Council of Europe Secretary-General Walter Schwimmer...

Council of Europe Secretary-General Walter Schwimmer condemned the use of the death penalty in Belarus and urged the Belarusian authorities not to sentence to death the suspected kidnappers of [Russian Public TV] journalist Dmitriy Zavadskiy, who are currently on trial in Minsk. The journalist's disappearance in Minsk in July 2000 is just one of the charges brought against the four men in the dock. Prosecutors have demanded the death penalty for all four.
A press release by the Council of Europe quotes Schwimmer as saying that "the death penalty is contrary to all acceptable standards of human rights. I urge prosecutors to refrain from it once and for all."
Noting a recent remark by Belarusian ruler [president] Alyaksandr Lukashenka that Belarus regards the Council of Europe as a major partner in its dialogue with the European community, the secretary-general stressed that "Belarus could never hope to be considered for Council of Europe membership as long as it maintains this brutal punishment. I therefore urgently call on Belarus to move quickly towards a moratorium".