Russian Orthodox Church allows death penalty

A moratorium on the death penalty has been in effect in Russia since its accession to the Council of Europe. Photo: still from the film “The Green Mile”.

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the Synodal Department for Relations between the Church and Society, said that in some cases, the introduction of the death penalty is possible, but it is better to do without it.

“It is better to do without the death penalty, but there are situations when the threats to society are too strong and it can defend itself, including in this way,” the priest said.

He recalled that the death penalty was recognized in the Old Testament, and there is no indication of the need for its abolition either in the New Testament or in the Tradition and the historical heritage of the Orthodox Church.

On November 20, 2015, speaking at a joint meeting of the State Duma and the Federation Council dedicated to the fight against terrorism, the leader of A Just Russia, Sergei Mironov, called for lifting the moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Russia and proposed “as an exception, to establish as a punishment for terrorists and accomplices , ensuring the activities of militants who committed a terrorist act, the death penalty.”

The moratorium on the death penalty has been in effect in Russia since its entry into the Council of Europe. In 1997, Moscow signed Protocol No. 6 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms regarding the abolition of the death penalty. The last death sentence in Russia was carried out in 1996 year.

Previously, Forum wrote how Russian authorities and deputies reacted on act of terrorism on board A321.