Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka signed a law on March 9 allowing for the use of the death penalty against officials and army servicemen convicted of high treason. Belarus, a close ally of Russia, is the only country in Europe that still applies the death penalty. Under another change, anybody found guilty of "discrediting" the Belarusian armed forces will face jail. Russia passed a similar law after invading neighboring Ukraine just over a year ago. The new law is part of changes to the Criminal Code aimed at strengthening Belarus's fight against "crimes of an extremist and anti-state orientation." To read the original story by Reuters, click here.
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