2nd Minsk Bomber Executed

Two people sentenced to death for their role in the 2011 Minsk subway blast have been executed, Belarusian state TV reported on Sunday. Belarusian media reported on Saturday that Vladislav Kovalyov, also convicted for the deadly blast, had been executed by a firing squad. His mother Lyubov Kovaleva said she received a letter from Belarus' Supreme Court, which says that her son's verdict “has been fulfilled.” The letter is dated March 16. The fate of Dmitry Konovalov remained unknown. A court ruled last November that it was Konovalov who brought an explosive device to Minsk’s most crowded subway station on April 11. The blast killed 15 people and injured more than 300. President Alexander Lukashenko has refused to pardon Kovalyov and Konovalov, despite calls by Western governments and rights groups not to carry out the death sentence. Belarus is the only nation in Europe still using capital punishment.