UN urges to release political prisoners in Belarus

The United Nations calls upon the Belarusian authorities to release all political opponents imprisoned for exercising their rights, immediately.

The UN expressed disappointment over the verdict to Ales Byalyatski, Radio Svaboda informs.

“We are greatly concerned that the verdict would negatively affect possibilities of the civil society to act freely and without fear,” said in Geneva a representative of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Ravina Shamdasani.

“The harsh verdict in the tax evasion case was delivered in the moment when arrests, interrogations, searches in offices, seizures and other forms of intimidation narrowed the space for nongovernmental organisations in Belarus,” she added.

“We reiterate our call for the authorities in Belarus to release immediately and unconditionally all political opponents, activists and journalists imprisoned for exercising their basic rights, and to put an end to political and administrative measures aimed at persecution of human rights activists,” Shamdasani stated.

We remind that last week Ales Byalyatski was sentenced to 4.5 years’ imprisonment for tax evasion. This verdict evoked widespread protests worldwide.