MOSCOW. April 16 (Interfax) - Lifting the moratorium on the death penalty in Russia requires a constitutional amendment, Yelena Podnosova, a candidate for Russian Supreme Court chair, said at a hearing at the Federation Council on Tuesday.
"I think this is a question of amending the constitution, which is within your [legislators'] powers. Judges enforce the law, and we will do it accordingly to the way you decide on the matter," Podnosova said at a meeting of the Federation Council's Constitutional Legislation Committee, whose members considered her candidacy for Supreme Court chair.
Podnosova said her personal opinion was the same as that of former Supreme Court Chairman Vyacheslav Lebedev, who previously said that there was no way the death penalty in Russia could be reinstated.
Taking questions from senators, Podnosova said the Supreme Court would continue its work on humanizing criminal law. "The principle of humanism is stipulated in the constitution alongside other principles. The Supreme Court has always supported the humanization of criminal law in its practice. Certainly, the Supreme Court will continue to work towards this," she said.
The State Duma has two bills under consideration, one of which has passed its first reading, she said.
"The first bill concerns the consideration of petitions for exempting individuals from punishment because of illness and on the enforcement of court judgments on releasing severely ill convicts. The second concerns restrictions on applying measures of restraint with respect to suspected and accused women who have small children, as well as individuals suffering from severe illnesses," Podnosova said.
The Supreme Court has always supported penalty measures alternative to imprisonment, she said.