Authoritarian Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday approved a death penalty law for government and military officials convicted of treason, Reuters reported.
Belarus, a close ally of Russia, is the only country in Europe that still uses the death penalty. Previously, it was granted to people convicted of murder and terrorism in the country.
The latest law was enacted to strengthen and speed up the fight against “crimes of an extremist (terrorist) and anti-state nature,” according to Reuters.
The law states that anyone found guilty of “discrediting” the country’s armed forces will face jail. Belarus’ close ally, Russia, also passed a similar law after invading Ukraine.
According to President Alexander Lukashenko, the death penalty will be imposed on officials who cause “irreparable damage” to the country’s national security, The Guardian reported.
In Belarus, the government carries out executions by shooting the prisoner in the back of the head. The law also provides for sanctions for acts related to “terrorist propaganda, discrediting of the armed forces and paramilitaries and failure to comply with rules protecting state secrets,” according to The Guardian.
The new law comes after a February 26 attack on a Russian fighter jet at an airbase near the Belarusian capital. Lukashenko informed the public that the main suspect in the incident was arrested along with more than 20 of his other accomplices. The arrested person is from Ukraine.
President Lukashenko has ruled Belarus for more than three decades. It has ruthlessly suppressed dissent and free speech in the country.
In August 2020, government authorities cracked down on protesters opposing his re-election. Protesters claimed he rigged the election and arrested more than 35,000 people.
Earlier this week, exiled opposition leader Svitlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko’s main electoral rival, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for plotting to overthrow the country’s government, The Guardian reported.
Last week, one of the most respected human rights activists and winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, Ales Bialiatski, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Belarusian court.
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