On 9 December spokeswoman of Amnesty International Heather McGill, together with the Belarusian human rights defenders tried to pass to the presidential administration 165,000 petitions from 30 countries with the demand to impose a moratorium on the death penalty in Belarus.However the group of human rights defenders that brought 10 boxes of signatures to the president’s administration were not invited in, even after negotiations.

BHC chairman Aleh Hulak (left) said : “The head of the reception room at first refused to take over the signatures in the name of human rights organizations, but only on behalf of private individuals.However, later he refused to accept the signatures, and said to send them by mail. We had to carry 10 boxes to the post office and sent them to the Administration as a parcel. I see no reason in the actions of the administration: if the signature get there eventually, why should it be by mail, when we have already brought them there? Another thing if they will get there? “

Human rights defender Valiantsin Stefanovich (right) hopes that the officials of the Administration will inform the president about signatures: “He has the right to decree a moratorium on the death penalty in the country.To cancel the penalty completely, it is necessary to adopt a respective law in the National Assembly. However, the decree is enough for a moratorium. “  

Amnesty International calls for moratorium on death penalty
Capital punishment in the form in which it is implemented in Belarus, not only violates the right to life, but also is recognized by the UN Human Rights Council as a torture of the relatives of prisoners. “In particular, the relatives are not given the body, not informed about the burial place and get a very late notification on the execution of sentence,” – said Amnesty International spokeswoman Heather McGill (left) on 9 December at a special press conference.

According to her, there is no judicial system in the world, which would have been immune from mistakes.

“There is a danger that Kanavalau and Kavaliou who are sentenced to death are not really guilty. We saw this during their trial as well, when even the victims questioned their guilt. Therefore, we ask Aliaksandr Lukashenka to pardon the sentenced and to impose a moratorium on the death penalty in Belarus, “- said the representative of the “Amnesty International”.

A number of people made their speeches during the press conference: chairman of the BHC Aleh Hulak, deputy chairman of the human rights centre “Viasna” Valiantsin Stefanovich, mother of executed Andrei Zhuk, Sviatlana, and Liubou – the mother of sentenced to death Uladzislau Kavaliou.

Uladzislau Kavaliou has appealed for a clemency
“Two days ago the lawyer visited him. Uladzislau wrote that he did not plead guilty. He wrote that he was innocent of committing these terrible crimes”- said Liubou Kavaliova.

“My son has no blood on his hands, he is honest before the people and before God. I do not know why they passed such a sentence for my son.  I also asked people around the world to collect signatures for the abolition of the death penalty. Now our petition was signed by more than 31 thousand people. I know it’s not just mothers, not just vigorous opponents of the death penalty, but ordinary people “- said Liubou Kavaliova.

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30 November the Supreme Court sentenced Dzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzislau Kavaliou to death, acknowledging that they “represent an exceptional danger to society.”

At the moment Belarus – the only country in Europe, which continues to execute death sentences. For this reason, Belarus can not become a member country of the Council of Europe. Besides of ignoring international calls for the abolition of this punitive measure, the Belarusian government often disregards its own international obligations on cooperation with the UN human rights bodies.  In particular, this is displayed by death sentences against Andrei Zhuk, Vasil Yuzepchuk (2010), Andrei Burdyka and Aleh Hryshkavets (2011), enforced despite the fact that interim measures of protection were issued regarding these cases by the UN Human Rights Committee.

According to international human rights organization Amnesty International, about 400 people were executed in Belarus since 1991. Belarus has not officially published statistics on the imposition and execution of death sentences, while Belarus, as a member of the OSCE, is obliged “to provide public information regarding the death penalty.”

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