Belarus
2026
- GOVERNMENT
- nominally a republic, in fact a dictatorship
- CONSTITUTION
- March 15, 1994; amended 1996, 2004
- LEGAL SYSTEM
- based on civil law; not subject to the jurisdiction of the ICJ
- LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM
- bicameral, National Assembly (Natsionalnoye Sobranie) composed of the Council of the Republic (Soviet Respubliki) and the House of Representatives (Palata Predstaviteley)
- JUDICIAL SYSTEM
- Supreme Court (composed of the president and vice president and organized into various specialized chambers, including economic and military; number of judges determined by the president of the republic and the president of the court); Constitutional Court (composed of 12 judges, including a president and a vice president); oblast courts; City Court of Minsk; city courts; Economic Courts of the city and oblast of Minsk
RELIGIONS
Orthodox 48.3%, Catholics 7.1%, others 3.5%, non-believers 41.1% (estimate 2011)
From the country
- JULY 15, 2005BelarusDEATH PENALTY
BELARUS. CONSTITUTIONAL COURT CHAIRMAN IN FAVOUR OF DEATH PENALTY
Grigory Vasilevich, chairman of the Constitutional Court of Belarus, said that he believed death penalty was a strong deterrent against crime that should be retained.
- JULY 11, 2005BelarusDEATH PENALTY
BELARUS. DEATH PENALTY MIGHT BE ANNULLED VIA A NATIONAL REFERENDUM
Belarussian deputy presidential chief of staff Natalya Petkevich said the death sentence might be annulled in Belarus via a national referendum.
- JULY 11, 2005BelarusDEATH PENALTY
BELARUS. COUNTRY MAY ANNUL DEATH SENTENCE THROUGH REFERENDUM, OFFICIAL
Belarus deputy presidential chief of staff Natalya Petkevich said the death sentence might be annulled in the country via a national referendum.
- JUNE 29, 2005BelarusDEATH PENALTY
the chairperson of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly...
the chairperson of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly...
- JUNE 28, 2005BelarusDEATH PENALTY
BELARUS. GANG MEMBER SENTENCED TO DEATH
the Vitsebsk Region court, Belarus, made public the sentences handed down to four members of a gang which operated in Polatsk.
- JUNE 24, 2005BelarusDEATH PENALTY
the president of Belarus submitted a draft law to the parliament that, inter alia...
the president of Belarus submitted a draft law to the parliament that, inter alia...
- MARCH 11, 2005BelarusDEATH PENALTY
the Constitutional Court concluded its assessment...
the Constitutional Court concluded its assessment of the compliance of the death-penalty provisions in the Criminal Code with the Constitution, following a request from the House of Representatives of the National Assembly.
- JANUARY 24, 2005BelarusDEATH PENALTY
Belarus is about to introduce moratorium on capital punishment
Belarus is about to introduce moratorium on capital punishment, chairman of the country’s Supreme Court, Valentin Sukalo
- NOVEMBER 19, 2004BelarusDEATH PENALTY
Belarusian Interior Minister Uladzimir Navumaw was...
Belarusian Interior Minister Uladzimir Navumaw was reported as saying: "At present the death penalty is resorted to in Belarus as a truly exceptional measure
- OCTOBER 5, 2004BelarusDEATH PENALTY
There were no people sentenced to death in Belarus,...
There were no people sentenced to death in Belarus, chief of the Belarussian Interior Ministry's department of corrections Vladimir Kovchur told reporters
- OCTOBER 4, 2004BelarusDEATH PENALTY
The human rights organization Amnesty International...
The human rights organization Amnesty International launched a campaign urging Uzbekistan and Belarus to end capital punishment
- JUNE 10, 2004BelarusDEATH PENALTY
Leaders of Central Asian governments gathered in the...
Leaders of Central Asian governments gathered in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe for a two-day conference entitled "The Death Penalty and the Right to Live