Belarus leader Lukashenko approves wider death penalty use

FILE PHOTO: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko gestures during a joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia February 18, 2022. Sputnik/Sergey Guneev/Kremlin via REUTERS

(Reuters) - Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has approved changes to the country's criminal code that would make attempted acts of terrorism punishable by the death penalty, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday.

Ex-Soviet Belarus already had the death penalty for acts of terrorism that cause loss of life, for brutal murders and multiple murders.