The death penalty can be imposed for crimes that occur against the state or against individuals. A few non-violent crimes can also be punishable by death. As of 2021, Belarus is the only country in Europe that continues to carry out the death penalty.
In 7 December 2022, Belarusian lawmakers approved a bill which punishes high treason among officials and military personnel with the death penalty. The bill also includes prosecution for “spreading false information discrediting the Armed Forces of Belarus”.
The exact number of people executed in Belarus is not known, since the last documents released by the Belarusian Government were in 2006.
In 2000, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe condemned “in the strongest possible terms the executions in Belarus and deplores the fact that Belarus is currently the only country in Europe where the death penalty is enforced and, moreover, is regularly and widely enforced”.