The US Embassy Statement regarding the liquidation of the Independent Institute for Socio-Economic and Political Research (IISEPR).

The United States Embassy expresses its deep disappointment over the ruling by the Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus on 15 April, which liquidated the Independent Institute for Socio-Economic and Political Research (IISEPR) for quite dubious reasons. By shutting down IISEPR, an authoritative organization devoted to the conduct of professional polls and questionings of the public opinion, the Belarusian authorities made yet another step toward depriving Belarusian society of sources of independent thought and dialog. The Belarusian government again demonstrated absolute disregard for the principles of the democratic community, which Belarus is supposed to defend as an OSCE member. The United States urge the Belarusian authorities to honor its commitments to OSCE, and cancel the decision adopted in violation of these commitments.