Watchdog

The European Parliament has unanimously passed a resolution condemning the death penalty in Belarus and urging the country to adopt a moratorium on the practice.

Amnesty International reports that roughly 400 individuals have been executed in Belarus for various crimes since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The EU lawmakers, meeting in Strasbourg, France, also urged the Belarusian regime to pardon Dzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzislau Kavaliou, who were condemned to death in November for allegedly plotting the blast in the Minsk subway in April that killed 15 people.

The text calls on Belarusian authorities "to carry out a full, fair, and impartial investigation" of the bombing.

The EU lawmakers also urge the regime to release all political prisoners jailed following the disputed 2010 presidential election in which President Alyaksandr Lukashenka was reelected, including former presidential candidates Mikalay Statkevich and Andrey Sannikau and prominent rights defender Ales Byalyatski.

The chairman of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Labor Unions has been warned by authorities in connection with what is described as his alleged responsibility for "discrediting Belarus abroad."

Chairman Alyaksandr Yarashuk told RFE/RL that he was summoned to the prosecutor-general’s office on February 15, where he was questioned for three hours regarding his recent public statements about a “possible boycott by European countries of Belarus-made goods due to violations of independent labor unions’ rights in Belarus.”

Yarashuk said he was warned that he may face up to five years in jail if he is charged and found guilty of the crime.

He does not deny making the statements, but rejects any claim of wrongdoing because of them.