Belarusian human rights activist Andrei Paluda sent an open letter to Pope Francis, in which he asked the pontiff to assist in the abolition of the death penalty in Belarus. He suggested that the head of the Catholic Church discussed the topic of the death penalty moratorium with the head of Belarus Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Coordinator of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders Against Death Penalty” believes that the Pope’s position may have an impact on the resolution of this issue. Andrei Paluda noted that Belarus is the only country in Europe where the death penalty is practiced.
The human rights activist said that he and his colleagues will use all opportunities for Belarus to cease the practice of shooting its citizens. According to him, the letter the Pope was given to him by Lyudmila Chykunova — an opponent of the death penalty. Her son was sentenced to death in Uzbekistan.
Since 1991, more than 400 people in Belarus have been shot on the sentences. There is only one case in which the head of state pardoned a death convict.
