MINSK – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has criticized the decision of the Belarusian Supreme Court to uphold the death sentence handed down to the murderer of two women in Bobruisk.
“This verdict is disappointing because it shows that, despite some abolitionist signals, the Belarusian judiciary continues to apply the death penalty,” the PACE said in a statement.
The PACE pointed out that it is planning to stand firmly against any death penalty in Belarus.
“The death penalty is cruel and inhuman punishment, which is no longer acceptable in Europe. We reiterate our call to the authorities of Belarus to urgently establish a moratorium on executions and to de facto and de jure abolish the death penalty,” the statement said.
On May 14, the Supreme Court upheld the sentence handed down to Alexander Osipovich by the Mogilev Regional Court. During the consideration of his appeal, Osipovich asked to requalify his case as murder in excess of self-defense.
As reported, Osipovich, under the influence of alcohol, had an argument while drinking with two young women whom he had met by chance and attacked them. The women, fearing for their lives, locked themselves inside a bathroom, trying to escape, but the man, armed with a hammer and a knife, managed to break in.
He hammered, stabbed, and punched one of them at least 77 times, striking her head at least 48 times with a hammer. The second woman was stabbed and punched at least 16 times, with at least two stab wounds to the neck and head. Both women died at the scene.
The Mogilev Regional Court handed down the death penalty to Osipovich in a visiting session in Bobruisk on Jan. 9.
Belarus remains the only country in Europe and the CIS to maintain the death penalty, which is intended as an exceptional measure of punishment for especially grave crimes in accordance with the Constitution. Executions are carried out by firing squad.
Two new death sentences were pronounced and four existing ones were carried out in 2018.
The EU, the OSCE, and a number of international organizations have condemned the death penalty in Belarus.
