Viktar Serhil is at imminent risk of execution in Belarus after his conviction and death sentence were upheld by the Supreme Court on 31 January. Viktar Serhil can now appeal to President Lukashenka for clemency but this is extremely unlikely to be granted. Soon after clemency is refused, Viktar Serhil may be executed.
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Volha Ivanauna Chuprys
Chairperson of the Clemency Commission
Presidential Administration
Vul. Karla Marxa, 38
220016, Minsk
Belarus
Fax: +375 17 226 06 10
+375 17 222 38 72
Email: [email protected]
Ambassador Dmitry Basik
Embassy of Belarus
1619 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington DC 20009
Phone: 202 986 9420 I Fax: 202 986 1805
Email: [email protected]
Salutation: Dear Ambassador
Dear Ms Chupris,
I am addressing you in your capacity as the Chairperson of the Clemency Commission and am writing to urge you to take all necessary steps to facilitate the granting of clemency to Viktar Serhil after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction and death sentence on 31 January 2020.
On 25 October 2019, Brest Regional Court found Viktar Serhil guilty of murdering an eight-month old girl and sentenced him to death. His co-defendant and mother of the child, Natallia Kolb, was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment as women cannot be sentenced to death in Belarus. Viktar Serhil is now at imminent risk of execution following the Supreme Court decision.
Viktar Serhil was convicted of a terrible crime but no state should resort to the death penalty, whatever the crime. The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and has no place in any criminal justice system today. Belarus is the only country in Europe and the former Soviet Union which still carries out executions.
I urge you to take all necessary steps in your capacity as the Chairperson of the Clemency Commission to ensure that Viktar Serhil is granted immediate clemency, and that his execution and that of all those on death row in Belarus is halted; and use your leverage to seek an introduction of a moratorium on all executions in Belarus as a first step towards full abolition of the death penalty
Yours sincerely,
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