The Belarusian Parliament approves the death penalty for soldiers convicted of treason

21 Feb. () –

The Parliament of Belarus has approved this Monday a reform of the Criminal Code that will allow the death penalty to be imposed against those soldiers and other officials who have been convicted of treason.

The deputies of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus have approved the new legislation, which introduces this measure, in the midst of an increase in tension in the region after almost a year after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“The possibility of applying exceptional punishment measures in the form of the death penalty is foreseen for officials holding public office and persons subject to military conditions who have committed crimes under article 356 of the Criminal Code,” said Alexander Dubov, vice president of the National Security Committee, according to the Parliament’s press service.

In addition, the legislation includes the possibility of applying this type of measure in the form of a fine for “committing crimes against peace and security.” It offers an increase in detention periods for the commission of crimes of treason and espionage, and allows charges to be filed up to 20 days after arrest, according to information from the BelTA news agency.

The Belarusian government has defended these changes due to the supposed need to toughen punishments and promote deterrence against possible extremist activities, in a particularly tense context due to the rapprochement with Russia.

The new regulations are expected to be approved by the Upper House and then ratified by the president, Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus remains the last country in Europe and Central Asia to apply the death penalty, usually reserved for aggravated murder crimes.