RUSSIA: UPPER HOUSE SPEAKER DOESN’T SUPPORT DEATH PENALTY FOR TERRORISTS

Sergei Mironov, speaker of the Federation Council upper house of Russian parliament, does not support death penalty for terrorists. He argued that because of blunders in a number of judicial processes, innocent people may be sentenced to death.
Mironov told reporters, “The proposal of Lyskov, the chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Judicial and Legal Affairs, for death penalty for terrorists whose actions caused many deaths is his personal opinion.”
The speaker made assurances that “such legislative initiatives are not envisaged” in the Federation Council and “there is no working group on the matter.”
As to Mironov’s personal stand, it “remains constant: punishment must be unavoidable.”
The speaker holds that there must be life imprisonment for criminals instead of death penalty, and there must be a supplement to legislation precluding pardon. Life imprisonment “should not be mitigated for any reason, including ill health,” Mironov added.
He also pointed out that because of blunders in a number of judicial processes, innocent people may be sentenced to death.