Russian court issues capital punishment ban beyond January 1

Moscow - Russia's constitutional court ruled Thursday that no death sentences may be carried out even after a moratorium on capital punishment expires January 1, the Interfax agency reported. The St. Petersburg-based court's chief judge Valery Sorkin noted that Russia is party to several international agreements so that the country's justice system may not carry out the death sentence. One example he cited was Russia's membership in the European Council.

Russia in 1999 had set a 10-year moratorium on death sentences, which is due to expire on January 1, 2010.

Public opinion surveys in Russia show the majority of people in favor of the death sentence.