Freedom House urges the West to restore sanctions against Belarus

American human rights organization Freedom House called on the U.S. and the EU to restore sanctions against Belarus, RIA Novosti said citing organization's report.

The reason for this, in her opinion, was the brutal repression of demonstrations that followed after the presidential election on December 19, as well as beating and detention of opponents of Lukashenko, journalists and ordinary citizens. "If the Belarusian authorities do not take full back up within two weeks, the European Union is to restore sanctions against the Lukashenko regime, which were suspended in 2008. The current situation is much worse than in 2006 when the EU and the U.S. both imposed sanctions against the regime "- said the head of Freedom House, David Kramer.

He also noted that human rights activists welcomed the common position of the U.S. and the EU in relation to the presidential elections in Belarus. Earlier, the U.S. and the EU called on Belarusian authorities to immediately release all the presidential candidates and more than 600 other demonstrators who were arrested in Minsk during the suppression of peaceful demonstrations.


(2010-12-24/aysor)