It was learned on 17 March 2012 that Dzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzislau Kavalyou, the two men sentenced to death in connection with the Minsk subway explosion in April 2011, had been executed.

The Belarusian authorities thus ignored the requests of representatives of the European Union and international human rights groups, and demonstrated their rejection of universally accepted principles of humanism and disregard for international law.

We believe the death penalty to be absolutely unacceptable. Such type of punishment is irreversible, brutal, inhumane and degrading. The execution of Kavalyou and Kanavalau is yet another symbol of the medieval despotism of the dictator regime of Aliaksandr Lukashenka. This is a regime without an independent judicial system, trials which cover up the unlawful actions of the Belarusian authorities, endless human rights violations, and cases of politically motivated and still unsolved abduction of several political opponents of Lukashenka.

Members of the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and influential international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights House, have condemned the execution. They cite a number of well-founded reasons for concern regarding the fairness of the trial.

The men were executed despite the request from the UN Human Rights Committee to take no action until they had examined the appeal and despite the lack of a ruling on the final appeal stage in Belarus. The Belarusian authorities did not fully allow the men their constitutional rights and demonstrated ignorance of both domestic legislation and international agreements.

We are calling on the Belarusian authorities to respect human dignity and to return the bodies of the executed men to their families.

We also urge Aliaksandr Lukashenka to immediately issue a moratorium on the death penalty.

We are calling on the European Union to consolidate their efforts and to take further steps needed to ensure that the Lukashenka regime respects human rights and the fundamental principles of democracy.

Lyudmila Alexeeva, Moscow Helsinki Group, Russia

Lev Ponomarev, All-Russian Public Movement “For Human Rights”, Russia

Lars Bünger, Libereco - Partnership for Human Rights, Germany, Switzerland

Irina Bogdanova, Free Belarus Now, United Kingdom

Natalia Koliada, Nikolai Khalezin, Free Belarus Theatre, United Kingdom

Lera Krasovskaya, Civil Initiative “We Remember”, Netherlands

Dzmitry Barodka, European Belarus, Belarus

Belarusian Tribunal, Netherlands, Sweden, Estonia

Young Front, Belarus

Białoruski Dom w Warszawie, Poland

Michal Veselsky, Civic Belarus, Czech Republic

Yury Kozhuro, Sveriges Belarusier, Sweden

Silver Meikar, Estonian Institute of Human Rights, Estonia

Svetla Baeva, Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, Bulgaria

Arkady Bushchenko, Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, Ukraine

Olga Sadovskaya, Committee Against Torture, Russia

Olexandra Matviychuk, Center for Civil Liberties, Ukraine

Maryna Tsapok, All-Ukrainian Youth NGO "Foundation of Regional Initiatives", Ukraine

Halyna Coynash, Kharkiv Human Rights Group, Ukraine

Ludmila Klochko, Kharkiv Human Rights Group, Ukraine

Yuri Dzhibladze, Centre for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights, Russia

Аndrey Kalikh, Centre for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights, Russia

Andrei Blinushov, "Human Rights In Russia" (HRO.org), Russia

Jevgeni Krishtafovich, Avatud Vabariik, Estonia

Korespondent Wschodni, Poland

Abdujalil Boymatov, Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan, Ireland

Nadejda Atayeva, Association for Human Rights in Central Asia, France

Kostiantyn Reutski, Human Rights Center "Postup", Ukraine

Yury Belousov, Association of Human Rights Monitors on Law Enforcement, Ukraine

Vadim Pyvovarov, Association of Human Rights Monitors on Law Enforcement, Ukraine

Kateryna Levchenko, International Women’s Rights Centre La Strada Ukraine, Ukraine

Natalia Shcherbata, Ukrainian Association of Women Defence Lawyers, Ukraine

Alexei Svyetikov, Luhansk Regional Committee of Voters of Ukraine, Ukraine

Kiryll Atamanchik, Youth association StudAlliance, Lithuania

Volodymyr Khanas, Adaptative Mens Center, Ukraine