The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area–Background Paper 2017 inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment towards the relatives of prisoners sentenced to death.84 Proposed changes in legislation On 16 December 2016, Alena Anisim, a member of the House of Representatives, proposed considering the question of declaring a moratorium on the death penalty at the second session of the parliament’s lower chamber of the sixth convocation. The proposal originated from a petition from human rights activists who called for a parliamentary hearing to discuss the possibility of a moratorium. 85 In a statement made on 3 February 2017, President Alexander Lukashenko declared that he would be willing to impose a moratorium on the death penalty if supported by the majority of citizens. He, however, noted that this has been dismissed by the Belarusian people in a previous referendum. Lukashenko suggested launching a public campaign aimed at discuss all aspects of capital punishment.86 Other reported activities On 24 June 2016 Nikolai Samoseiko, Deputy of the House of representatives of the National Assembly and Chairman of Belarus’ parliamentary working group on studying the death penalty as an instrument of punishment, participated in a Council of Europe seminar on the death penalty. On 13 December 2016, the Council of Europe, in co-operation with the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, organized an international conference on the abolition of the death penalty and public opinion in Minsk.87 On 23 March 2017, during his visit to Belarus, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Rapporteur on Belarus Andrea Rigoni met with members of the Parliamentary working group on the death penalty. In addition to Rigoni, diplomats and representatives of governmental bodies and civil society 84  See United Nations Human Rights Committee, Natalia Schedko v. Belarus, Communication No. 886/1999, U.N. Doc. CCPR/C/77/D/886/1999 (1999), <http://juris.ohchr.org/Search/Details/1037>; see also “Introductory Essay of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Juan E. Méndez”, in “The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area: Background Paper 2016”, p. 7, (OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (2016)) at <http://www.osce.org/odihr/266186?download=true>. 85  “MP proposes to consider moratorium on the death penalty”, VIASNA, 16 December 2016, <http:// dp.spring96.org/en/news/85651>. 86  “Lukashenko says ready to impose moratorium on death penalty if there is majority public support”, Belarus News, 3 February 2017, <http://eng.belta.by/society/view/lukashenko-says-ready-to-impose-moratoriumon-death-penalty-if-there-is-majority-public-support-98472-2017/>; see also <https://deathpenaltynews.blogspot. com/2017/02/belarus-lukashenko-ready-to-impose.html>. 87  “Key to Europe becoming a death penalty free area lies in Belarus, say participants at Minsk conference”, Council of Europe, 13 December 2016, < http://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/full-news/-/asset_publisher/VN6cYYbQB4QE/content/the-key-to-europe-becoming-a-death-penalty-free-area-lies-in-belarus-say-participants-at-a-conference-in-minsk?desktop=false>. 29