Translated material
PACE Chairman recommended Belarus to abolish the death penalty
The Council of Europe can continue the dialogue on the inclusion of Belarus in its membership only after the introduction of a moratorium on the death penalty in the country.
“There are values in the Council of Europe that we cannot abandon. It is extremely important that Belarus follows them and shares them. The minimum we demand is the introduction of a moratorium on the death penalty,” the chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) told reporters ) Jean-Claude Mignon in St. Petersburg on Friday.
He stated that continuing the dialogue with the Belarusian side regarding its inclusion in the Council of Europe is possible only after it “shares European values.” According to him, it is also unacceptable that the PACE special rapporteur appointed to work in Belarus cannot obtain access rights to the territory of the country.
“Belarus has a place to occupy in the European family, but we are waiting for concrete steps from Belarus,” the PACE Chairman said.
Speaker of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko, in turn, noted that without Belarus the “European family” cannot be considered complete. “It is appropriate to reproach the Council of Europe - the family of the Council of Europe is incomplete, since Belarus is missing,” Matvienko said.