WORLD – BELARUS
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday signed a bill introducing the death penalty for state officials and military personnel convicted of treason, the Associated Press reported.
Amendments to the country’s criminal code, approved by President Aliaksandr Lukashenka, provide for the death penalty for officials and servicemen who have caused “irreparable damage” to the national security of Belarus as a result of high treason.
The bill also introduces punishment for “propaganda of terrorism, discrediting the armed forces and paramilitary units and violation of the rules of protection of state secrets”.
Belarus is the only country in Europe which has not banned the death penalty for those convicted of murder or terrorism.
The approval of the new repressive legislation followed the February 26 attack on a Russian military plane at an airbase near the Belarusian capital, for which Belarusian guerrillas claimed responsibility. Earlier this week, Lukashenko said authorities had arrested the main suspect, a Ukrainian, and more than 20 of his alleged accomplices.
