Vasily Yuzepchuk, a Gypsy living in Belarus, was sentenced to death on June 29, for allegedly having robbed and killed 6 elderly women. Despite many calls from the international community (for example the UN Human Rights Committee), he has been refused clemency by President Alexander Lukashenko and is now facing an imminent execution: a shot in the back of the head, with the place of his burial to remain secret even to his family. 

However, his lawyers claim that the conviction was based solely on Yuzepchuk’s false confessions, into which he was forced through torture. According to Igor Rabtsevich, one of the lawyers, the beatings Yuzepchuk had suffered during detention were documented by medical experts, thus his admission of guilt should be invalidated. It is being suggested that the old 30-year-old Gypsy could be a scapegoat. He is said to be suffering from a mental disability and to be illiterate. He is not only a member of the marginalised Roma minority, he is also an illegal immigrant; originally from Ukraine, he does not have an internal passport, which is required for all citizens of Belarus.

Belarus is now the last European country to still use capital punishment. However, the numbers of executions have shrunk significantly in recent years, due to international pressure imposed on Lukashenko.