Russian President Vladimir Putin

RUSSIA. STEPS MAY BE TAKEN TO ABOLISH DEATH PENALTY, PUTIN

February 7, 2006: Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested he might take steps towards abolishing the death penalty in Russia. "I will certainly put forward some initiatives, but I will do this cautiously, taking into account the attitudes of the public and I will definitely seek the opinion of parliament," Putin said in an interview with Spanish media.
Putin said he believed his personal attitude towards the death penalty was well known. "Any punishment has several goals. They include correction and retribution. There is no correction in the case of the death penalty, only retribution. It is even unclear to whom it applies, since a man whom the state eliminates doesn't feel anything after that," he said. (Sources: Interfax, 07/02/2006)