Amnesty International Confirms Execution of Death Row Prisoner in Belarus

The recent execution of a Belarusian man convicted of assault and murder does nothing to advance the cause of justice, Amnesty International said today.

The exact date of 28-year-old Andrei Burdyka’s execution is not known, but it is believed to have taken place between July 14 and 19. Another man convicted over the same case was also believed to have been executed although this has not yet been confirmed.

"While this man has committed terrible crimes, he should not have been executed," said Heather McGill, Amnesty International’s Belarus researcher. "We sympathize with the families of those who lost their lives in the robbery in 2009, but the taking of further lives does not right this wrong. The taking of a life by the state is not an adequate answer to the problem of violent crime insociety."

"In Belarus the use of the death penalty is compounded by a flawed criminal justice system that uses capital punishment in a manner that violates international laws and standards," said McGill. "There is credible evidence that torture and ill-treatment are used to extract 'confessions.'"

Andrei Burdyka and one other man were sentenced to death by shooting on May 14 for crimes committed during an armed robbery on a flat in the western city of Grodno in October 2009.

Both men were found guilty of premeditated murder, armed assault, arson, kidnapping of a minor, theft and robbery. Andrei Burdyka and the other man pleaded guilty to the charges.

On Monday, Andrei Burdyka's mother visited the prison where her son had been held. She was informed that he had been shot and was handed his clothing and glasses.

Neither of the families were officially informed of the executions. The family of the other condemned man chose not to travel to Minsk to ask the prison authorities if he had been executed.

In Belarus, prisoners on death row are told that they will be executed only moments before the sentence is carried out. They are shot in the back of the head; sometimes more than 1 bullet is needed.

The body is not handed over to the family, who are often informed only afterwards, and the place of burial is kept secret, causing further distress to relatives.

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom and dignity are denied.

For more information please visit www.amnestyusa.org.

Source: Amnesty International USA, July 26, 2011

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