Russian Justice Minister Yuriy Chayka advocated a complete...

Russian Justice Minister Yuriy Chayka advocated a complete ban on capital punishment in Russia.
"I continue to oppose the death penalty because the severity of punishment has never influenced the crime rate," Chayka said on Saturday.
"The principle of unavoidable punishment" should be implemented, he said. It is up to the State Duma to finalize this matter, he said.
"The issue of the ratification of the Sixth Protocol [of the European Convention for Human Rights which bans the death penalty except for war crimes] was transferred to the State Duma and deputies should act," he said.
Russia has had a moratorium on capital punishment for several years.
International treaties signed by the Russian Federation stipulate that capital punishment should not apply to criminals extradited from Russia.