The address signatories include several international human rights organisations and Belarusian HRH. They condemned the executions of Andrei Zhuk and Vasil Yusepchuk. According to the information of Belarusian HR defenders the death penalty was carried out on 18 March this year. The letter stresses that yet another case of the capital punishment in Belarus is not only violation of individual’s rights and also an act of cynical disregard by Belarus its international obligations. Particularly, it underlines the fact that Belarus ratified the Optional Protocol in 1992 and thereby recognised the competence of the Human Rights Committee to consider complaints from individuals under the Optional Protocol. “We are alarmed by the Republic of Belarus’ constant violation of its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and its permanent lack of implementation of the recommendations adopted by the Human Rights Committee. We call upon you, Mr. President, and the government of the Republic of Belarus, to consider the rule of law as the principle under which penal justice is executed – and to therefore fully implement the recommendations of the United Nations Human Rights Committee,” says the address of more than 50 organisations.
In addition HR defenders emphasise the urgency of introducing a moratorium on the death penalty in Belarus, which is yet to be adopted despite the sonorous promises of the state officials.
On the other hand Belarusian HR defenders who deplore authorities’ actions and openly struggle for the death penalty abolition (on photo) are being persecuted and harassed. The letter signatories accentuate this fact as well calling upon the officials to stop repressing local defenders. “Most recently, some members of the Human Rights Centre “Viasna” (Ales Bialiatski, Valiantsin Stefanovich, and Iryna Toustsik) were arrested on 23 March 2010 while protesting against the use of the death penalty and the executions of Andrei Zhuk and Vasily Yuzepchuk.”
Apart from the highest Belarusian officials, the letter of concern was also sent to several international institutions including the UN Human Rights Committee, the Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs of the Council of Europe, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organisations for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and others.
