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Belarus parliament to look into death penalty abolition

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MINSK, 30 January (BelTA) – The Council of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus has decided to establish a working group on studying abolition of death penalty at the National Assembly. The working group will be headed by Chairman of the Human Rights, National Relations, and Mass Media Commission Gennady Davydko, BelTA has learned.

“The National Assembly of the fourth, fifth, and sixth convocations had a working group on studying death penalty as a punishment instrument applied in Belarus. The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is satisfied with the activity of the group and believes that it has helped Belarus engage in an expert dialogue with foreign partners on such a sensitive issue for the country,” Gennady Davydko said. According to him, to a certain extent this dialogue helps curb “criticism aimed at Belarus and calls to impose a moratorium on death penalty or totally abolish this type of punishment”.

The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended preserving this working group and renaming it as the working group on studying abolition of death penalty. “I like this phrasing,” Gennady Davydko added.

The working group is expected to include Chairman of the Human Rights, National Relations, and Mass Media Commission Gennady Davydko, Chairperson of the Commission on Law Svetlana Lyubetskaya, member of the Commission on National Security Aleksandr Markevich, and member of the Commission on Law Aleksandr Songin. The Council of the Republic also plans to delegate its representatives to the working group: head of the diplomatic and consular service chair of the BSU Faculty of International Relations Andrei Rusakovich and Chairman of the Belarusian National Bar Association Viktor Chaichits.

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