FATHER EXECUTED FOR THE BRUTAL MURDER OF HIS THREE-YEAR-OLD SON — BUT THE CHILD’S FINAL DAYS LEFT A FAMILY FOREVER SHATTERED

Alexander Taratuta was sentenced to death after he and his wife were convicted of torturing and murdering their young son, Semyon. Now, human rights campaigners have confirmed that the sentence was carried out in secret — nearly two years ago.

The case of little Semyon Taratuta is one of the most heartbreaking criminal cases to emerge from Belarus.

His father, Alexander Taratuta, was sentenced to death for the murder of his three-year-old son, while his mother, Anastasia Taratuta, received a 25-year prison sentence.

On October 7, 2026, Belarusian human rights defenders revealed that Alexander had been executed on October 9, 2024. The execution had remained undisclosed publicly until campaigners learned of it in 2026.

The revelation has renewed attention on the case and on Belarus’s secretive use of capital punishment.

A THREE-YEAR-OLD WHO SUFFERED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

Semyon was just three years old when he died in January 2023.

Court proceedings revealed that the child had endured repeated mistreatment at the hands of his parents. Investigators said he was severely malnourished and had suffered repeated blows before his death.

A paramedic who examined the boy described him as being “like a skeleton, covered in skin.” Reports from the proceedings indicated that he weighed only around seven kilograms — approximately 15 pounds — when he died.

The court heard that Semyon was frequently punished for behaviour associated with his age, including soiling the floor. Reports described him being deprived of food and made to sleep on a bare floor in cold conditions.

The evidence presented painted a devastating picture of a vulnerable child who depended entirely on the adults responsible for his care.

THE FINAL INCIDENT

According to investigators, in January 2023, Alexander struck Semyon repeatedly, including blows to the head. The child collapsed and showed no signs of life.

His parents eventually called for medical assistance, but the boy could not be saved.

The Belarusian authorities concluded that both parents were responsible for the prolonged mistreatment and the fatal assault.

During the proceedings, Alexander denied intending to kill his son. In his final statement to the court, he said he had not planned the child’s death and expressed regret that the final blow had been too strong.

Those statements did not change the outcome of the case.

A DEATH SENTENCE AND A 25-YEAR PRISON TERM

On October 19, 2023, the Minsk Regional Court convicted Alexander and Anastasia Taratuta of torturing and murdering their young son.

Alexander was sentenced to death by firing squad. Anastasia received 25 years in a high-security penal colony, the maximum prison term imposed in the case.

On January 9, 2024, Belarus’s Supreme Court upheld both sentences.

The case drew attention because Belarus remains the only country in Europe that continues to carry out executions. Under the country’s system, executions are conducted in secret, and families may not be informed in advance of the date.

THE EXECUTION THAT REMAINED SECRET

According to Viasna, a Belarusian human rights organisation, Alexander’s death sentence was carried out on October 9, 2024.

The news only became known publicly in October 2026, after human rights defenders obtained confirmation that the execution had taken place.

The authorities did not publicly announce the execution at the time, consistent with the secrecy surrounding capital punishment in Belarus.

The delayed disclosure has once again highlighted the lack of transparency surrounding death sentences and executions in the country.

A LITTLE BOY WHO COULD NOT PROTECT HIMSELF

At the centre of the case is Semyon, a child who was only three years old.

He depended on his parents for food, warmth, safety and affection — the basic things every young child should receive. Instead, court evidence described prolonged suffering that ended in his death.

The legal proceedings have concluded with the father’s execution and the mother’s lengthy prison sentence. But the story remains a painful reminder of the vulnerability of children who experience abuse within their own homes.

Semyon’s life was tragically short. The case has left behind difficult questions about child protection, missed opportunities to intervene and the responsibility of adults to safeguard those who cannot defend themselves.