A law providing for the possibility of applying the death penalty against officials for treason came into force in Belarus.

The draft law “On Amending the Codes on Criminal Liability” was submitted by the Council of Ministers to the House of Representatives (lower house) of the National Assembly of Belarus at the end of October 2022. In early December, it was adopted in the first reading, at the end of February 2023 - in the second.

At the end of February, the document was approved by the Council of the Republic (upper house), on March 9 it was signed by President Alexander Lukashenko.

The normative act was published in the National Legal Internet Portal on March 14, and entered into force 10 days later.

The law amends Part 2 of Article 356 of the Criminal Code (CC) of Belarus “Treason to the State”. Provides for the possibility of applying a sentence of life imprisonment or the death penalty for treason against the state committed by an official holding a public position.

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The State Duma of the Russian Federation proposed to return the execution for those who left Russia and began to criticize the country from abroad. Also, Vice Speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Anna Kuznetsova stated that the property of traitors to Russia should be given to orphans, and Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev called for those who “turned over to the side of Ukraine” to be tried under wartime laws.