RUSSIA. RUSSIA MAY ABOLISH DEATH PENALTY IN SPRING - MP

"I expect Protocol No. 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which abolishes capital punishment, to be ratified during the spring session of the State Duma [parliament's lower house]," head of the State Duma international affairs committee Konstantin Kosachev told a news conference in Moscow.
Kosachev called the death penalty an ethical issue that every MP was responsible for. He reminded those present that the question had been frequently raised in dialogues with European partners in light of Russia's upcoming presidency in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in May-November 2006.