BELARUS - 2 SENTENS SUSPENDED

June 15, 2018:

June 15, 2018 - Belarus Suspends Two Death Sentences, Rights Group Says. The Supreme Court of Belarus has suspended two death sentences, the Minsk-based Viasna Human Rights Centre says. Viasna cites relatives of Ihar Hershankou (Ihar Hershankow) and Syamyon Berazhnoy (Syamyon Berazhny) as saying that the court has suspended the implementation of the two men's death sentences while their appeals are being considered. In a June 14 statement, Viasna lawyer Paval Sapelka said the appeals offers a possibility that the sentence be commuted. Appeals usually take at least one month to consider. Earlier in January, Amnesty International raised concerns about Hershankou and Berazhnoy, saying their executions were imminent after the Supreme Court upheld their sentences in December. In July 2017 (see 22/07/2017), the two men were found guilty of murder and kidnapping, after an investigation established that they were part of a gang that killed old home-owners in order to acquire their properties. Belarus remains the only country in Europe and Central Asia to carry out the death penalty. According to rights organizations, more than 400 people have been sentenced to death in Belarus since it gained independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. (Source: rferl.org, 15/06/2018)