Russia's Constitutional Court prolonged on Thursday a moratorium on the death penalty, which was due to expire on January 1, until it is banned completely.
Russia imposed the moratorium, when it joined the Council of Europe and signed the European Convention on Human Rights, but it has not ratified the document yet.
"This decision is final and shall not be appealed," court chairman Valery Zorkin said.
Zorkin said the moratorium on executions will be in place until Russia ratifies Protocol 6 to the European Convention banning the death penalty.
Zorkin said an "irreversible process to abolish capital punishment" is going on in Russia, which is in line with its international commitments and global tendencies.
MOSCOW, November 19 (RIA Novosti)
