"We strongly condemn the recent execution of Aliaksandr Hrunou, who was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of Belarus in April 2014. This is the third execution to take place in Belarus this year.

We are conscious of the serious nature of the crimes for which Mr Hrunou was convicted. Nevertheless, the European Union opposes capital punishment as it cannot be justified under any circumstances. The death penalty is a cruel and inhumane punishment, which fails to act as a deterrent and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity.

We urge Belarus, the only country in Europe still applying capital punishment, to join a global moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its universal abolition."