BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
12/03/2008
U.S. Raises Concerns Over Human Rights In Belarus, Ukraine
The U.S. Department of State on March 11 released its annual report on human rights worldwide, in which it accuses Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka of undermining democratic institutions in the country since he came to power in 1994. The report also points out that the March 2006 presidential ballot, in which Lukashenka won a third consecutive term, "again failed to meet international standards for democratic elections." The document states that "arbitrary arrests, detentions, and imprisonment of citizens for political reasons, criticizing officials, or for participating in demonstrations were common" in Belarus. In its section on Ukraine, the report states that fundamental civil and political liberties are respected there in general, but notes some serious violations in the law enforcement and penal systems. The report cites the use of torture in pretrial detention facilities, harsh conditions in prisons and pretrial detention centers, and arbitrary and lengthy pretrial detention. AM
Source:
http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2008/03/3-cee/cee-120308.asp
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