We condemn two new executions in Belarus reported by human rights defenders.

Death is not justice. Capital punishment has no proven dissuasive effect on the crime situation in any part of the world. We reiterate our call on the authorities to impose a moratorium on the application of death penalty as the first step towards its abolition. This would remove the last obstacle on the way to the Council of Europe and bring Belarus closer to the universal values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.