BELARUS. COUNTRY MAY ANNUL DEATH SENTENCE THROUGH REFERENDUM, OFFICIAL

July 11, 2005: Belarus deputy presidential chief of staff Natalya Petkevich said the death sentence might be annulled in the country via a national referendum.
"Most of our citizens voiced their opposition to the annulment of capital punishment in a national referendum and we adhere to this decision. But when certain socio-economic, mostly social, conditions are created, the annulment of capital punishment might be considered," Petkevich told a news conference in Minsk.
"A decision made in a referendum can only be reversed by another referendum. There is no definite plan today on how we will annul capital punishment," she said. Petkevich said that the president had submitted a bill to parliament which amended a provision in the Criminal Code saying how the death sentence must be applied "before its annulment." "It's a strategic step which shows that the annulment of capital punishment is an open issue," Petkevich said. (Sources: Interfax News Service, 11/07/2005)