The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area Retentionist States BELARUS The Republic of Belarus continues to retain the death penalty in law and in practice. The country’s Constitution and Criminal Code provide for the application of the death penalty as an exceptional punishment for particularly grave crimes. During the reporting period, two death sentences were handed down for premeditated murder, and two executions were carried out.99 On 25 April 2014, after the reported execution of Pavel Selyun and the Supreme Court ruling upholding the death sentence against Eduard Lykov, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, Miklós Haraszti, urged the Belarusian authorities to impose an immediate moratorium on capital punishment and refrain from carrying out further executions.100 On 2 June 2014, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns, called on Belarus to take all necessary steps to ensure full transparency in regards to the application of the death penalty and to move towards imposing a moratorium on capital punishment, with the view to abolishing it.101 The Belarusian parliamentary working group on the death penalty has continued its work. As reported by the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Belarus to the OSCE, the working group seeks to inform the public about various aspects of capital punishment and to monitor the situation in this respect; it is not guided by a conviction that the death penalty should be abolished or retained.102 On 25 June 2014, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution encouraging the Belarusian working group on the death penalty to expedite its work.103 99  Response to the ODIHR questionnaire on the death penalty from the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Belarus to the OSCE, received on 8 August 2014. 100  “UN rights expert calls on Belarus to impose death penalty moratorium, halt executions”, UN News Centre, 25 April 2014, <http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47653#.U_XEqfmSzHU>. 101  Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns, Addendum, Observations on communications transmitted to Governments and replies received, A/HRC/26/36/Add.2, p. 27. 102  Response to the 2013 ODIHR questionnaire on the death penalty from the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Belarus to the OSCE, received on 6 August 2013. 103  A/HRC/26/L.14/Rev.1, 25 June 2014. 26