The NAM lawyers about the regime’s new bill aimed at intimidating Belarusians
"Deputies" said the bill is aimed at "deterring destructive elements" and "the state’s determined fight against terrorist activity." Given how broadly the authorities have been interpreting the concept of "terrorism" of late, the NAМ lawyers Mikhail Kirilyuk and Artsiom Praskalovich are confident that the innovation is aimed at bringing as many political cases as possible under the article providing for the death penalty.
In an interview with the BBC Mikhail Kirilyuk says that the main purpose of the bill is to intimidate citizens. There are well-known surnames in the KGB lists of persons involved in terrorism: Latushka, Tihanovskaya and others. The article "terrorism" is used to persecute political opponents of the regime. This law is adopted not to regulate social legal relations, but to legally formalize the forcible retention of power.
In an article in Zerkalo Mikhail Kirilyuk argues that in world practice there is a principle that the responsibility for an attempted crime is less than for a completed crime. If we look at the latest criminal cases in Belarus under the article "Acts of terrorism," we will find there politicians and activists, whom the authorities consider the most dangerous for themselves, but not the real terrorists. However, since despite the false accusations of terrorist acts, the Belarusian special services have not yet been able to demonstrate a single completed terrorist act, they decided to take the path of changing the law. In our opinion, the most probable reason for such bills is that it is easier for the Belarusian special services to portray an "attempted" fake terrorist act than to organize a real one.
Artsiom Praskalovich expressed a similar opinion in his commentary to Belsat: the very possibility of the death penalty for unrealized actions is a legal nonsense. In this case, there is no logic or adherence to the laws of lawmaking, which is not surprising in a lawless country.
Belarus ranks last in the global terrorism index, with no terrorist attacks in our country since 2012. The only reason for the unprecedented changes in the Criminal Code is the protest and anti-war activity of Belarusians.
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