COUNCIL OF EUROPE DENOUNCES EXECUTIONS IN BELARUS

March 23, 2010: the Council of Europe denounced the execution of two death row inmates in Belarus.
“Death penalty is barbaric and degrading, and this is why it has been abolished by the Council of Europe through Protocol 6 to the European Convention on Human Rights,” the chair of the Committee of Ministers, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly and the secretary general of the Council of Europe said in a joint statement.
Andrey Zhuk, 25, and Vasil Yuzepchuk, 30, were executed by shooting last week, Amnesty International said referring to Mr. Zhuk's mother who was told by prison staff about the executions. The Council of Europe “strongly condemns” the executions, the Council’s statement said.
“The authorities of Belarus are the only remaining ones in Europe who execute people,” it said. “The recent executions, if confirmed, are a serious setback to our aspiration to bringing Belarus closer to European values”. (Sources: Belapen, 23/03/2010)