Belarusian society not ready to abolish death penalty - Belarusian foreign minister
MINSK. June 11 (Interfax) - Belarusian society is not ready to abolish death penalty, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makey said in an interview posted on the ministry's official website.
"A poll was conducted last year by a non-governmental organization upon the initiative of the European Union. And even amid the far-fetch aspect, conventionally speaking the number of those opposed to abolishing the capital punishment is almost 65%. This speaks for itself - society is not ready yet to cancel death penalty as a punishment," Makey said.
"We should advance very carefully and cautiously" in the issue of abolishing the capital punishment, the minister said. "This issue should not be advanced artificially. Everything should happen naturally. Society should get ready that this initiative to cancel the death penalty is implemented," he said.
As to introducing a temporary moratorium on capital punishment, "if relevant pre-conditions emerge and, indeed, it will be obvious objectively that it is necessary to introduce moratorium on death penalty and if this is justified in all respects, I do not rule out that this question could be discussed by authorities," Makey said.
