NEWS ALERT
For Immediate Release
BELARUS CRISIS WORSENS: LEAGUE CALLS FOR URGENT MEASURES IN RESPONSE TO CRACKDOWN AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS AND CIVIL SOCIETY
NEW YORK, May 2 -- The International League for Human Rights called on President Bush to undertake specific measures in response to the crackdown against human rights and civil society activists in Belarus.
Numerous activists remain in jail since the pre- and post-election onslaught, others continue to be arrested, and even more are under threat from authorities following through on outstanding warrants for prosecution on false charges. “ U.S. officials in the region should be encouraged to monitor the crisis and facilitate political asylum for Belarusian citizens who are fleeing in fear for their lives,” said League President Robert Arsenault in a letter to President Bush on April 26 th.
The European Union has identified 31 officials responsible for gross human rights violations in Belarus who are now subject to visa sanctions, and the European Parliament is considering extending the list to 350 individuals. “The League recommends that the U.S. appoint a senior official to coordinate such international actions with other democracies and engage with Belarusian civil society,” Arsenault said.
In response to the Administration’s indication that Belarus, Georgia and Moldova will be on the agenda at the G-8 meeting in St. Petersburg in July, the League called on the President for a public gesture of recognition to Belarusian opposition and civil society groups at the time of the G-8.
In a February 27 th meeting at the White House with Svetlana Zavadskaya, wife of cameraman Dmitry Zavadsky who disappeared in 2000, and Irina Krasovskya, president of the We Remember Foundation, President Bush expressed his deep concern for issues including the disappearances and the need for establishing the rule of law in Belarus. The League is calling on the President to act upon those concerns because entire families are now being subjected to myriad forms of intimidation such as interrogation, surveillance, and arrest.
Contact: Maria Kabalina at cis@ilhr.org or (212) 661-0480 ext. 112
For additional information on Belarus, visit the League’s website http://www.ilhr.org for the current issue of our weekly publication, Belarus Update.
Based in New York, with representation in Geneva and dozens of affiliates and partners around the world, the League is a non-governmental, non-profit organization now in its 65th year with consultative status at the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and the International Labor Organization. The League contributes to the African Commission and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). With the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights as its platform, the League raises human rights issues and cases before the UN and other inter-governmental regional organizations in partnership with our colleagues abroad, to amplify their voices and coordinate strategies for effective human rights protections.
|
