PACE special rapporteur calls on Belarus to respect rights of its citizens

According to Belapan, Andrew McIntosh, media-freedom rapporteur in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), called on the Belarusian government in a statement posted on PACE's website (http://assembly.coe.int) on April 17 to respect the right to freedom of expression.
‘In view of recent police brutality against journalists reporting about a peaceful demonstration in Minsk on March 25 and the subsequent harassment of many journalists by security forces of Belarus, I call on the authorities in the Republic of Belarus to return seized material to the journalists, launch investigations into such abuse, and train law enforcement authorities in respecting the fundamental right to freedom of expression of everybody in Belarus including especially journalists’ – said McIntosh – ‘Respect of freedom of expression must be a necessary requirement for any change in the relations of the Belarusian government with PACE, in addition to ensuring the independence of the courts, granting parliamentary powers to a democratically elected National Assembly, and abolishing the death penalty in Belarus.’