The death sentence is applied for the following crimes:...

The death sentence is applied for the following crimes: treason; attempting to overthrough the government; terrorism; sabotage; gangsterism; actions aimed at frustrating order in prisons; premeditated murder under aggravating circumstances; a second conviction for rape, or a conviction for raping a minor; attempting to murder a policeman, a civil policeman or a member of the army or their close relative; hijacking an aircraft resulting in deaths or other grave consequences; as well as various offences commited during times of war.
President Alexander Lukashenko has been sharply criticized in the West for his authoritarian rule and in January 1997 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe suspended Belarus' special guest status, also due to the countries stance on the death penalty. According to the 1994 constitution, elections should have been held in 1999, however President Lukashenko extended his term to 2001 via the November 1996 referendum.
On September 9,new elections confirmed Lukashenko.
Information about the death penalty is classed as a state secret: convict's relatives are not informed of the date or place of execution even after the event.
OSCE said that in 1998, 47 death sentences were passed by Belarusian courts, and 40 people were executed. According to General Procurator Oleg Bozhelko, 14 death sentences were carried out in 1999. According to Amnesty International, an unspecified number of executions took place during 2000, while on 10 July 2001 President Lukashenka was reported as saying that three people had been executed the previous year. It is believed that there were no executions in the first half of 2001.