04.02.2010 European Union condemns decree on Internet censorship in Belarus

The European Union thinks the decree puts more restrictions on freedom of speech in Belarus.

Lutz Guellner, a spokesman for European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, commented on the decree regulating activity of websites in Belarus, Radio Svaboda reports.

17.12.2009 European Parliament notes lack of democratic progress in Belarus

The European Parliament on Thursday voted to adopt a resolution on the situation in Belarus, which notes that the country's authorities have failed to make significant progress in the sphere of human rights and freedoms "after initial positive steps."

08.12.2009 President of European Parliament condemns abductions in Belarus

Repressions against opposition put in question the relations of the European Union with the official Minsk.

18.11.2009 President of European Parliament: “It’s last chance for Lukashenka”

“If we see no concrete progress on the way to democratization, then the process of the EU rapprochement with Belarus should be stopped,” Jerzy Buzek stated.

In this way the president of the European Parliament commented on the decision of the Council of Europe to extend visa sanctions against Belarusian officials till October 2010 and at the same time “freeze” them.

“It must be the last chance for Lukashenka’s regime,” Jerzy Buzek is quoted by the Polish Radio as saying.

Earlier the president of the European Parliament stated that “the progress in Belarus is really very little, and we are highly concerned that there is no pronounced democratization”.

17.11.2009 EU to extend freeze on sanctions against Belarusian officials

The European Union is expected to prolong the freeze on its sanctions against Alyaksandr Lukashenka and other Belarusian officials next week but not lift the threat entirely due to a lack of progress on political reform, reported Reuters with reference to a draft statement seen on Thursday, BelaPAN said.

In October 2008, the European Union suspended for six months its travel ban against Alyaksandr Lukashenka and 35 other Belarusian officials. The suspension of the sanctions was extended for another nine months this past March to encourage the Belarusian government to carry out "further concrete measures towards democracy and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms."

The draft statement due to be approved by the EU foreign ministers during their meeting in Brussels next Monday and Tuesday said that the suspension would be extended until October 2010 to encourage further changes, according to the report.

16.11.2009 Lithuanian MP Emmanuelis Zingeris not allowed in Belarus

The member of the Lithuanian Parliament Emmanuelis Zingeris was denied the Belarusian visa. He was to have come to Belarus to read the greeting message on behalf of the head of the Lithuanian Parliament Irena Degutiene, the BNS informs.

06.11.2009 Andrei Pachobut: ‘The authorities use the police and the KGB to make people refuse from membership in the Union of Poles. They are testing the reaction of the West.’

In November the EU will consider the issue on re-imposing the sanctions against the Belarusian authorities. One of the conditions put to the official Minsk by the international community is securing the rights and freedoms of the Belarusian citizens belonging to national minorities. This condition was introduced on the initiative of Poland and is a result of the complicated situation around the Union of Poles in Belarus, headed by Anzhalika Borys.

22.10.2009 Swedish MPs join ‘Stop 193-1!’ campaign

A number of members of the National Parliament of Sweden (Representative of the Swedish Christian Democracy Annelie Enochson, as well as two Liberal People’s Party MPs Cecilia Wigström and Birgitta Ohlsson), which currently holds the EU Presidency, have joined the ‘Stop 193-1!’ campaign, by addressing the Belarusian authorities with a statement demanding to abolish the application of the shameful Article ahead of imposing sanctions against several Belarusian high-rank officials. By doing this, the Riksdag deputies have shown that they possess full and unbiased information on the actual situation in the sphere of the freedom of association in Belarus.

21.10.2009 Jean-Eric Holzapfel hopes Belarus declares moratorium on death penalty

The declaration of a moratorium on the death penalty is the key point for further development of EU-Belarus dialogue, said Jean-Eric Holzapfel, European Commission representative in Belarus, in his interview with the European Radio for Belarus during a round table discussion, concluding the international technical support project ‘Promotion of wider use of international human rights standards in the administration of justice in the Republic of Belarus.’ ‘This issue should be addressed by respective authorities in Belarus. But I can say that the declaration of a moratorium on the death penalty is the most important element for the development of relations between Belarus and the Council of Europe. It is one of the points laid in the 2006 document – the so called 12 points’, said Mr. Holzapfel.

08.10.2009 Statkevich summonsed to own security department of MIA

On 6 October the coordinator of the European coalition Mikalai Statkevich was summonsed to the security bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The politician believes he was not the only person to be summonsed there, as the case of the beating of the participants of the 16 September action in Minsk is being investigated. However, he is convinced the police hold the investigation not to restore the justice. ‘It is done for Europe, with the hope that the sanctions will be lifted, after which they would be able to do such things with complete impunity’, commented Statkevich.

18.09.2009 EU condemns crackdown on September 16 rally and violence against opposition in Belarus

Sweden which is the country presiding in the European Union has made a statement slamming crackdown on the peaceful rally of solidarity in Minsk dedicated to the 10th anniversary of opposition leaders’ abduction.

"The Presidency urges the Belarusian authorities to refrain from the use of force in dealing with peaceful demonstrations and to ensure that representatives of independent media are able to perform their tasks without interference," Sweden, holder of the rotating presidency, said in a statement on Thursday, as quoted by the website of “European Belarus” movement.

04.09.2009 Relatives of missing oppositionists demand that Lukashenka not be let in Lithuania

The Lithuanian-Belarusian economic forum, which Lukashenka plans to attend, is to open on 16 September. This day Viktar Hanchar and Anatol Krasouski were kidnapped ten years ago.

01.09.2009 Well-known public figures address world leaders concerning unlawful imprisonment of Vaukavysk entrepreneurs

Well-known public and political activists of Belarus have addressed the world leaders with the request to foster the independent legal expertise of the criminal case that was brought against Mikalai Autukhovich, Yyry Liavonau and Uladzimir Asipenka. The text of the address was submitted to the heads of the EU countries, the EU president, the Swedish speaker Frederick Reifeldt, the president of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, the US president Barack Obama and the president of Russia Dmitry Medvedev.

25.08.2009 EU ambassadors meet with New Life pastor

On 25 August the French embassy to Minsk hosted a meeting of a number of EU diplomats with representatives of the New Life Protestant church. The meeting initiated by the Swedish ambassador Stefan Ericsson dealt with the possible seizure of the church building. The diplomats said they had received a letter from Minsk city authorities expressing their vision of the issue. According to New Life’s lawyer Siarhei Lukanin, the letter contained false information concerning the amount of compensation offered to the church by the authorities. ‘In fact, the USD 13,000 we were offered would not even pay a construction project. As for the building land, the proposals were too vague to consider,’ says Mr.Lukanin.

21.08.2009 Belarusian dictator spat upon Europe again

Alyaksandr Lukashenka said he wasn’t going to release political prisoners and hold free elections.

“Europe should understand that is it necessary to respect each other if they want to build good relations with Belarus,” Lukashenka said during his visit to the Vitsebsk region.

“We are ready for a dialogue with Europe on all issues. This dialogue seems to be going well,” Lukashenka said. He added: “I’ll tell about a problem. If they make conditions for as and think that Lukashenka won’t have another way out, as Russia used to think we had bad relations with Russia, they will fail.” “We have good, excellent relations with Russia. Yes, we have problems. But only those who do nothing have no problems,” the Belarusian ruler said.