On 19 October, the Minsk regional Court in Belarus reportedly sentenced to death Alexander Taratuta, convicted of murder.

The European Union expresses its sincere sympathy to the loved ones of the victim and all those affected by his deplorable and brutal crime. At the same time, the EU reaffirms its unequivocal opposition to the death penalty in all cases and in all circumstances. The capital punishment represents the ultimate denial of human dignity, fails to act as a deterrent to crime and makes miscarriages of justice irreversible.

Belarus is the only country in Europe that still applies the death penalty. We call on Belarus to introduce a moratorium on the use of death penalty as a first step towards its full abolition, in line with the worldwide trend.