Survey finds small majority of Russians in favour of reintroducing the death penalty

Over 50% of Russians would support the reinstatement of capital punishment, a survey carried out by independent pollster Russian Field in April revealed on Tuesday.

The telephone survey of 1,631 respondents found 53% of respondents in favour of restoring the death penalty, while 39% were against and 7% found it difficult to answer.

Residents of small towns and villages and men are more likely to support the return of capital punishment than people in larger towns and women, the researchers wrote, adding that opposition to the reintroduction of the death penalty decreases with age.

Respondents were most in favour of the death penalty for paedophilia (57%), murder (56%) and terrorism (46%). Women are significantly more likely to support the death penalty for paedophilia and murder, whereas men do for terrorism.

While the death penalty is provided for under Russian law, no executions have been carried out since 1996, when then-President Boris Yeltsin decreed a moratorium on its use, which was subsequently upheld by the Constitutional Court in 1999.

Following the deadly terror attack on a concert hall in Moscow in late March, a number of Russian lawmakers have called for lifting the decades-long moratorium on the use of capital punishment, despite senator Andrey Klishas dismissing these discussions as “unfair speculation”.