BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

16/04/2008

PACE Urges Belarus To Stop Criminalizing Unregistered Organizations

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on April 15 adopted a resolution on abuses of the criminal justice system in Belarus, in which it urged the Belarusian authorities to abolish the Criminal Code article that criminalizes activities on behalf of an unregistered organization, Belapan reported. PACE also called on Minsk to urgently introduce a moratorium on executions and abolish the death penalty. "The Parliamentary Assembly deeply regrets the numerous politically motivated abuses of the criminal justice system that have taken place in recent years and are still taking place in the Republic of Belarus," the resolution said. PACE recommended that the member states of the Council of Europe, "through their diplomatic representations in Minsk, and in collaboration with local and international human rights defenders, continue intervening with the authorities on behalf of political prisoners and their families, and offer them temporary protection." PACE also called on the European Union and the United States to continue imposing targeted sanctions, such as visa bans or the freezing of assets, on Belarusian officials responsible for serious human rights abuses. JM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2008/04/3-cee/cee-160408.asp

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