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

EU issues statement on death sentences in Belarus - only country in Europe still applying capital punishment

Submitted by admin on Thu, 03/08/2012 - 19:45

he EU has issued a statement saying it is “deeply concerned” that two men facing the death sentence in Belarus do not appear to have had a right to judicial appeal. Dzmitry Kanavalaw and Uladzislaw Kavalyow were sentenced to death by the Supreme Court in Belarus on 30 November 2011.

In a statement at the OSCE, the EU said it was deeply worried about reports from independent human rights organisations about possible irregularities relating to the trial of the two men.

Aleh Volchak sentenced to 4 days of arrest

Submitted by admin on Tue, 01/31/2012 - 12:56

The human rights activist Aleh Volchak was detained outdoors on 27 January in Minsk and guarded to the Maskouski District Police Department of Minsk.

He was charged with using obscene language in public (Article 17.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences, “disorderly conduct”) and spent the week-end in custody in the delinquents’ isolation center in Akrestsin Street.

OMCT urges Belarusian authorities to release Aleh Volchak

Submitted by admin on Sun, 01/29/2012 - 14:09

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your intervention in the following situation in Belarus.

Description of the situation: