The Russian State Duma drafted an appeal to President...

The Russian State Duma drafted an appeal to President Vladimir Putin against the possible banning of the death penalty.
Gennady Raikov, leader of the People's Deputy group, told Interfax that the group submitted for the February 12 meeting of the Duma council the draft appeal calling premature the ratification of the sixth protocol banning the death penalty.
He categorically disagreed with Justice Minister Yuri Chaika who recently spoke in favour of the speedy ratification of the protocol after visiting Ognenny island in the Vologda region with a large group of Duma members. The island is the site of a prison for dangerous criminals whose death sentence has been replaced with life imprisonment.
Raikov, who also heads the People's Party of Russia, said "we remain advocates of the death penalty, moreover we suggest that capital punishment be applied to those who engage in drug dealing."
Alexander Belousov, deputy head of People's Deputy, who visited Ognenny with Chaika, told Interfax that most deputies in the delegation found the arguments of the minister in favour of banning the death penalty unconvincing.
He said out of the 18 Duma members who visited the island only two - Sergei Kovalyov and Alexander Barannikov, both from the Union of Right Forces, favoured the ratification of the protocol, one more - Viktor Cherepkov - was undecided, while others found the matter premature.
"What we saw made us even more convinced that the death penalty should not be banned today. This is not simply our own opinion, but judging by public opinion polls the opinion of the majority of the population," he said.
If the question of ratifying the sixth protocol is put to vote in the Duma, the left-wing opposition, the Fatherland-All Russia faction, the People's Deputy group and probably part of the Unity faction will not support it, Belousov said.