Print
See related documents
Recommendation 2107 (2017)
The situation in Belarus
1. Referring to its Resolution 2172 (2017) on
the situation in Belarus, the Parliamentary Assembly, while welcoming
greater international openness by the Belarusian authorities, stresses
the need to address a number of serious human rights concerns in
order to make progress towards the attainment of Council of Europe
standards.
2. The Assembly deeply regrets that the positive trend over recent
years has been undermined by the recent escalation of mass violence
and harassment against peaceful protesters in February and March 2017 and
calls on the Committee of Ministers to join the Assembly in:
2.1. condemning the use of administrative
detention and harassment to intimidate political opponents, journalists,
human rights defenders and ordinary people exercising their right
to peaceful protest;
2.2. urging the Belarusian authorities to:
2.2.1. immediately
release opposition activists still detained and investigate allegations
of ill-treatment and intimidation against them;
2.2.2. continue dialogue with the international community and
move towards greater engagement with independent civil society organisations
and the political opposition.
3. The Assembly also invites the Committee of Ministers to:
3.1. remain open to the accession
of Belarus to Council of Europe instruments open to non-member States
for which Belarus has made a formal request and help it to bring
its legislation in line with Council of Europe standards;
3.2. continue engaging with the Belarusian authorities with
a view to implementing the Council of Europe Action Plan for Belarus,
paying special attention to the issue of the death penalty;
3.3. encourage the authorities, non-governmental organisations
and independent civil society representatives to take an active
role in the implementation of the action plan;
3.4. encourage its intergovernmental committees to organise
meetings, seminars and conferences in Belarus;
3.5. consider setting up a Council of Europe office in Minsk
in the near future, with a view to enhancing the impact of its activities
in the country.