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.
Aliona Valynets, Executive Manager of the Assembly of Belarusian NGOs and the campaign coordinator, thanked the Swedish politicians for their stance of solidarity in continuous protection of human rights in Belarus. ‘Unfortunately, the Belarusian authorities are reluctant to implement their intentions to abolish Article 193-1 of the Criminal Code. In Belarus, we have a very limited scope of leverage to influence on the authorities, so international support and pressure increase chances to change the situation,’ said Mrs. Valynets.