Belarus executes Minsk subway bombers

[News_Editor]

Belarus executes Minsk subway bombers

2012-03-18 21:06:30 GMT+7 (ICT)

MINSK, Belarus (BNO NEWS) -- Two men who were previously convicted of carrying out a deadly bomb attack in the Minsk subway last year were executed on Saturday, state-run media reported on Sunday. The European Union (EU) condemned the execution.

A brief report from the state-owned Belta news agency said Dmitry Konovalov and Vladislav Kovalyov were executed on Saturday, but did not say where and how the executions were carried out. According to the human rights group Amnesty International, death sentences in Belarus are normally carried out by shooting.

In late November, the two men were found guilty of detonating an explosive device at a subway station in Minsk on April 11, killing 15 people and injuring more than 200 others. The court said Konovalov, who was accused of being the mastermind behind the attack, had repeatedly committed acts of terrorism while his accomplice, Kovalyov, had known about it for years and failed to report them.

Because November's ruling by the Supreme Court was final and could not be appealed, only President Alexander Lukashenko had the power to stop the execution. "This will be a very difficult decision for me; I do not know if I can call these two human beings," Lukashenko said in December before he refused to issue a pardon. "You have not forgotten what happened, I have not forgotten it all the more so. That was a huge blow on our society. I cannot blame the court for delivering this sentence."

But European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton condemned the executions on Saturday. "[Ashton] is aware of the terrible crimes that these two men were accused of and her thoughts are with the victims and their families," her spokesperson said in a statement. "At the same time, [Ashton] notes that the two accused were not accorded due process including the right to defend themselves."

Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal also condemned the executions and called for new sanctions against Belarus. "It is unacceptable that executions are being carried out in Belarus," he said. "I repeat my call in the European Union to tighten sanctions against this last dictatorship in Europe."

Lukashenko's authoritarian regime has ruled Belarus since July 1994.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-03-18

[Thunder26]

Belarus did right. Less with human rights as the criminality spikes too much in the too human right societies. The criminals must pay. In severe cases like this death penalty is absolutely right! Look where is England heading right now!

[jmdf103]

2 wrongs dont make a right

[hellodolly]

2 wrongs dont make a right

Nor do a multitude of wrongs make a right but a execution helps to right some of the wrongs and prevent further wrongs.

Instead of crying for the mass murderers think of the lives that will be saved with out them in the future.

Society today has taken to pampering criminals and given no thought to the victims. And we wonder why crime is on the increase.

[jmdf103]

2 wrongs dont make a right

Nor do a multitude of wrongs make a right but a execution helps to right some of the wrongs and prevent further wrongs.

Instead of crying for the mass murderers think of the lives that will be saved with out them in the future.

Society today has taken to pampering criminals and given no thought to the victims. And we wonder why crime is on the increase.

Capital punishment is just murder in the name of the state, a crime just the same. Also capital punishment is not a deterrent.

[chuckd]

2 wrongs dont make a right

Nor do a multitude of wrongs make a right but a execution helps to right some of the wrongs and prevent further wrongs.

Instead of crying for the mass murderers think of the lives that will be saved with out them in the future.

Society today has taken to pampering criminals and given no thought to the victims. And we wonder why crime is on the increase.

Capital punishment is just murder in the name of the state, a crime just the same. Also capital punishment is not a deterrent.

The two bombers that murdered 15 innocent people have certainly been deterred from further acts of violence.

[GentlemanJim]

2 wrongs dont make a right

Nor do a multitude of wrongs make a right but a execution helps to right some of the wrongs and prevent further wrongs. Instead of crying for the mass murderers think of the lives that will be saved with out them in the future. Society today has taken to pampering criminals and given no thought to the victims. And we wonder why crime is on the increase.

Capital punishment is just murder in the name of the state, a crime just the same. Also capital punishment is not a deterrent.

The two bombers that murdered 15 innocent people have certainly been deterred from further acts of violence.

But the sons and daughters who will now avenge their martyred Fathers have not been deterred, they have been given a little motivation to continue their studies at Bomb School. These men should have been given a full legal trial and then left in a cell for 75 years, they still would not have been able to do more wrong and they would not have been martyred.

[chuckd]

The two bombers that murdered 15 innocent people have certainly been deterred from further acts of violence.

But the sons and daughters who will now avenge their martyred Fathers have not been deterred, they have been given a little motivation to continue their studies at Bomb School. These men should have been given a full legal trial and then left in a cell for 75 years, they still would not have been able to do more wrong and they would not have been martyred.

Unless, of course, they had decided to starve themselves to death and become martyrs anyway.

Then we would have enjoyed 2-3 months of hearing how much they were suffering. This way, it's yesterday's news.

[Yahooka]

The two bombers that murdered 15 innocent people have certainly been deterred from further acts of violence.

But the sons and daughters who will now avenge their martyred Fathers have not been deterred, they have been given a little motivation to continue their studies at Bomb School. These men should have been given a full legal trial and then left in a cell for 75 years, they still would not have been able to do more wrong and they would not have been martyred.

Unless, of course, they had decided to starve themselves to death and become martyrs anyway.

Then we would have enjoyed 2-3 months of hearing how much they were suffering. This way, it's yesterday's news.

Exuse me......this is Belarus were talking about.....there isnt anybody setting of bombs to gain martyrdome there,most of the inhabitans are Orthodox !!!

[manarak]

But the sons and daughters who will now avenge their martyred Fathers have not been deterred, they have been given a little motivation to continue their studies at Bomb School. These men should have been given a full legal trial and then left in a cell for 75 years, they still would not have been able to do more wrong and they would not have been martyred.

hmm... no. but they would have given an incentive to plane hijackers to target a Belarus plane to get hostages to "exchange".

If there is not the slightest doubt about their culpability: Off with their heads I say, good riddance.

[Ulysses G.]

2 wrongs dont make a right

Nor do a multitude of wrongs make a right but a execution helps to right some of the wrongs and prevent further wrongs.

Instead of crying for the mass murderers think of the lives that will be saved with out them in the future.

Society today has taken to pampering criminals and given no thought to the victims. And we wonder why crime is on the increase.

Capital punishment is just murder in the name of the state, a crime just the same. Also capital punishment is not a deterrent.

The two bombers that murdered 15 innocent people have certainly been deterred from further acts of violence.

Certainly.