EU and Belarus: three months to convince

(Brussels, Minsk, Paris) EU must obtain human rights commitments from Belarus before the February 2016 decision on sanctions, say FIDH and its member organisation in Belarus Human Rights Center "Viasna" in a joint open letter.

Following the decision of the Council of the European Union to temporarily suspend the application of the restrictive measures taken against 175 individuals and 14 entities in Belarus, FIDH and its member organisation "Viasna" assert that there is no systemic improvement of the human rights situation in Belarus.

In a joint open letter to the EU, the two organisations claim the poor human rights record that formed the basis for the instalment of the EU sanctions remains. FIDH and "Viasna" urge the EU to set up a strategy to reach key human rights achievements before 28 February 2016, which corresponds with the deadline the Council set to decide on reinstating, prolonging the suspension or lifting of restrictive measures.

Read the joint open letter "Three months to convince: EU must obtain human rights commitments from Belarus before the February 2016 decision on sanctions" in the attachment.