The World - News from July 24, 1988

A proposed revision of the Soviet criminal code will eliminate all but one of the offenses punishable by death, making execution possible only in cases of “premeditated murder in aggravated circumstances,” Radio Moscow reported. It said that the revision of the 28-year-old code also replaces, in many cases, imprisonment with fines and other means of punishment. The current code permits the execution of people convicted of treason, murder, flagrant corruption, war crimes and other offenses. Soviet media occasionally report on executions but have never indicated how frequently the death penalty is invoked.