Belarusian lawmakers passed a law allowing the death penalty for government officials who commit treason
Deputies in the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus approved a draft law in its final reading. The law includes the option of imposing the death penalty on officials who commit treason against the country. This was announced by the lower house of parliament's press service.
The draft law “On Amendments to the Codes on Criminal Liability” was approved in the second reading, according to the report. Once endorsed by the Council of the Republic, the document, which was initially passed by deputies on December 7, 2022, will be sent to the president of the country for signing.
The proposed amendment to Part 2 of Article 356 of the Criminal Code, titled “Treason to the State”, suggests the death penalty as a possible punishment for treason against the state committed by an official in a public position or a person with military status. The legislation also aligns Articles 58 and 59 of the Criminal Code – “Life imprisonment” and “Death penalty”. The House of Representatives' press service highlighted that these changes are aimed at deterring subversive activities and demonstrating a firm stance against treason.
Fines and terms of detention
The document suggests imposing a fine ranging from 500 to 50,000 basic units for anti-state crimes. Currently, the base value used to calculate duties, fines, and certain other payments is 37 Belarusian rubles (approximately 980 rubles based on the current exchange rate of the National Bank of Belarus).
Moreover, the bill proposes extending the detention period for espionage, treason, and several other anti-state crimes by up to 10 days, and the period for laying charges by up to 20 days from the time of detention. This is due to the realization that the current 72-hour detention period often does not provide sufficient time for operational and investigative measures as stipulated by the existing legislation.
This also establishes accountability for the dissemination of intentionally false information that tarnishes the reputation of the armed forces, other troops and military formations, as well as paramilitary organizations in Belarus.
Section XIII of the Criminal Code of Belarus, titled “Crimes against the state and the exercise of power and control,” contains provisions for liability, including for treason, espionage, clandestine activities, terrorism against a government official or public figure, sabotage, calls for sanctions, formation or participation in extremist groups, financing of extremist activities, and involvement in armed forces or conflicts in foreign territories, and support for extremist activities.
