Abolition of the death penalty

The Council of Europe organised a workshop in Warsaw on 2 December 2025 on communication challenges related to the Abolition of the Death Penalty in Belarus.

This workshop was part of the activities of the Contact Group between the Council of Europe and Belarusian democratic forces and civil society. It was financed by the multilateral cooperation programme “Death is not Justice : Abolition of the Death Penalty in Europe and beyond” funded by France and Switzerland.

The idea to hold this workshop stemmed from the seminar organised by the Council of Europe in Warsaw on 5 March 2025, following which the Belarusian democratic forces adopted a memorandum on the Abolition of the Death Penalty in Belarus.

The workshop held on 2 December 2025 gathered Belarusian journalists, bloggers, media workers and communication officers of relevant civil society organisations. It was opened by Mr Jerzy Baursky, Head of Office a.i. of the Council of Europe Office in Warsaw and former Ambassador of Poland to the Council of Europe, Mr Sébastien Potaufeu, Coordinator for the Abolition of the Death Penalty at the Council of Europe, Mr Alexander Shlyk, Special Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on elections and co-chair of the Contact group on Belarus, and Mr Aleh Aheyeu, Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Association of Journalists.

After a session on the abolition in Europe and a state of play of the situation in Belarus regarding the death penalty, participants could exchange views on the death penalty in the public discourse in Belarusian media and on challenges to communicate abolitionists messages. They could also discuss the coordination of messages between Belarusian media, civil society and democratic forces, and identify next steps.

To know more about the Council of Europe Contact Group on co-operation with Representatives of Belarusian democratic forces and civil society, and its activities : Contact Group on Belarus