Brussels, 19/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, speaking on Saturday 17 March, called on Belarus to introduce a moratorium on capital punishment “immediately”. High Representative Catherine Ashton the same day repeated the EU's opposition to the death penalty and also called on Belarus, the last European country to apply the death penalty, to put in place a moratorium on capital punishment as a first step towards a total ban.
Schulz said he was “appalled” by the execution of Uladzislaw Kavalyow, who had been condemned to death for carrying out a number of atrocities, including placing a bomb in the Minsk underground in April 2011, killing 15 people. Schulz “deeply” regretted that the Belarusian authorities had not listened to repeated calls to halt the execution. He called on the authorities to “show some human dignity” and return the body to the family. “Burying it in an anonymous grave is simply disgraceful and unacceptable in 21st century Europe”, he said.
Schulz also spoke of his concerns for the fate of Dzmitry Kanavalaw, also convicted of the same attack. “If it is not too late, I urge the Belarusian authorities to immediately halt the execution”, he pleaded.
The previous day, Ashton had expressed her concern at the decision, announced on Belarusian television on 14 March, of President Lukashenko not to pardon the two men who were condemned to death by the Supreme Court on 30 November 2011. (CG/transl.rt)