How Serious the Crime"

In a letter to the President of the International Commission Against the Death Penalty, Pope Francis expressed the Catholic Church's opposition to the death penalty, calling it "inadmissible, no matter how serious the crime committed."

19.02.2016 OSCE/ODIHR Director calls on Belarus to introduce moratorium on death penalty

WARSAW, 18 February 2016 – Today, following the sentencing to death in Minsk of both Sergei Khmelevsky this week and Henadz Yakavitski on 5 January 2016, Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), called on Belarus to introduce an immediate moratorium on the death penalty and its complete abolition.