Belarus to stick to death penalty indefinitely
MINSK. Jan 23 (Interfax) - It remains unclear when Belarus may declare a moratorium on the death penalty or abolish it, according to the chairman of the country's Constitutional Court.
"The issue remains open, there still is a major public discussion on this matter," Pyotr Miklashevich told a news conference in Minsk on Wednesday.
He cited a 2004 Constitutional Court ruling that, "under a set of circumstances, the president and parliament may decide to declare a moratorium on the death penalty or abolish it."
"The position of the court remains unchanged. If there is an appeal to the Constitutional Court on a mechanism for the introduction of a moratorium on the death penalty or for its abolition, we will state our position on this problem, which is based on constitutional law," he said.
