MINSK -- A man was sentenced to death in Belarus for double murder on July 31, despite repeated calls by the European Union for the abolition of capital punishment in the only European country that still carries out executions.
The Minsk-based Vyasna (Spring) human rights group says a court in the eastern city of Vitsebsk found the defendant, Viktar Paulau, guilty of murdering two elderly women in late December and sentenced him to death.
The court established that Paulau beat to death the two retired sisters in a village near Vitsebsk and stole cash and alcoholic beverages from their house.
Paulau, 50, told the court he regretted his deed and begged for his life to be spared.
He is the second Belarusian sentenced to death this year after 36-year-old Alyaksandr Asipovich received the death penalty in January for killing two girls in 2018.
For years, the EU has urged Belarus to join other countries in declaring a moratorium on capital punishment.
According to rights organizations, some 400 people have been sentenced to death in Belarus since it gained independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Human rights groups say Belarus carried out one execution in January, one in November, and two executions in May 2018.
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
Exclusive: The TikTok Trail Of The U.S. Soldier Arrested In Russia Left By His Russian 'Wife'
2Kazakh Billionaire Buys English Soccer Club
32 U.S. Citizens, Including Soldier, Join List Of Americans Being Held In Russia
4Kazakh Ex-Minister Insists In Court He Had No Intention To Kill Wife
5North Macedonia Ruling Party Concedes As Opposition Wins Dual Votes
6Chinese-Made Surveillance Cameras Are Spreading Across Eastern Europe, Despite Security Concerns
7North Macedonia's New President Prefers The Country's Old Name
8All 5 Central Asian Leaders To Attend Victory Day Parade In Moscow
9What Is Behind Serbia And China's 'Ironclad Friendship'?
10Putin Inaugurated In Ceremony Marked By Western Boycott
Subscribe