The European Union has stated its strong opposition to capital punishment in all circumstances in response to the execution of Kiryl Kazachok in Belarus.
Kazachok had been sentenced to death by the Gomel Regional Court, in south-eastern Belarus, in December 2016. He had been found guilty of killing his two children.
In light of the execution in Belarus of Kiryl Kazachok, which took place in October 2017, but was only brought to the public’s attention only now, the European Union issued a statement on March 8. The statement condemned the death penalty as a violation of the inalienable right to life enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It said the death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.
The European Union expects Belarus, the only country in Europe still applying capital punishment, to introduce without delay a moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its abolition.
