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
- OCTOBER 12, 2001BelarusDEATH PENALTY
Belarusian Foreign Minister Mikhail Khvastow, questioned...
Belarusian Foreign Minister Mikhail Khvastow, questioned by the Belarusian newspaper Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta said "the moratorium on the death penalty is a standard of the European community and we will consider it
- SEPTEMBER 27, 2001BelarusDEATH PENALTY
Regular invitations of a Belarussian National Assembly...
Regular invitations of a Belarussian National Assembly delegation to sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) show that the Belarussian parliament's status in this organization could be restored, the head of the Belarussian F
- SEPTEMBER 26, 2001BelarusDEATH PENALTY
European parliamentarians asked Belarus to expand the...
European parliamentarians asked Belarus to expand the powers of the Belarusian parliament and to abolish the death penalty as constructive steps towards rejoining Europe
- SEPTEMBER 10, 2001BelarusDEATH PENALTY
A Belarussian delegation has been invited to take part...
A Belarussian delegation has been invited to take part in the plenary session of the Council of Europe that is scheduled to take place in Strasbourg in December, Stef Goris, the head of the PACE delegation, told a press conference in Minsk
- SEPTEMBER 6, 2001BelarusDEATH PENALTY
The former head of the Minsk detention centre, Aleh...
The former head of the Minsk detention centre, Aleh Alkayew, revealed the circumstances behind the reports linking high-ranking officials to the disappearance of prominent opposition figures
- JULY 18, 2001BelarusDEATH PENALTY
The administration of the Northern Cemetery outside...
The administration of the Northern Cemetery outside Minsk denied reports that the cemetery has a special area where the bodies of executed people are buried
- JULY 10, 2001BelarusDEATH PENALTY
President Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview...
President Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview with Interfax that Belarus had taken some steps towards limiting the death penalty
- JULY 10, 2001BelarusDEATH PENALTY
In 1998, 47 death sentences were passed by Belarusian...
In 1998, 47 death sentences were passed by Belarusian courts, and 40 people were executed
- APRIL 25, 2001BelarusDEATH PENALTY
Belarus was a cosponsor of the resolution on the death...
Belarus was a cosponsor of the resolution on the death penalty approved by the UN Commission on Human Rights on April 25, 2001
- JANUARY 1, 2001BelarusDEATH PENALTY
Information about the death penalty is classed as a...
Information about the death penalty is classed as a state secret: convict's relatives are not informed of the date or place of execution even after the event
- JANUARY 1, 2001BelarusDEATH PENALTY
The death sentence is applied for the following crimes:...
The death sentence is applied for the following crimes: treason; attempting to overthrough the government; terrorism; sabotage; gangsterism; actions aimed at frustrating order in prisons; premeditated murder under aggravating circumstances; a second convi
- JANUARY 1, 2001BelarusDEATH PENALTY
President Alexander Lukashenko has been sharply criticized...
President Alexander Lukashenko has been sharply criticized in the West for his authoritarian rule and in January 1997 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe suspended Belarus' special guest status, also due to the countries stance on the deat