News on the topic: death penalty
08.07.2013 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.
04.07.2013 Homel human rights defenders help prepare complaint to UN Human Rights Committee for death convict
Human rights defender Leanid Sudalenka met the mother of a Homel resident, Aliaksandr Hrunou, who was sentenced to death for the murder of a 25-year-old student. The lawyer discussed the question of exhaustion of all domestic remedies for an individual complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee.
28.06.2013 South American activists campaign against death penalty in Belarus
An office of the human rights organization Amnesty International in Paraguay launched a regional campaign against the secrecy that accompanies the death penalty in Belarus, while calling on the Belarusian President Lukashenka to amend Article 175 of the Criminal Executive Code.
25.06.2013 Two Belarusian MPs to discuss death penalty issue during meeting of PACE’s committee in Strasbourg
Two members of the House of Representatives will participate in a meeting of PACE’s Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy that will take place in Strasbourg on Thursday and deal with the issue of the abolition of the death penalty in Belarus, among others.
25.06.2013 Berlin activists campaign for release of Belarusian political prisoners, abolition of death penalty
Activists of Amnesty International’s Berlin office arranged the screening of the first full-length movie about the December 19, 2010 events entitled “A Belarusian Dream.”
24.06.2013 Metropolitan Filaret: “We, Christians, cannot justify the death penalty”
The Minsk-based House of Mercy hosted a round table discussion on the subject of “Religion and the Death Penalty,” organized by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Belarusian government. The round table was attended by representatives of the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, legislative and judicial authorities of the Republic of Belarus, delegates of the Council of Europe, diplomats and human rights defenders.
21.06.2013 PACE invites Belarusian MPs to discuss death penalty
The Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is expected to discuss the situation in Belarus at a meeting scheduled for June 27, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Belarus service reports. Among others, Andres Herkel (Estonia, EPP/CD), rapporteur on the situation in Belarus, will address the meeting.
19.06.2013 Prosecutor general defends death penalty
Opponents of the death penalty have resumed their “wailing” after the imposition of new death sentences, Prosecutor General Alyaksandr Kanyuk told the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
18.06.2013 State TV reveals name of latest death convict
The state-owned TV channel “Belarus-1” showed a story, telling the circumstances of the murder of a student in Homel. It was committed by a 25-year-old Aliaksandr Harunou.
18.06.2013 Valiantsin Stefanovich petitions head of state TV company over discrimination of death convict
On June 1, the state-run TV channel “Belarus-1” in showed in a program “Secrets of Investigation” a story which told about the murder in Mahiliou prison. In this story, which told the audience about the circumstances of the murder committed by Ryhor Yuzepchuk and his accomplice, who killed their cellmate, in the context of the negative characteristics of the person that repeatedly stated his nationality.
18.06.2013 Amnesty International: Rygor Yuzepchuk could be executed within months
Amnesty International has recently learnt that Mahiliou regional court sentenced Rygor Yuzepchuk to death for the murder of a cellmate in prison number 4 in Mahiliou, his alleged accomplice was sentenced to 16 years. According to media reports the three prisoners had staked their lives on a game of dominos and the losing prisoner was strangled with a scarf on 5 July 2012.
16.06.2013 Belarusian human rights defenders march against death penalty in Madrid (photo, video)
The organizers and participants of the 5th World Congress against the Death Penalty marched yesterday in the streets of Madrid, the city that has become the capital of struggling for the abolition of the cruel and inhuman punishment around the world.
14.06.2013 Death verdict delivered in Homel
4 June the Homel Regional Court issued a verdict in a criminal case against a 25-year resident of Homel, accused of killing a student of the Homel State University named after Skaryna Natallia Yemelyanchykava. The extremely cruel murder took place on 20 September 2012, the victim suffered 102 stab wounds. The girl died just few meters away from her house.
14.06.2013 Council of Europe expects from Belarus more than moratorium on death penalty
Official Minsk also has to demonstrate progress on freedom of elections and the media.
14.06.2013 Human rights defender Viktar Adzinochanka comments on death sentence in Homel
A member of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Viktar Adzinochanka commented on the death sentence pronounced on 14 June in Homel to a 25 year-old man.
