Euroeast

NEWS

Commissioner meets Belarusian human rights activists

26-01-2012

The situation of human rights activists in Belarus was in focus at a meeting between EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle and the Vice-President of the Belarusian Human Rights Centre ‘Viasna’ Valiantin Stefanovic. The Commissioner praised “the courageous work of human rights defenders in Belarus who under increasingly difficult conditions are at the forefront of the defence of democratic principles and human rights,” a press release said.

The meeting took place after the Minsk City Court rejected the cassation appeal of Ales Bialiatski,  ‘Viasna’s President and renowned human rights defender, who had earlier been sentenced on politically motivated grounds for his work in support of the victims of repression.
 
Füle expressed his deep concern over this decision and reiterated the EU’s call on Belarusian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Mr Bialiatski, as well as to drop the charges against him and his deputy Valiantsin Stefanovic.
 
Commissioner Füle also repeated his personal commitment “to strengthen the engagement with Belarusian civil society and with those in Belarus who support reform and modernization, and to work together to bring the country back into the European family of democratic nations.” (ENPI Info Centre)
 
 
Read more
 
Press release
 
Photo Gallery
 
ENPI Info Centre – Belarus: EU targets those involved in rights trial with asset freeze and travel ban (16-12-2011)
 
ENPI Info Centre – Ashton and Füle call for release of Belarusian human rights defender (23-11-12)
 
ENPI Info Centre webpage - Belarus
 
EU Delegation - Belarus