BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
01/03/2011
Belarus murderer given death sentence
Minsk - Belarus, the last European country to employ the death penalty, on Tuesday confirmed a death sentence against a man found guilty of murder, despite international protests.
Igor Myalik, a 39-year-old martial artist, received the sentence for multiple murder-robberies, reported local media quoting the state's attorney office. The sentence has now been confirmed by the nation's high court.
The former Soviet republic has been under the authoritarian rule of Alexsander Lukashenko for 17 years and has been the target of significant criticism for elections last year widely deemed to have been rigged.
Lukashenko, as recently as last year, rejected calls to do away with the death penalty.
Myalik was part of a group of martial artists who shot targets so they could take possession of land and other property, according to accounts. Human rights organizations say Belarus carries out two or three executions per year.
Source:
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