BELARUS. 2 MEMBERS OF CRIMINAL GROUP SENTENCED TO DEATH

October 9, 2007: the Supreme Court of Belarus handed down death sentences to two alleged members of the so-called Marozaw gang that terrorized Homel Region for 14 years. Five of them were tried on new charges that were brought against them after their trial at the end of 2006.
The court sentenced the leader of the gang, Syarhey Marozaw, and his close associate Ihar Danchanka to death by shooting, the same sentences imposed on them in the 2006 hearing. Alyaksandr Astratsow-Hutyra, Dzmitryy Sidarenka, Alyaksandr Semchanka and Vital Zaytsaw were sentenced to 20 years in prison with confiscation orders.
Aleh Dzhumaw was sentenced to six years in prison with a confiscation order. The closed-door trial was held in Minsk's Pre-trial Detention Centre No 1 for security reasons. Deputy Prosecutor-General Viktar Prus told reporters in late February that the seven men were charged with five counts of premeditated murder and four counts of attempted murder. (Sources: BBC, 09/10/2007; Interfax, 28/11/2007)