Capital punishment in Belarus

Common card · No. 200324

Belarus is the only country in Europe that uses capital punishment. As of 2025, it remains a legal penalty, with at least one execution confirmed and a death sentence issued, both in 2024. The death penalty has remained part of Belarusian law since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The constitution permits the death penalty for "especially grave crimes". The list of capital offenses was expanded in 2023 to include high treason. In a 1996 referendum, 80% of Belarusians voted to keep the punishment, and the Belarusian government says that this can be overturned only via another vote. The use of the death penalty and its methods were criticized by the United Nations. It is one of the reasons Belarus is excluded from the Council of Europe.

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