Belarus | FIDH asks to allow Vice President Stefanovich to consider a petition for pardon of the Kostev brothers

In the foreground - Stanislav, in the background - Ilya Kosteva during the hearing in the Supreme Court on May 22, 2020

The following story has been Google translated from Belarusian. Read the original here.

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has appealed to the Pardon Commission under the President of the Republic of Belarus to invite Vice President and human rights activist Valyantsin Stefanovich to a meeting to consider the pardon petition of brothers Ilya and Stanislav Kostev .

The possibility of the presence of representatives of state bodies, public associations and mass media at the sittings of the commission is enshrined in Clause 9 of the Regulations on the Procedure for Pardoning Convicts, Exempting from Criminal Liability Persons Assisting in Disclosure and Elimination of Consequences of Crimes approved by Presidential Decree99.1 250. In addition, paragraph 5 of the Regulation stipulates that the opinion of public organizations may be taken into account when considering a pardon application.

FIDH is one of the leading international human rights organizations and one of the founders of the Global Coalition against the Death Penalty. Together with its affiliated organizations, FIDH is committed to the universal abolition of the death penalty and opposes the use of the death penalty, regardless of the crime or circumstances.

"We would like to have the opportunity to present FIDH's opinion on the pardon of the Kostiev brothers to the commission in person, and we hope that this opinion will be taken into account when deciding on the merits of the petition," FIDH said in a statement signed by Alice Magwe. .

The International Federation for Human Rights is convinced that the death penalty is tantamount to inhuman treatment and torture. In addition, FIDH’s experience shows that the death penalty is often the result of an unfair trial. FIDH also recalls that the so-called warning effect of the death penalty has never been proven. In December 2014, 117 countries adopted a UN General Assembly resolution calling for a universal moratorium on the death penalty, and the international trend in favor of universal abolition continues to grow.

It should be reminded that on January 10, 2020, the Mogilev Regional Court sentenced Ilya and Stanislav Kostev to death. On May 22, 2020, after the convicts' appeal was rejected by the Judicial Board for Criminal Cases of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus and the verdict came into force, Stanislav and Ilya Kastseva filed a pardon petition addressed to the President of the Republic of Belarus. During his 26 years in power, Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned only one person sentenced to death.

Amnesty International calls on Belarus not to shoot brothers Stanislav and Ilya Kostev

Ilya Kostev, 21, and his brother Stanislav,19

Amnesty International has launched an urgent action in support of brothers Stanislav and Ilya Kostev , who were sentenced to death in Belarus.

On May 22, the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court considered the appeal of the Kostev brothers and upheld the verdict of both.

They appealed to President Lukashenko for clemency. Since coming to power in 1994, the president has pardoned only once. If the pardon is denied, Stanislau and Ilya Kostev will inevitably be executed.

Amnesty International calls on all concerned to send an appeal to the President of the country with a call to save the life of Brother Kostev and change their sentence to imprisonment.

"Given the young age of Stanislav and Ilya Kostev, as well as the unfavorable conditions of upbringing, the case of the brothers shocked many people in Belarus and abroad. Their father died when Stanislav Kostev was only a few months old. The mother had a hard time raising children. Older sister Anna actually raised them.

For the first time in more than 10 years, such young people have been sentenced to death in Belarus, and for the first time in the country's history, two members of the same family face the death penalty.

While the Belarusian authorities continue to declare their intention to abolish the death penalty in the future, the case of the two brothers is a shocking reminder that in reality the system is practically unchanged, ”the appeal reads.

Neither the convicts nor their relatives are warned in advance about the date and time of the execution of the sentence, they are also not allowed to say goodbye to each other.

In Belarus, the death sentence is carried out by shooting him in the back of the head, the convict learns about the punishment a few minutes before him. Sometimes more than one shot is required.

Relatives will learn about the execution of the sentence in a few weeks, and the remains of those shot for burial are not given out, the place of burial is not reported.

Amnesty International and other organizations have repeatedly demanded an end to the state of complete secrecy surrounding the death penalty in Belarus, and have witnessed the suffering of relatives and friends of the executed.

It should be reminded that Ilya Kostev is 21 years old, his brother Stanislav is 19. In January 2020, the board of the Mahilou regional court sentenced the Kostev brothers to death by shooting. They were found guilty of killing 47-year-old teacher Natalia Kastrytsa .

Source: dp.spring96.org, Staff, July 6, 2020

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