The Russian government faces growing demands to re-institute...

The Russian government faces growing demands to re-institute the death penalty following a five-year moratorium.
The campaign is being led by academics, customarily considered at the more liberal end of the political spectrum. The move seems to have won wide public backing. Opinion polls indicate that many Russian believes the country is not ready to eliminate capital punishment.
According to these polls, most people believe that the current moratorium on capital punishment has only worsened the already grave crime situation. The debate has been renewed following a string of high-profile crimes.
An opinion poll published January 29 showed that 89 of Muscovites percent want capital punishment back. Among police officers that figure was 96 percent, and among former inmates, 100 percent.
A new campaign to restore executions has been launched by Vladimir Dobrenkov, dean of the sociology faculty at Moscow State University, following the murder of his 21-year-old daughter Maria and her boyfriend, 19-year-old Alexander Panakov on December 30, 2001.
The number of murders in Russia skyrocketed after the death penalty was suspended, Dobrenkov argued. In 2001, 29,000 murders were registered in Russia, he said.
Dobrenkov's supporters are citing foreign models, notably the United States, where capital punishment still exists in almost a third of the states.
There is no official response yet to Dobrenkov's appeal. But his statements have been reported prominently on Russia's official RTR television, indicating at least a measure of official approval.
Opponents of the death penalty argue that authorities became concerned only after high-profile figures become victims of crime. Human rights activists within Russia argue that it is important for Russia to bring domestic legislation in line with international standards.
Russian officials say there have been no executions since August 1996 and the country will maintain the moratorium on the capital punishment. But President Putin's administration is now taking increasing note of growing public concerns.