SCANDALOUS RESOLUTION OF VICE PRIME MINISTER NEMTSOV: VIOLATING ITS OWN INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS, THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT DOES NOT SUPPORT ANYMORE THE MORATORIUM ON EXECUTIONS DUE TO "ECONOMICAL" REASONS.

DEMONSTRATION OF THE RADICAL PARTY IN FRONT OF THE STATE DUMA ON MAY 20, THE DAY OF THE PARLIAMENTARIAN DEBATES ON THE MORATORIUM DRAFT BILL

Moscow, May 13, 1998 -- The Government of Russian Federation has sent some days ago to the State Duma its resolution on the draft law "On Moratorium on Capital Punishment", signed by vice prime minister Boris Nemtsov. Mr. Nemtsov writes, that "according to preliminary estimations made by Russian Interior Ministry, here will be needed expenses of 580 millions of rubles for building new prisons and the maintenance of convicted persons" and that "the Government of Russian Federation does not support this draft law".

It is hard to define this document otherwise but scandalous. The position of the "young reformer" Mr. Nemtsov is not very surprising - especially, after Mr. Nemtsov's exalted apology of the communist regime in China, which executes thousands and thousands of its citizens.

There is another astonishing thing. The immediate moratorium on executions is an obligatory condition for Russian membership in Council of Europe, according to Resolution No. 193, signed by Russian Federation. The abolitionist position of Russian President and Russian Government seemed to be extremely clear. And now a second person in the Government sends to the Parliament his letter, where it is written literally that Russian Government "does not support" its own international legal obligations. How this scandalous step should be considered? This is a question to be answered by President, by Prime Minister Mr. Kirienko, and by Council of Europe.

Meanwhile, on May 20 in the State Duma the draft law "on Moratorium on Capital Punishment Execution" will be debated again in the first lecture. The draft law is formally presented by MPs Aleksandrov, Borscev, Dzasohov, Zorkaljcev, Poldnikov and Rybakov. This law is aimed to establish a legal base for de facto moratorium on executions existing since 1996 thanks to President Yeltsin who refuses to examine the appeals - the step which makes impossible any execution. Last year, the Duma has already rejected a similar draft law presented by Borscev and Rybakov. Now, when there are also members of Communist majority among the authors, the chances of the draft law seem to be a little better.

On Wednesday, May 20, the day of parliamentarian debates on the moratorium issue, the Transnational Radical Party will organize a demonstration in front of the State Duma building in Ohotnyj Rjad to support the draft law on moratorium, as well as in favour of a universal moratorium on executions which should be discussed this Autumn on the United Nations General Assembly. The demonstration begins at 12.00.

The Transnational Radical Party, an NGO registered by the UN with Category 1 consultative status, conducts together with "Hands Off Cain", the worldwide campaign for universal moratorium on executions in view of fully abolishing the death penalty in the world by the year 2000, thus establishing a new human right: not to be killed due to the court decision or any other judicial measure.

Transnational Radical Party

tel. +7-095-923.9127

http://www.radicalparty.org