Фото: Reform.by
The Coordination Council has adopted a resolution entitled “On the Unconditional and Immediate Abolition of the Death Penalty in Belarus.”
The resolution was adopted at a plenary session of the Coordination Council on October 8. A total of 52 delegates voted in favour, with one voting against. The draft resolution was authored by Mikita Semianenka of the Latushka Coalition and For Freedom Movement faction. The final version incorporated proposals from other Coordination Council delegates.
The Coordination Council noted that the resolution states that the right to life and the inviolability of human dignity define the limits of any state authority. The death penalty violates these principles, makes judicial error fatal and irreversible, and turns justice into state-sanctioned deprivation of life.
The document specifically highlights the danger posed by legislative amendments adopted in 2022 and 2023, through which the Lukashenka regime expanded the scope of the death penalty to include so-called “attempted terrorism” and “high treason.”
“Amid widespread politically motivated persecution and the complete destruction of an independent judicial system, these provisions could be used against political opponents of the regime,” the Coordination Council stressed.
The resolution authorises the Coordination Council delegation to advocate for the full and unconditional abolition of the death penalty during a potential roundtable between democratic forces and representatives of the regime. The delegation is to seek the inclusion of this decision in final political agreements, the introduction of an immediate moratorium, the commutation of existing death sentences, and the complete removal of the death penalty from criminal law, followed by a constitutional ban on capital punishment in Belarus.
“Abolishing the death penalty is not only a human rights issue but also a necessary condition for Belarus to return to the European legal space. It would pave the way for Belarus to join the Council of Europe in the future and participate in international human rights protection mechanisms,” the Coordination Council added.