MOSCOW, March 11 (RIA Novosti) - The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Wednesday called on Russia to abolish the death penalty, and a Greek MP said Russia's refusal to do so was "stupid."

"We're told that public opinion in Russia is not ready to abolish the death penalty, which is, I would say, absolutely stupid because you don't apply the death penalty," PACE rapporteur Theodoros Pangalos told journalists in Moscow.

Although Russia imposed a moratorium on the death penalty shortly after it joined the Council of Europe in 1996, it did not formally abolish capital punishment within three years, as membership of the organization requires.

To abolish death penalty, Russia needs to ratify the sixth protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Another rapporteur, Belgian MP Luc Van den Brande, urged Russia to ratify the 14th protocol of the convention.

In December 2007, Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, rejected the protocol on the reform of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, saying some provisions were incompatible with the Russian legislation, a move that froze the reforms.

The European Court of Human Rights has been the subject of an increasing number of complaints of inefficiency. The protocol would enable the court to reject a lawsuit if damage claims are judged to be insignificant. It would also extend judges' terms of office from six to nine years.

Van den Brande said: "Ratification of these protocols is of first and essential importance."

The PACE representatives are taking part in a fact-finding mission to monitor Russia's performance in honoring commitments to the Council of Europe before drafting a regular report.