Belarusian government violates its international commitments by implementing death penalty

The UN Human Rights Committee distributed the information concerning this issue in its press release on the results of the spring New York session.

 

Christine Chanet, the Special Reporter of the Committee on new information and temporary measures, declared that the Committee asked the Belarusian government to postpone the execution of death penalty of the two Belarusian citizens Vasil Yuzepchuk and Andrey Zhuk till their cases are examined by the Committee.

 

However, these people were executed by shooting. The Belarusian state ignored this request having flagrantly violated its international commitments derived from the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant On Civil And Political Rights signed by Belarus.

 

Ms. Chanet also informed that the Committee sent a letter to the official Minsk last Thursday demanding explanations of death penalty execution concerning the two people; however, no explanations were provided.

According to the Swedish Committee member Krister Thelin, the fact of ignoring by Belarus of its international commitments and of the scornful attitude towards the International Covenant On Civil And Political Rights insults the UN Committee, and should be communicated to the wide public.

 

The Movement for Freedom (the MFF) activist Raman Kislak – who prepared the set of documents for the UN Committee concerning the two Belarusian convicts under sentence of death – fully shares the opinion of the Committee members.

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