The Belarusian Parliament has approved on Wednesday in first reading a reform of the Criminal Code that provides for the death penalty for military and other officials accused and convicted of treason.
The measure, reported by the BelTA news agency, is in addition to another reform also adopted this year to punish terrorism crimes with capital punishment.
The Belarusian officialism has defended these changes for the alleged need to toughen the punishments and favor deterrence against possible extremist activities, in a particularly tense context due to the rapprochement with Russia in the midst of the invasion of Ukraine.
Belarus remains the last country in Europe and Central Asia to apply the death penalty, usually reserved for aggravated homicide offenses.
