Russian officials have been calling for the execution of the Islamic terrorists who did the horrific massacre in the Crocus City Mall, as we read in Fontanka:

The terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall, which claimed the lives of at least 133 people, has stirred up a new round of discussion about the return of the death penalty in Russia. The question of this possibility is raised every time high-profile crimes are committed. After the tragedy in the Moscow region, well-known politicians and deputies spoke on the topic.

State Duma deputy from Crimea Mikhail Sheremet plans to initiate the issue of introducing the death penalty for those convicted of terrorism. He emphasized that after the terrorist attack at Crocus, the legislative framework should be reviewed, Kommersant writes .

Vladimir Vasiliev, head of the United Russia faction in the State Duma of the Russian Federation, said that this topic will be “deeply, professionally, and meaningfully studied.” The decision made, he noted, will meet the mood and expectations of society.

Military correspondent Yuri Kotenok called the lifting of the moratorium on the death penalty “a noble prerogative of the state,” which protects its citizens, “and does not slyly replace the degree of capital punishment,” he said in his Telegram channel . As Yuri believes, the death penalty, including for terrorism, is self-defense of Russia and its citizens. “If you want, this is a marker of sovereignty, approximately the same as the platform for placing government securities, if not higher,” says Kitten.

Adviser to the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Natalya Poklonskaya advocated the death penalty for terrorists . “The punishment for this is really only the death penalty” (quote from RIA Novosti). Poklonskaya stated that those who committed the terrorist attack are not people, but only a controlled mechanism in the shell of a human fanatic, “not capable of thinking with his own head.”

The fact that Russians expect the moratorium on capital punishment to be lifted was stated by senator and member of the LDPR Elena Afanasyeva on the tg channel. “This issue can no longer be raised,” Afanasyeva emphasized.

Activists also responded to these statements. They posted a petition on Change.org calling for an end to the moratorium on the death penalty for terrorists. “The act of terrorism is a terrible crime against an innocent people; innocent people were killed. Let there be death for death,” the page reads. Almost 600 people have already signed it.

Capital punishment cannot be applied in Russia since April 16, 1997; the death penalty should neither be imposed nor executed. The issue of its application was finally settled in 2009 by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, based on the constitution and international treaties.

Neither the Duma nor the Federation Council can overcome the decision of the Constitutional Court, notes Russian Senator Andrei Klishas.

Nevertheless, capital punishment remained enshrined in Art. 44 and art. 59 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. It states that the death penalty as an exceptional measure of punishment can be established only for especially serious crimes that encroach on life.