Briefing for the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee

12/01/2012
Press release

Exchange of Views on EU approach towards Belarus

“Let’s put an end to this... there will not be any more of this senseless democracy”
President Lukashenko (January 2011).

A year after the elections, Lukashenko’s crackdown project approaches last stage

A year after the presidential elections in Belarus, the situation is worse than ever. Political liberties in the country have strongly deteriorated and an ever intensifying repression of independent voices in Belarus aims to silence human rights defenders, opposition members and journalists.
Demonstrators are regularly beaten, arrested and sentenced to imprisonment; lawyers defending them lose their licenses; court proceedings are conducted with gross violations of procedures, laws, and international standards; independent journalists are under pressure while State media launch constant defamation campaign against all independent voices, including Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) who are harassed. A general climate of fear extends in the population in a context of total impunity. Full briefing

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