The abolition of the death penalty in Belarus is "is...

The abolition of the death penalty in Belarus is "is predetermined by our desire to join the Council of Europe" the head of the Belarusian Constitutional Court, Ryhor Vasilevich, said during debates in the National Assembly's House of Representatives [lower house of parliament].
"How long it takes us to cover this distance depends on the solving of many issues including the one we are discussing today," Vasilevich said.
A solution to this issue is "both simple and complex", he believes. "Simple means that relevant draft laws can be prepared and passed within a day. It is natural, however, that our country will not be accepted to the Council of Europe just because of this. Other issues should also be resolved, " Vasilevich said.
The complexity of the death penalty abolition is about the consequences we may face, he said. "I understand the concern of the country's leadership, deputies and all of those who hold to the view that the abolition of the death penalty is premature. However, we must arrive at this point, and we will," Vasilevich believes.
He stressed that the Belarusian constitution "directly stipulates a provisional nature of capital punishment as a measure of last resort".
Vasilevich did not rule out the possibility of the gradual abolition of the death penalty through a moratorium on its use. Still, it may be stipulated that the moratorium will not apply to individuals who commit terrorist acts that claim human lives, or that capital punishment may be resumed in certain circumstances, Vasilevich said.
In any case, "the level of democracy in our country of course does not depend on whether we use capital punishment or not," Vasilevich believes.