Participants of OSCE Ministerial Council call Belarus to release political prisoners
Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal called upon the Belarusian authorities to stop
persecuting civil society activists and release all political prisoners,
Euroradio reports.
“The situation there is, frankly speaking, unacceptable. The conclusions made
by the "Moscow mechanism" alert - there is a conclusion that the
election in Belarus wasn't free and fair, that the opposition is harassed there
and the media is limited. Therefore, I, as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, am urging the authorities of Belarus to release and rehabilitate all
political prisoners. Not only those whose names are known, but also the
anonymous men and women who stay in prison,” Uri Rosenthal said
The Dutch Foreign Minister also expressed a hope Ireland, which is the next to
take over OSCE chairmanship, would not forget about these problems.
The Foreign Minister of Canada, John
Baird, stressed the Belarusian authorities continued restrict rights and
freedom of the people of Belarus.
Canada would apply further efforts for the people of Belarus to be able to
execute their basic rights – the right to elect and the right to receive
information, John Baird said.
The authorities continue to restrict rights and freedoms of people of Belarus.
Canada condemns the Belarusian leadership in view of evident violations of
international agreements in fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, the
Canadian minister said. Canada was deeply disappointed by forceful closure of
the OSCE Office in Minsk before the end of its work, the diplomat said adding
that Canada would work with international partners and organizations to give
people of Belarus an opportunity to execute their fundamental rights.
The Foreign Minister of Sweden, Carl
Bildt, emphasized the importance of struggling for freedom of speech in
Belarus. He called to assert this freedom also in Internet media.
He said Sweden was very concerned about the recent events in Belarus and news
from Minsk. There’s a principled disrespect for human rights, fundamental
freedoms and principles of democracy in the country, he noted. Sweden was among
the countries which launched the OSCE Moscow Mechanism in response to this
particular situation. Along with the EU, Sweden repeatedly called to release
and rehabilitated all Belarusian political prisoners, including recently
convicted human rights activist Ales Bialiatski, the Swedish minister said.
