BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

31/03/2008

EU Calls On Belarus To End Crackdown On Demonstrators, Journalists

The Slovenian presidency of the European Union on March 28 issued a statement calling on Belarus to end a crackdown on protesters and journalists if it wants to improve relations with the EU, Belapan reported. "The European Union, recalling that the main demonstration in Minsk had been authorized by the Minsk City Council and proceeded peacefully, calls upon Belarus to release those arrested without delay and to refrain from further prosecuting them," the statement reads. The Belarusian opposition held a demonstration in central Minsk on March 25 marking the 90th anniversary of the proclamation of the Belarusian People's Republic, which is regarded by Belarusian democracy activists as a key event in the formation of Belarusian statehood in the 20th century. The authorities detained and jailed or fined around 100 demonstrators. Since then, officers of the Committee for State Security (KGB) have conducted raids and searches of the offices and homes of independent journalists all over Belarus. "In order to improve relations with the European Union, the Belarusian authorities should refrain from further arrests and stop persecuting the representatives of Belarusian civil society," the EU said. "In this context, the events of March 25 and the nationwide roundup of local journalists connected to foreign media, which started on March 27, are particularly worrisome. As is the recent treatment of the U.S. Ambassador to Minsk [Karen Stewart] and many of her staff who have been obliged to leave Belarus at very short notice," the statement said. AM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2008/03/3-cee/cee-310308.asp

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