MINSK - The European Parliament's resolution on Belarus is an example of gross interference in the latter's internal affairs, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"The European Parliament’s resolution on the death penalty in Belarus causes simply outrage: the European Parliament de facto sides with terrorists in that it incompetently questions the Belarusian investigation’s conclusions and a court ruling on the case concerning terrorist attacks," the ministry said.
"The European Parliament also grossly interferes in the administration of justice in a sovereign state, which does it no honor," it said.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Thursday to condemn the fact that the Belarusian Supreme Court handed down death sentences on Dmitry Konovalov and Vladislav Kovalyov on Nov. 30, 2011 and to urge President Alexander Lukashenko to pardon both men and impose a moratorium on all death sentences and executions with a view to abolish the death penalty from the penal system.
The European Parliament also urged Belarusian law enforcement authorities to start a full, fair, and unbiased investigation into the charges brought against Kovalyov and Konovalov. It said that, according to reports by human rights organizations, there are arguments showing that the trial was unfair and that the investigation was marred by serious human rights abuses.
The European Parliament called on the Eastern Partnership countries and Russia to urge Belarus to impose a moratorium on the death penalty.
In the same resolution, the European Parliament demanded that Minsk immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners.
