Stop reprisals against independent journalists

The National Platform of the Civil Society Forum of the Eastern Partnership issued an appropriate statement on 12 December.

"The Platform participants express a deep concern on the occasion of another series of repressive actions on the part of the Belarusian authorities towards Belarusian civil society organizations, their representatives and partners, independent journalists and creative communities, as well as religious denominations of Belarus.

The unacceptable practice of criminal prosecution of journalists, independent editions and creative youth communities has continued in the country throughout 2012. We think that such actions do an irreparable harm to the Belarusian culture and intellectual community and demand the definitive cessation of the criminal prosecution of the journalist Andrei Pachobut and express concern on the occasion of pressurization of the intellectual magazine "Arche" and prosecution of its chief editor Valery Bulhakau...," reads the statement, disseminated through mass media.

The authors of the document also remind about the visa denial to the head of the Radio "Racyja" Council and chief editor of "Niva" (the weekly of Belarusians in Poland) as an example of creation of artificial obstacles to foreign partners of Belarusian civil society organizations.