Belarusian political prisoners are in the focus of attention at the book fair in Gothenburg
During
the book fair in Gothenburg the human rights organization Östgruppen
organized a seminar "Political prisoners in the center of
Europe". During the seminar, the floor was taken by the
Östgruppen chairman Martin Uggla and photographer and journalist
Maria Sodeberg, who talked about Ales Bialiatski and Mikalai
Statkevich.
Martin Uggla urged politicians in Sweden and the
European Union to act more consistently and fundamentally against the
Belarusian regime.
“It is important, of course, to demand
the release of political prisoners, but this is not enough. The EU
should also require changes at the system level. Free and fair
political elections should be held. Freedom of speech, freedom of
assembly and freedom of association should be respected. Otherwise,
it is impossible to speak of any democratic progress in Belarus,”
noted Mr. Uggla.