MOSCOW, March 4 (RIA Novosti, Kristina-Luna Rodriguez) - A senior official from one of Europe's leading human rights organizations said Saturday he hoped that Russia would abolish death penalty soon. Terry Davis, the secretary-general of the Council of Europe, said in an interview with RIA Novosti that the abolition of death penalty was one of the conditions of Russia's accession to the organization ten years ago.
Davis said Russia usually complied with its obligations.
He said he had already discussed this issue with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The latter said the parliament was discussing the issue but gave no exact date of the voting.
Davis said using death penalty meant using methods of terrorists, adding that the Council of Europe would help Russia, which assumes the rotating presidency in the Council of Europe in May 2006, to abolish it as soon as possible.
