Amendments to the death penalty come into force in Belarus
In Belarus, on Saturday, March 25, amendments to the criminal liability codes entered into force, providing for the death penalty for officials and military personnel for high treason, as well as criminal liability for terrorist propaganda and discrediting the army.
The bill “On amendment of criminal liability codes” was presented by the Council of Ministers to the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus at the end of October 2022. At the end of February 2023, it passed in two readings in Parliament , after which it was approved by the Council of the Republic. The ruler of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, signed the document on March 9, and on March 14, the law was published on the National Legal Portal of Belarus. The document states that it comes into force ten days after its official publication.
According to the law, criminal liability “for treason to the state” committed by an official applies to all persons holding public office. In this case, the document provides for the possibility of applying life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Articles to promote terrorism and discredit the military
In addition, for a set of anti-state crimes, an accessory penalty of a fine of up to 50,000 basic units (about 680,000 euros) has been established. This measure, according to the authors of the amendments, “aims to provide unconditional reparation for the damage caused by such acts, and to deprive those who committed them of the means to continue their criminal activities”.
The law also introduces criminal liability for “propaganda of terrorism, discrediting the armed forces, other troops and military formations, paramilitary organizations and violating requirements for the protection of state secrets”. From 3 to 10 days, the period for detaining people suspected of committing treason, conspiracy or other actions to seize state power, as well as espionage and secret activities, was increased.
At the same time, the amendments provide for the exemption from criminal liability of people who prepared for sabotage, but abandoned their intentions and helped to prevent the crime.
Source: DW
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