Annual review of European Union’s restrictive measures against Belarus should be made effective by closing loopholes and counterbalancing delistings with additional listings

Submitted by admin on Sun, 10/13/2013 - 15:44

Working Group on Investments of the Committee on International Control over the Human Rights Situation in Belarus has released on 10 October, 2013 a new policy paper, “Annual review of European Union’s restrictive measures against Belarus: Economic Sanctions should be made effective by closing loopholes and counterbalancing delistings with additional listings”.

The paper is aimed at informing deliberations of stakeholders in the framework of October 2013 annual review of the European Union’s restrictive measures regarding Belarus. The paper is based on a study of open sources and official documents in Belarus and EU, analytical studies, and interviews with Belarusian and international experts in economics and social sciences and civil society activists between June and October 2013. The paper provides analysis of effectiveness of existing European Union’s restrictive measures regarding Belarus and offers the EU member states and institutions concrete recommendations for making these measures more effective in facilitating positive change in the human rights situation in Belarus, starting with the release and rehabilitation of all political prisoners.

Download the paper in the PDF format

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News of Belarus

Tough sentences announced to Brest antifascists

Submitted by admin on Mon, 10/05/2015 - 21:00

A verdict was delivered today in the case of Brest antifascists acused of participation in a group fight with neonazis which happened on May 8, 2013.

Antifascists were tried under the art. 339.3 (malicious group hooliganism) and 147.2 (malicious bodily harm). The case was qualified as malicious due to the fact of pepper spray usage in the fight.

Dzmitry Stsyashenka got 5 years of penal colony with reinforced regime (339.3) and 500 euro of damages to be paid to the injured nazis.

Exclusive: European Union moves to suspend sanctions on Belarus

Submitted by admin on Wed, 09/16/2015 - 21:00

The European Union is likely to lift some sanctions on Belarus, including its travel ban on President Alexander Lukashenko, after he freed a group of political prisoners last month, diplomatic sources say.

An arms embargo against the former Soviet republic would remain. But in an overture to the man the West calls Europe's "last dictator", diplomats are looking at suspending visa bans and asset freezes on most of around 200 people under sanctions for rights abuses, some since disputed elections in 2004.