BELARUS: LUKASHENKO ON PROSPECTS FOR ABOLISHING DEATH PENALTY

Retaining the death penalty helps maintain stability in the country and prevent the spread of banditry, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he gave an interview to editor-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station Aleksei Venediktov in Minsk on 24 December 2019, BelTA learned. The head of state was once again asked about the prospects for abolishing the death penalty in Belarus. “There will be no moratorium because I do not have the right to impose it. We took this decision [to retain the death penalty] at a referendum and thus we can abolish it only by holding a referendum,” he said. He also spoke about the tough measures he had to take at the beginning of his presidency to bring order to the country and stop the activities of organized criminal groups. “I think that death penalty serves as a warning to some scum and helps to maintain stability and deal with banditry,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed. The most high-profile criminal cases are under the control of the head of state. In rare cases, when crimes are particularly brutal and committed with extreme cynicism, the court issues a death sentence and the president signs such decisions according to the country's Constitution. Aleksandr Lukashenko briefly described his emotions when signing such documents: “This is tough.”