DATE:
11 January 2006
A United Nations official has said that the human rights situation in Belarus is deteriorating ahead of the country's presidential election in March.
Adrian Severin, the UN human rights rapporteurs on Belarus, said that the country is moving toward a "more and more totalitarian system." He listed several examples of a fresh crackdown on the opposition, including a new law that makes it a crime to voice criticism of the government.
Severin made the comments in Brussels on 11 January after meeting with the European Union's top human rights expert, Michael Matthiessen. Both men have been denied visas to visit Belarus.
Severin is due to present a new report on Belarus to the UN Human Rights Commission in March.
(AP)
Source:
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/01/4466158e-1ab2-4bb7-a138-ea04731f8629.html
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