A working group on the death penalty has been established in Belarus

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, welcomed on 4 February the creation in the Belarusian parliament of a working group “on the death penalty as an instrument of punishment”, which included members of both houses of parliament.

He invited this working group to study the experience of Council of Europe member states on this issue, as it demonstrates that there are no sound grounds for maintaining the death penalty. “This is a positive step in the right direction. PACE is ready to assist the Parliament of Belarus in this process,” noted Mr Çavuşoğlu.

On 23 January 2009, PACE recommended that the Bureau not lift the suspension of special guest status for the Parliament of Belarus until the authorities of that country introduce a moratorium on the execution of death sentences.

PACE granted special guest status to the Parliament of Belarus in 1992. Due to the lack of progress in the area of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, this status was suspended in 1997, and the following year Belarus’s request for membership in the Council of Europe was “frozen”.