Oleg Barikovich, the Deputy Head of the Russian Investigative Committee (ISCR).

In 2011, the State Duma passed a constitutional amendment to legalise the death penalty for non-lethal crimes. Some politicians claimed that the change brought the country more in line with the Soviet rule of the 1930s, according to Russian media.

A year later, a group of judges in Moscow submitted a request for a Constitutional Court investigation relating to these amendments, however, a preliminary inquiry by experts from the National Association of Victims’ Rights, has not made any findings on the matter. A spokesman for the National Association of Victims’ Rights told the NewsChannel 5 News that he could not confirm the authenticity of the request.

This is the first time that the State Duma voted to legalise the death penalty for non-lethal crimes. Russia is currently facing an international outcry about the issue after the execution of Dmitry Kiselyov. The activist was arrested for taking part in a protest in support of Russian human rights in January 2011.

In January, the Duma unanimously approved a law that will make it impossible to bring the death penalty back to Russia to deal with anyone who commits so-called “anti-government” crimes during the post-Soviet era.

According to some analysts, the repeal of the death penalty can still be implemented in light of the post-Soviet constitution, however legal safeguards, such as sentencing people for non-lethal crimes, will be weakened. According to this scenario, the Russian parliament might consider adopting the death penalty again.

In another twist, Kiselyov’s death sentence was commuted for the three others. The Russian Court of Appeals for the second degree – the lowest level of court – commuted the sentence of Leonid Lugovoy for a series of low-level crimes.

The three other men were sentenced to life imprisonment with five years of probation.

‘What the Russian people can do’

The petition for abolishment of the death penalty recently received 3,000 signatures. With this petition, the Russian people can show its support in the face of this repressive act, said Oleg Biryukov, the coordinator of SOVA Human Rights, an NGO organisation based in Moscow.

“The people can’t just do nothing. The people have the power to change the situation. The time is at hand for people to fight back and to put an end to the criminal