RUSSIA VACILLATING OVER ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY

Russia is possibly just two or three years away from abolishing the death penalty, Penal Reform International’s director for Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, Victoria Sergeyeva suggested. She explained that leading Russian politicians have already made up their minds on the death penalty, though their follow MPs still need prodding out of their indecision. She said “there’s no common support for death penalty abolition among Russian deputies. Many MPs are in favour of capital punishment. The death penalty has been discussed a few times in the State Duma. But each time the debates have ended fruitlessly. The authorities have put enormous efforts into ensuring capital punishment is not applied. But there’s something preventing them from striking out this punishment from legislation. And although there are currently no executions, there’s actually an active struggle going on to re-instate capital punishment, especially for past and potential acts of terrorism.” “Russian parliamentarians are indecisive and inconsistent on the death penalty issue. The MPs very often try to mask this by saying that it’s the Russian people who are not yet ready to accept death penalty abolition.”