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 its Criminal Code provide for the application of the death penalty as an exceptional punishment for especially grave crimes. During the reporting period, one death sentence was handed down and two executions were carried out.62 After the reported execution of Alyaksandr Haryunou (Grunov) on 22 October 2014, the UN Human Rights Committee issued a statement on 14 November deploring his execution despite the Committee’s request to stay the execution pending its consideration of the case. According to Sir Nigel Rodley, the Committee’s Chairperson, the execution amounted to “a grave breach of its international legal obligations by Belarus”.63 The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe expressed deep concern with regard to the execution of Alyaksandr Haryunou, referring to it as being “the wrong signal to send if Belarus wishes to establish closer relations with the Parliamentary Assembly”.64 The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, Miklós Haraszti, called on the Government of Belarus to refrain from handing down death sentences and to establish an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty, with a view to its permanent abolition.65 As reported by the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Belarus to the OSCE, the issue of the death penalty was discussed at a number of events held in Belarus during the reporting period, including at a two-day conference in Minsk in November 2014, co-organized by Penal Reform International and the Belarus Helsinki Committee. Presenters at the conference included representatives of the Constitutional Court, the General Prosecutor’s Office and the academic community of Belarus.66 62  Response to the ODIHR questionnaire on the death penalty from the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Belarus to the OSCE, received on 20 July 2015. 63  UN Human Rights Committee deplores Belarus execution, UN OHCHR, 14 November 2014, <http://www.ohchr. org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=15301&LangID=E>. 64  “Rapporteurs deeply concerned at reports of execution in Belarus”, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, 5 November 2014, <http://www.assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/News/News-View-EN.asp?newsid=5278&lang=2&cat=5>. 65  “Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus”, Miklós Haraszti, A/HRC/29/43, 29 April 2015, <http://www.refworld.org/docid/5577ef0c4.html>. 66  Belarus response op.cit., note 62. 19