Russia's death penalty debate reignites: Putin's signature could seal fate

An ongoing nationwide debate in Russia is centred around the reinstatement of the death penalty. Alexander Bastrykin, the head of the Russian Investigative Committee, has suggested that lifting the moratorium on the death penalty would require just a single signature. Naturally, this refers to a decree that Vladimir Putin himself would need to issue.

The Russian criminal code stipulates five charges that are punishable by death: attempted murder of a judge, attempted murder of a police officer, attempted murder of a government official, murder under certain aggravating circumstances, and genocide.

In 1997, Russia instituted a moratorium on the death penalty. This was one of the conditions for the country joining the Council of Europe. After Moscow initiated the war in Ukraine, the Russian Federation was swiftly expelled from this organisation.

Russia wants to reinstate the death penalty: a Putin decree will suffice. The head of the Russian Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, proposed lifting the moratorium on the execution of the death penalty. He stated that implementing this change would require a decree from Putin - reports Nexta on the X platform.

Until now, the prevailing rhetoric in Russia was that lifting the decree required a constitutional amendment. This step, however, would be preceded by a referendum.

In March of this year, a nationwide debate concerning the reinstatement of this penalty began in Russia. This was related to the terrorist attacks in Crocus City Hall. At that time, Dmitry Medvedev was very outspoken about the terrorists. "Should they be killed? We must. And so it will be," said the former president of the Russian Federation.

Now the matter is gaining momentum. One of the politicians suggested on Friday that the issue could be resolved with a single signature.

We must consider the possibility of lifting the moratorium on the death penalty. In some cases, it should be applied, and in those cases, I am a supporter of the death penalty - said Alexander Bastrykin at the St. Petersburg Legal Forum session.

It’s about Vladimir Putin’s signature, of course. Will this happen? The Russian dictator has been called out. He has not yet responded to this proposal. It would certainly be a very convenient way of using punishment against disobedient citizens who disagree with decisions made by the authorities in the Kremlin.