BELARUS: ANOTHER CONVICT EXECUTED – HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

Death convict Ivan Kulesh has been executed, Andrei Paluda, a coordinator of the campaign Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus, reports.
Kulesh, 28, was reportedly shot on November 5. The exact date will be known after receiving a death certificate by the convict’s family members.
In November 2015, the Hrodna Regional Court chaired by Judge Anatol Zayats sentenced Ivan Kulesh to death.
He was found guilty of three murders, theft, robbery and attempted murder of another person. Some inconsistencies between the defendant’s testimony and the investigation materials have been attributed to the fact that at the time of committing the crime Kulesh was drunk and the crimes were committed a long time ago.
On 29 March 2016, Kulesh’s appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court. During the hearing, Ivan Kulesh said he fully agreed with the sentence because he had taken a human life. The convict did not ask for President’s pardon.
Belarus remains the only country in Europe that still applies capital punishment, The West has repeatedly called on the Belarusian authorities to join a global moratorium as a first step towards the abolition of death penalty. Over 400 persons have been sentenced to death since 1991; president Alyaksandr Lukashenka granted a pardon to only one convict.