European Parliament Adopts Declaration about Violations of Political Rights in Belarus

On 21 July in Strasbourg, on the initiative of the deputies Konrad Szymanski and Marcin Libicki the European Parliament adopted the declaration about violations of political rights in Belarus.

In their interviews to European editions the deputies point out:

(Szymanski) – We, being Poles, feel our responsibility for what is going on near our Eastern border. The increase of the repression against the democratic forces in Belarus demands urgent reaction. All Europe must show its solidarity with the Belarusian people that still can’t enjoy freedom and democracy.

(Libicki) – The debates on this issue in the European Parliament will be a manifestation of solidarity with Belarusian people.

On the initiative of these deputies, the group “Union for the Europe of Nations” (UEN) can include the urgent hearings on violations of fundamental political rights is Belarus in the agenda of the next session of the European Parliament. The declaration will be accessible for signing by all deputies of the Parliament. If the declaration is signed by more than a half of the deputies, it will become the official point of view of the European Parliament.

Here’s the content of the declaration:

We express our deep concern with the repressive politics of the Belarusian authorities towards democratic forces.

The repressive activities of the authorities of Belarus, aimed at illegalization of the Labor Party and Belarusian People’s Front are a violation of the European and universal standards of human rights. We apply to the Council of Europe and to the countries that are members of the European Union with the request to support and express the solidarity with democratic intentions of Belarusian people.

The declaration has been already signed by the following deputies: Konrad Szymanski (UEN, Poland), Marcin Libicki (UEN, Poland), Vitautas Landsbergis (EPP, Lithuania), Anna Zaborska (EPP, Czech), Laslo Surjan (EPP, Hungary).