PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
THE LEAGUE EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT BELARUS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
NEW YORK , March 20, 2006 - The International League for Human Rights, an international non-governmental organization with special consultative status at the United Nations, expresses its profound concern over the March 19, 2006 presidential elections in Belarus, in which current president Aleksandr Lukashenko claimed overwhelming victory, amid reports of widespread electoral irregularities.
On March 20, 2006, international observers stated that Belarusian authorities did not provide the necessary conditions to guarantee free and fair elections. According to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, arbitrary use of state power and widespread detentions showed a disregard for the basic rights of freedom of assembly, association and expression, and raise doubts regarding the authorities' willingness to tolerate political competition.
In the period preceding the elections numerous acts of repression of democratic principles were documented in Belarus, including the arrest of dozens of opposition activists, mass intimidation by state security agents were reported nationwide, opposition politicians and civil society were repeatedly threatened, and tough laws against illegal assembly were enforced, while many international elections observers were denied entry to Belarus. The League emphasizes the importance of free speech and independent, non-governmental organizations and media, which are all vital to ensuring a pluralistic free and fair electoral climate.
The League calls on President Aleksandr Lukashenko and government officials to release all opposition and civil society activists who were arrested during the pre-election campaign and ensure that persecution of political opposition and civil society activists ceases immediately. In response to the March 19 th protest of tens of thousands of Belarusian citizens in October Square, League president Robert Arsenault, is calling on the Belarusian government “to be restrained in response to peaceful protest and to allow for a transparent investigation of the elections by independent pollsters to be held.” The League also reiterates our request for a thorough investigation into the cases of disappeared citizens, including Dmitry Zavadsky and Yuri Krasovsky.
CONTACT: Maria Kabalina at cis@ilhr.org or (212) 661-0480 ext. 112
For additional information on Belarus, visit the League’s website (www.ilhr.org) for the current issue of Belarus Update.
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