US condemn human rights violations in Belarus

The United States are still deeply concerned by violations in Belarus.

It has been stated by the US representative Douglas Griffin at the session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

As said by the diplomat, Belarus is among the countries which cause highest concern in connection with crackdown on peaceful protests, threats to activities of human rights activists and oppositionists, oppression of minorities, alongside with Afghanistan, Burma, Cuba, Iran, Russia and Sri Lanka, the website of “European Belarus” informs.

We remind that over the last two weeks two protest rallies were cracked down in Belarus. Dozens of pro-democracy activists were brutally beaten up, arrested and sentenced to huge fines.

On February 8 in Vaukavysk Mikalai Autukhovich, Yury Lyavonau and Uladzimir Asipenka were detained. On February 18 entrepreneurs from Vaukavysk were charged under Article 218 of the Criminal Code (intentional damage to or destruction of property of citizens). On June 23, a criminal case under article 359 of the Criminal Code (a terrorist act) in the form of preparation (article 13) was instigated against Autukhovich and “other persons”, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported.

Human rights activists consider the detained to be political prisoners drawing attention to the fact that Autukhovich and Lyavonau were convicted before and recognized prisoners of conscience by the international community.

For violation of rules of serving a sentence a Young Front Activist Artsyom Dubski was sentenced to a year of imprisonment in a standard regime colony on July 7, 2009.

Freedom of expression and freedom of associations is gravely violated in Belarus. About ten young leaders were drafted to the army illegally and forcibly.

In March 2009 a human rights activist Yana Palyakova was driven to suicide.