It's cruel and unusual...

 

Taking a life is not the answer to the problem of violent crime in society Dear Activist, A 28 year-old man from Belarus, Andrei Burdyka, was sentenced to death in 2010 for assault and murder. He was executed this year along with another prisoner and before their deaths they both alleged that they had been tortured and denied a fair trial. Andrei Burdyka committed terrible crimes. However, he should not have been executed. No country should take someone's life in answer to the problem of violent crime in society. The death penalty is a symptom of a culture of violence, not a solution to it. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or the method used by the state to kill the prisoner. It is an affront to human dignity and it should be abolished. There is a growing trend in the world towards abolition. In the last decade, more than 30 countries abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Fifty-eight countries worldwide now retain the death penalty for ordinary crimes, and less than half of these, 23 countries, carried out executions in 2010. Belarus is the only country in Europe and the former Soviet Union that is still carrying out executions. An image showing a simulation of the execution method used in Belarus - the executioner shoots the victim in the back of the head with a silenced Makarov pistol. Belarus is the last country in Europe and Central Asia that still retains the death penalty. © Amnesty International. It is believed that as many as 400 people may have been executed in Belarus since it gained independence in 1991. In Belarus, prisoners are told they will be executed just moments before their death sentence is carried out. They are killed with a bullet to the back of the head. Their bodies are not handed over to their families and the burial site is kept secret. It is time to make this stop. Tell the authorities to end the use of death penalty in Belarus now! In solidarity, Alaphia, Buddha, Franziska and El-Mutamid Online Communities Team P.S. As a key goal during Amnesty International's fiftieth year, we are focusing our action on six countries that retain the death penalty: Belarus, China, Iran, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia and the USA. Find us on Twitter and Facebook.   Amnesty International International Secretariat 1 Easton Street London, WC1X 0DW United Kingdom www.amnesty.org How to Unsubscribe You can unsubscribe from this newsletter at any time. Alternatively, you can also unsubscribe from all amnesty.org newsletters. If you are unable to unsubscribe please send us an email at unsubscribe-oc@amnesty.org.