BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

13/11/2007

European Commission asks Minsk to free political prisoners, pledgespartnership

BRUSSELS. Nov 13 (Interfax) - The European Commission has reiterated the European Union's pledge to establish a fully fledged partnership with Belarus if respect for democracy is demonstrated.

The Belarusian authorities must take convincing and irreversible steps towards democratization and respect for human rights, including Belarusian citizens' right to express their views freely and to hold meetings, European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero- Waldner said in a statement.

The statement came in the wake of a guilty verdict, handed down by Belarusian authorities to Dmitry Dashkevich for his refusal to testify against Ivan Shilo, his colleague in a non-governmental organization. Ferrero-Waldner expressed concern about this decision.

Source:

http://www.interfax.com/3/334935/news.aspx

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