BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

06.23.2005, 11:49 AM

Russian human rights body criticises Belarus' civil liberties record

MOSCOW (AFX) - A Russian government human rights body has criticised Belarus, in an unusually harsh statement, for the imprisonment and disappearance of political opponents.

'To this day, inquiries on the disappearance of politicians have only a formal character, doing nothing really to bring together the international community and Belarus,' the Kremlin's Council for Development of Civil Society and Human Rights told Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko, in an open letter as quoted by Interfax news agency.

The letter said that a free media 'virtually does not function' in Belarus and that the situation 'raises deep concerns and is negative influence on relations between Russia and the international and European community.'

Western governments have long accused Lukashenko of snuffing out democracy in Belarus, which US president George Bush recently branded the 'last dictatorship in Europe.'

However, Russia does maintain close ties with Belarus, with the two countries currently involved in negotiating a possible political and economic union.

Source:

http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/afx/2005/06/23/afx2108397.html