Death penalty for officials convicted of high treason comes into force in Belarus

A law providing the possibility of imposing the death penalty on officials for treason has come into force in Belarus.

According to TASS, a draft law "On amending the codes of criminal responsibility," aimed at strengthening the fight against extremist, terrorist, and anti-state crimes, was submitted by the Council of Ministers to the House of Representatives (lower chamber) of the National Assembly of Belarus in late October 2022. It was adopted in early December in the first reading, and in late February 2023 in the second reading. At the end of February, the document was approved by the Council of the Republic (upper house) and signed by President Alexander Lukashenko on March 9. Ten days after its official publication on 14 March on the National Legal Internet Portal, the law entered into force.

The law amends Part 2 of Article 356 of the Criminal Code (CC) of Belarus "Treason against the state". It provides the possibility of punishment in the form of life imprisonment or the death penalty for treason committed by an official in public office. Articles 58 and 59 of the Criminal Code, "Life imprisonment" and "Death penalty", are thus included.