Authoritarian President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko approved a death penalty law for government officials and army servicemen convicted of high treason on Thursday, Reuters reported. 

A close Russian ally, Belarus is the only country in Europe that still applies the death penalty. Earlier, it was only awarded to people convicted of murder and terrorism in the country.

The latest law has been brought in to accelerate the fight against "crimes of an extremist (terrorist) and anti-state orientation," as cited by Reuters.

According to the law, anyone found guilty of "discrediting" the armed forces of the country will be sent to jail. Russia also approved a similar law after invading Ukraine.

According to President Lukashenko, the death penalty will be awarded to officials who indulge in any kind of "irreparable damage" to the national security of the country, reported The Guardian.

The law also mandates punishment for acts pertaining to "propaganda of terrorism, discrediting the armed forces and paramilitary units and breaching the rules to protect state secrets," as quoted by The Guardian.

The new law comes after an attack on a Russian warplane on February 26, at an airbase near the Belarusian capital. Lukashenko informed the public that the main suspect in the incident has been arrested with over 20 of his other accomplices in the crime. The arrested man was from Ukraine.

Lukashenko has governed Belarus for over three decades, suppressing dissent and free speech in the country. In August 2020, the government authorities imposed a heavy crackdown on protestors who were objecting to his re-election. The demonstrators alleged that he rigged elections and detained over 35,000 people.

As reported earlier this week, exiled leader of the opposition Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who was Lukashenko's main rival in the election, was sentenced to 15 years in jail for allegedly conspiring to overthrow the government. 

Additionally, eminent human rights activists and 2022 Nobel peace prize laureate Ales Bialiatski were also sentenced to 10 years in prison by a court in Belarus.

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