19/11/2010 | Political Affairs and Democracy
During an exchange of views with representatives from Belarus, organised by the Political Affairs Committee in Paris on 18 November, parliamentarians called for visible progress in the conduct of the forthcoming Presidential elections on 19 December 2010, and in particular with regard to the freedom of the media. They took note with interest of information according to which positive developments with regard to the abolition of the death penalty might be expected in the near future.
07/09/2010 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Sinikka Hurskainen (Finland, SOC), rapporteur on Belarus for PACE, has expressed her concern at the death of Oleg Bebenin, a co-founder of the Charter 97 website in Belarus, on Friday. “Questions have been raised about the circumstances of his death, and I expect the authorities to conduct a full, transparent and exhaustive investigation into this tragic event,” said Mrs Hurskainen, who met opposition representatives in Minsk less than two weeks ago.
20/08/2010 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Sinikka Hurskainen (Finland, SOC), PACE rapporteur on the situation in Belarus, will make a visit to Minsk from 23 to 25 August. She will meet the Chairman of the Council of the Republic Anatoly Rubinov, the Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the parliamentary Committee on relations with PACE Viktor Guminsky, the Minister of Justice Viktor Golovanov, the Prosecutor General Grigory Vasilevich, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Valery Voronetsky, the Minister of Information Oleg Proleskovsky and the Head of the parliamentary working group on the issue of the death penalty Nikolai Samoseiko.
17/05/2010 | President
Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Chair Antonio Miloshoski and PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu today called on the authorities of Belarus to commute the death sentences of Andrei Burdyko and Oleg Grishkovtsov, who have just been sentenced to death by the Court of the Grodno region.
29/04/2010 | Session
PACE today decided to suspend its activities involving high-level contact with the Belarusian Parliament and/or the governmental authorities, having noted a “lack of progress” towards Council of Europe standards and a “lack of political will” on the part of the authorities to adhere to the Organisation’s values. The adopted text, which is based on a report by Sinikka Hurskainen (Finland, SOC), recalls the proposal set out last year by PACE to lift the suspension of the Belarusian Parliament’s special guest status provided that a moratorium is decreed on enforcement of the death penalty.
28/04/2010 | Session
Both a representative of the opposition and a representative of the Belarusian authorities will take part in the urgent debate on the recent developments in Belarus that the Assembly is to hold tomorrow morning. Alexander Yushkevich, Chairman of the Standing Committee on human rights, national relations and mass-media of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, and Anatoly Lebedko, Co-Chairman of the National Committee of the United Democratic Forces (UDF) and Chairman of the United Civic Party, will be invited to take the floor in the context of the debate.
26/04/2010 | Session
Looking ahead to this week's visit by President Yanukovich, the PACE President, in his opening speech at the spring session, said that the Assembly should give its assistance and support to the Ukrainian authorities right now, as the new government faced urgent and important issues which were crucial for the future of the country.
24/03/2010 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Sinikka Hurskainen, Jacek Protasiewicz and Uta Zapf, who head the bodies dealing with Belarus for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, have firmly condemned the execution of Andrei Zhuk and Vasily Yuzepchuk which, according to human rights organisations, took place in Belarus last week in complete secrecy and which has yet to be confirmed officially by the authorities.
23/03/2010 | President
"The Council of Europe strongly condemns the executions of Andrei Zhuk and Vasily Yuzepchuk in Belarus," declared today the Chair of the Committee of Ministers Micheline Calmy-Rey, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly Mevlüt Çavusoglu, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland.
18/03/2010 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“I am for dialogue with all the relevant parties, including with the Belarusian authorities. However, I do not believe that the Assembly should refrain from raising criticism or imposing conditions. A state which genuinely wants to engage with the Council of Europe cannot do so without accepting the rules of the game, and conditionality is one of them”, said Sinikka Hurskainen (Finland, SOC) PACE rapporteur on Belarus, speaking today in Paris.
04/02/2010 | President
Mevlüt Çavusoglu, PACE President today welcomed the creation, by the Belarus parliament, of a working group “on the issue of death penalty as an instrument of punishment” composed by members of both chambers. He encouraged the working group to examine experience of Council of Europe member states in this field as it showed that there were no valid reasons to maintain the death penalty. “This is a positive step in the right direction. PACE stands ready to assist the Belarus parliament in this process,” he said.
09/10/2009 | President
The Chair of the Committee of Ministers Samuel Žbogar, the PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland today made the following statement: "We are deeply concerned that Vasily Yusepchuk, a Belarusian citizen may face imminent execution after the Belarus Supreme Court has rejected his appeal against the death penalty. We appeal to President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to grant clemency to Mr Yusepchuk, to declare forthwith a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Belarus, and to commute the sentences of all prisoners sentenced to death to terms of imprisonment".