Amnesty International: No positive changes in freedom of speech in Belarus

There were no positive changes in human rights in the last six months in Belarus, the Secretary-General of Amnesty International’s German Section thinks.

Barbara Lochbihler commented on the situation with human rights in Belarus in an interview to Deutsche Welle.

Melting in relations between Belarus and the European Union has been noticed in the last 6 months. However, there were no positive changes in human rights in Belarus in the last 6 months, Barbara Lochbihler told.

What concerns freedom of expression, there are no positive changes, the same is with independence of journalists. Belarus is the only country in Europe using death penalty, moreover, bodies of executed people are not given to relatives. We can’t notice any progress here, the Secretary-General of Amnesty International’s German Section told.

According to the expert, the European Union and the West are able to achieve improving of the situation with human rights in Belarus.

EU representatives can visit Belarus, the EU can encourage the embassies of the European states in Minsk to support local human rights activists. The EU can also use international organizations, with Belarus as a member, for example, the United Unions or the OSCE, to discuss a question on human rights violation in Belarus, she said.

In view of Barbara Lochbihler, the biggest problems in human rights sphere are capital punishment, absence of freedom of expression, and persecution of human rights activists.

The Secretary-General of Amnesty International’s German Section said that capital punishment, absence of freedom of expression, and persecution of human rights activists, who want to tell about violation of human rights in the country and deal with human rights activities.