17 March 2009 :

“It is the president and parliament that can initiate abolition of death penalty in Belarus,” the chairman of the Constitutional Court of Belarus, Pyotr Miklashevich, told a news conference. "The clause on the death penalty is contained in the first section of the constitution which is under special protection. Any amendments or addenda to it are only possible via referendum," he said. He added the death penalty was only applies in “exceptional cases.” The Council of Europe insists that Belarus abolish capital punishment.