Russia's chief investigator urges Vladimir Putin to reinstate death penalty

Alexander Bastrykin, the head of Russia's Investigative Committee, on Friday (June 28) urged President Vladimir Putin tolift the country's moratorium on the death penalty. Russia had stoppedcarrying out capital punishment in 1996 as a prerequisite for joining the Council of Europe.

However, a growing numberof Putin's allies and lawmakers have since called for the death penalty to be brought back, seeking the sentence for the suspects in the terror attack at a concert hall near Moscow in March that killed more than 140 people.

'Should consider lifting moratorium on death penalty'

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Addressing a legal forum inSaint Petersburg, Bastrykin said on Friday, "We should consider lifting the moratorium on the death penalty."

"In some cases, it should be applied, and in these cases, I am in favour of the death penalty," he added.Bastrykinsaid Putin could lift the moratorium by decree.

"I have been told by some competent, qualified lawyers that we need to change the constitution -- that we need to hold a referendum -- but I believe that we should simply lift the moratorium on the death penalty by presidential decree," the country's chief investigator further said.

A report by the news agency AFP said that in March,the head of Russia's parliament Vyacheslav Volodinsuggested the moratorium would need to be overturned by the Constitutional Court.

If Putin were to bring back the death penalty, the precise legal mechanism would simply be a formality. In March, his spokespersonsaid the Kremlin was not "taking part in this discussion for the moment."

(With inputs from agencies)