16/05/2011 President
Strasbourg, 16.05.2011 - Following the recent sentencing of former presidential candidate Andrey Sannikau to five years of imprisonment, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, today strongly condemned the ongoing politically motivated trials by the Belarusian courts of the former presidential candidate as well as several other representatives of opposition parties, independent journalists and human rights defenders.
The President expressed his solidarity with all the politically prosecuted people and their families, who are still awaiting trial in connection with the events of 19 December 2010.
“I call upon the Belarusian authorities to cease the arbitrary prosecution and continuous harassment of political opponents, independent media and non-governmental organisations. The first step would be to stop immediately the politically motivated trials in Belarus,” Mr Cavusoglu stated.