Recommendation 1992 (2012) Final version

The situation in Belarus

Author(s): Parliamentary Assembly

Origin - Assembly debate on 25 January 2012 (5th Sitting) (see Doc. 12820, report of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, rapporteur: Mr Herkel; and Doc. 12840, opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, rapporteur: Ms Beck). Text adopted by the Assembly on 25 January 2012 (5th Sitting).

1. The Parliamentary Assembly refers to its Resolution 1857 (2012) on the situation in Belarus, in which it expresses its deep concern about the deteriorating situation of human rights and civil and political liberties in Belarus.

2. The Assembly urges the Committee of Ministers to call on Council of Europe member States to:

2.1. use their political and diplomatic leverage to convince the Belarusian authorities to take the relevant legislative initiatives to bring domestic law into conformity with internationally recognised human rights standards and to co-operate effectively with the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the European Union as well as with United Nations bodies;

2.2. align themselves on the European Union regime of targeted sanctions until the release and full rehabilitation of all political prisoners, and urge the Belarusian authorities to end the crackdown on political opponents;

2.3. further develop channels of communication with representatives of Belarusian civil society, independent media and opposition forces;

2.4. consider revising international and bilateral mechanisms of information exchange with a view to preventing data misuse by the Belarusian authorities;

2.5. consider reducing or eliminating entry visa fees for Belarusian citizens;

2.6. continue to open universities and offer scholarship programmes to young Belarusian students, and establish links with the European Humanities University in exile in Vilnius, and with the Council of Europe School of Political Studies, also in exile in Kiev.