The Deputy Head of the Ministry of Justice announced the impossibility of lifting the moratorium on the death penalty in the Russian Federation

In Russia, it is impossible to lift the moratorium on the death penalty because of the position of the Constitutional Court and “the guarantees firmly established over the years not to subject convicts to such punishment,” said Deputy Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation Andrei Loginov at the presentation of Russia’s report at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

“Russia has a stricter legal regime of non-application of the death penalty than the international one. It is based on the position of the Constitutional Court, according to which, as a result of a long moratorium on the use of the death penalty, stable guarantees of the human right not to be subjected to this type of punishment have been formed. Therefore, the possibility of returning to the use of the death penalty in Russia is virtually excluded,” said Mr. Loginov (quoted from “RIA News”).

A moratorium on the death penalty has been in effect in Russia since 1997. At the same time, this type of punishment still remains in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, but in fact it has not been applied in the country since 1996.

In April 2023 from initiative The leader of the party “A Just Russia – For Truth” Sergei Mironov spoke about the return of the imposition and execution of death sentences. According to him, the death penalty could be applied against terrorists and pedophiles. The Kremlin responded statedthat the issue of returning the death penalty in Russia is not currently being discussed “at any level.” At the same time, the head of the constitutional committee of the Federation Council Andrei Klishas saidthat the return of the death penalty in Russia will be possible only if a new Constitution is adopted.

Alexander Kislov