Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Belarus remains the only country in Europe where death sentences are still carried out.
International human rights organizations have long recognized that death is a radical and inhumane form of punishment that has nothing to do with justice. Yet in our country, people are still being executed. Over 30 years of Lukashenka’s rule, around 350 people have been sentenced to death – three and a half hundred lives destroyed by the hands of those who live among us, walk the same streets, and ride the same metro.
Two years ago, the regime further expanded the list of crimes punishable by death: now not only murder but also “state treason” or an “attempted act of terrorism” can lead to execution. In a country where any dissent is labeled as “terrorism”, the death penalty can threaten anyone.
Human life is of the highest value. When a life is taken, a person is deprived of the chance to understand their mistakes, change, and contribute to society. The death penalty is a cruel, barbaric form of vengeance that has no place in a lawful and democratic state.
As long as executions continue in Belarus, the regime continues to deny people their most fundamental right – the right to life”.
