Civil society urges authorities to stop harassment and violence
About 30 Belarusian public associations signed a common appeal of the National Platform of the "Eastern Partnership" Civil Society Forum on December 24.
In this appeal they condemn the brutal dispersion of the demonstration on December 19 and call on the authorities to release all the presidential candidates and their adherents, and also to stop political harassment of citizens.
Representatives of 27 human rights, ecological and educational NGOs have signed the appeal, including the International Helsinki Association on Human Rights, the educational establishment "Legal Information Center", the civil association "Ecodom", the ecological partnership "Green Network" and others.
The authors claim that the brutal dispersal of the action on December 19 at the Independence Square in Minsk is "severe violation of democratic principles and human rights".
"We call on the structures and officials of the state authority and administration to stop the biased coverage of the events on December 19 in order to stop fomentation of hostility in the society; to release all the presidential candidates, members of their election HQs and their adherents; to stop political harassment of citizens who participated in the peaceful protest action; to grant objective and detailed investigation of all the circumstances of the provocative actions near the House of Government, involving international experts; to refrain from public statements with regard to guilt or any connection with mass disturbance before the investigation and court trial are completed", — stated in the appeal.
The open appeal is addressed to the authorities and citizens of Belarus and is available for signing at the web-site of the international consortium "EuroBelarus".
