BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
27/03/2008
US condemns Belarus crackdown on media, arrests of journalists
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON: The United States chastised Belarus on Thursday for its mass arrests of independent journalists and demanded the immediate release of those jailed.
"We condemn today's crackdown on independent media in Belarus, during which some 30 independent journalists in 12 cities were detained without legitimate cause," U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
In a statement, McCormack said the media crackdown and the violent breakup of demonstrations Tuesday in Minsk, the Belarus capital, was evidence of the brutality of Belarus' government. "The regime of Alexander Lukashenko has again shown itself as a brutal, authoritarian dictatorship that blatantly ignores human rights and fundamental freedoms," McCormack said.
The United States is halving the work force at its embassy in Minsk at the urging of Lukashenko's government. Its ambassador, Karen Stewart, already has returned to Washington.
Source:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/27/america/NA-GEN-US-Belarus.php
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