RUSSIA: FEWER CITIZENS SUPPORT DEATH PENALTY

According to a Levada Center’s survey held on 20-23 June 2014 in 134 cities, towns and villages in 46 Russian regions among 1,600 respondents, 52 percent of Russian citizens support the death penalty, compared to 61 and 73 percent of people who shared this stance in 2012 and 2002 respectively.
A total of 34 percent of respondents said the death penalty application should be left as it is now, while 18 percent said they were in favour of expanding it. In 2012 and 2013 the share of capital punishment opponents grew from 24 to 33 percent. The number of people absolutely opposed to capital punishment remains almost unchanged – about 9 percent.
At the same time, more respondents support a gradual capital punishment cancellation – from 14 percent in 2012 to 26 percent in 2014.