Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland reacts to two death penalty sentences pronounced today in Belarus
“I am deeply concerned by the decision of the Mogilev regional court in Belarus to pronounce two death penalty sentences today,” said the Secretary General. “I reiterate our disappointment and sadness that Belarus continues to use this inhuman and unjust practice in total contradiction with European values. The death penalty remains a major obstacle for joining the Council of Europe. I call on the Belarusian authorities to urgently introduce a moratorium on the application of capital punishment, as a first step toward its complete abolition, and to commute existing sentences.”
