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Rights defenders, public figures petition Presidential Administration to abolish death penalty

Belarusian human rights activists on December 10 delivered a petition to the Presidential Administration, calling for the abolition of the death penalty.

Belarus is the only country in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States where prisoners are executed, the petition says.

"Capital punishment is an irreversible measure," the petition says. "By taking a criminal's life, it is impossible not only to restore justice but also to bring him to repentance and realization of his guilt. Furthermore, one cannot rule out judicial errors, which endanger the lives of innocent people, and there have been such cases in the history of Belarus."

The petition was signed by 35 people, including retired police General Lieutenant Mechyslaw Hryb, a former chairman of the Belarusian parliament; Zinaida Bandarenka, a former television host who holds the title of People's Artist of Belarus; media figures Tamara Lisitskaya and Katsyaryna Pytleva; writers Uladzimir Arlow, Svyatlana Aleksiyevich, Adam Hlobus and Andrey Khadanovich; musicians Lyavon Volski, Viktar Rudenka, Uladzimir Puhach, Kasya Kamotskaya and Zmitser Vaytsyushkevich; and representatives of all human rights organizations in Belarus.