Belarus approves death penalty for high treason

The Belarusian leader on Thursday signed a bill introducing capital punishment for state officials and military personnel convicted of high treason.

The amendments to the country's criminal code endorsed by Alexander Lukashenko envisage death sentences for officials and servicemen deemed to have caused "irreparable damage" to Belarus' national security.

The new law is part of changes to the criminal code aimed at strengthening Belarus' fight against "crimes of an extremist (terrorist) and anti-state orientation."

Mimicking Russian legislation

The bill that Lukashenko signed also introduced punishment for "propaganda of terrorism, discrediting the armed forces and paramilitary units and breaching the rules to protect state secrets," mimicking the repressive legislation of Belarus' main ally, Russia.

Russia passed a similar law after it invaded Ukraine just over a year ago.

Belarus has not sent its own troops into Ukraine, but it allowed Russia to use its territory as a launchpad for its operation in February 2022 and has since let Russian warplanes and drones use its airspace for attacks on Ukraine. Russia has also maintained troops and weapons on Belarusian territory.

The endorsement of the new repressive legislation follows an attack on a Russian warplane at an air base outside the Belarusian capital on February 26, which was claimed by Belarusian guerrillas. 

Iron fist rule in Belarus

Belarus is the only country in Europe that hasn't banned capital punishment, which has been applied to those convicted of murder or terrorism. Executions are carried out with a shot to the back of the head.

Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron fist for nearly three decades, brutally suppressing dissent. Belarusian authorities unleashed a brutal crackdown against demonstrators who protested his re-election in an August 2020 vote that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged, detaining more than 35,000 and beating thousands.

On Monday, a Belarusian court sentenced Lukashenko's main challenger in the election, exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, in absentia to 15 years in prison on charges including conspiring to overthrow the government.

Last week, the country's most prominent human rights advocate and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Ales Bialiatski, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

dh/msh (AP, Reuters)