FATHER EXECUTED AFTER THREE-YEAR-OLD SON SUFFERED A LIFE OF “PURE HELL” — THE TRAGIC CASE OF LITTLE SEMYON

Alexander Taratuta was sentenced to death after he and his wife were convicted of torturing and killing their three-year-old son. Human rights defenders have now confirmed that the execution was carried out secretly in Belarus in October 2024, with the news emerging nearly two years later.

SLUTSK, BELARUS — Alexander Taratuta, 49, has been executed after being convicted of the torture and killing of his three-year-old son, Semyon, in a case that shocked the country.

The execution was confirmed publicly on October 7, 2026, by Andrei Paluda, coordinator of the Human Rights Defenders Against the Death Penalty in Belarus campaign. According to the human rights organisation Viasna, Taratuta was put to death on October 9, 2024, but activists did not learn that the sentence had been carried out until the spring of 2026.

His wife, Anastasia Taratuta, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for her role in the abuse and killing of their son. Belarus remains the only country in Europe that carries out the death penalty. <

A little boy left severely malnourished

Semyon died in January 2023, weighing just 15 pounds, according to reports of the court proceedings. Prosecutors described a pattern of prolonged abuse, including repeated physical assaults, deprivation of food and harsh living conditions.

The child was reportedly forced to sleep on a bare linoleum floor and was often left cold. A paramedic who attended the scene described him as extremely thin, comparing his appearance to that of a skeleton.

The evidence presented in court showed the extent of the suffering the young child had endured before his death. Prosecutors argued that the couple had subjected him to repeated cruelty rather than providing the care and protection a child of his age needed.

The final assault

The court heard that in January 2023, Alexander kicked Semyon in the head, reportedly claiming that he wanted to make the child sit down. The boy fell and showed no signs of life.

A paramedic described serious injuries to the child’s head. Prosecutors argued that the fatal assault occurred against a background of ongoing abuse and that the parents had acted out of personal hostility toward their son.

Both parents were convicted of torture and the intentional killing of a minor under particularly cruel circumstances.

Alexander denied that he had intended to kill his son. In his final statement to the court, he said he regretted how his life had turned out and insisted that he had not planned to take the child’s life.

He also reportedly said that the final blow had been “too strong.” His statements stood in contrast to the prosecution’s account of the prolonged abuse and the court’s findings.

A death sentence and 25 years in prison

On October 19, 2023, the Minsk Regional Court sentenced Alexander to death and Anastasia to 25 years in a high-security penal colony.

The couple appealed, but Belarus’s Supreme Court upheld the sentences on January 9, 2024. The death sentence subsequently proceeded without a public announcement of the execution date.

Belarusian authorities do not publicly disclose when executions are carried out. Human rights defenders say this secrecy makes it difficult for families and independent observers to learn when a person has been put to death or what happens to their remains.

In Taratuta’s case, the public only learned in 2026 that the execution had taken place almost two years earlier.

The other children in the family

Reports from the trial also described the couple’s two other children. Prosecutors said the treatment Semyon experienced differed markedly from the attention given to his siblings.

These details added to the public shock surrounding the case, as investigators described a young child who had depended on his parents but was subjected to repeated cruelty instead.

The case has also raised questions about whether earlier intervention by authorities could have prevented the abuse. Viasna reported that Anastasia had previously sought advice about leaving the relationship and that there had been earlier contact with police concerning the family.

A case that remains a painful reminder

The execution of Alexander Taratuta has brought renewed attention to Semyon’s death and to Belarus’s secretive use of capital punishment.

For the child, the case was about a life that ended at just three years old. For his surviving family and the wider community, the court proceedings revealed the extent of the suffering described by investigators and prosecutors.

The execution may have brought the legal process to another stage, but it cannot undo what happened to Semyon or answer every question about how the abuse continued.

Semyon was only three years old. His story is a heartbreaking reminder that children depend on adults for their safety—and that signs of abuse must never be ignored.

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