BELARUS: PUBLIC OPINION ON THE DEATH PENALTY

April 8, 2014: In 2013, non-governmental organisation Penal Reform International commissioned a detailed survey of public opinion about crime, punishment and the death penalty in Belarus.
Market researchers, Satio, conducted the survey, interviewing 1,000 participants. The results show that opinions around capital punishment are more varied and nuanced than is often stated, while public attitudes about crime in general are strongly affected by respondents’ social position, background and emotions.
Key findings included: support for the death penalty is only 64% – significantly down on the 80% who supported capital punishment in a 1996 referendum; concerns about personal safety appeared to be a key reason for supporting the death penalty; three-quarters of respondents felt that convicting an innocent person was worse than letting the guilty go unpunished. (Sources: freeales.fidh.net, 08/04/2014)