Release of political prisoners and death penalty moratorium for dialogue
These are the requirements for starting a PACE dialogue with the Belarusian authorities.
The PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy has announced it, BelaPAN reports.
The situation in Belarus was discussed on October 2, the document says. The Committee is worried about “the conditions political prisoners live in and reports about torture, violence and coercive mental treatment.” The Committee called for an immediate and unconditional release of 11 political prisoners.
The Committee also welcomed PACE’s decision to award Václav Havel Prize to famous imprisoned Belarusian human rights defender Ales Byalyatski.
The civil society should participate in the PACE-Belarus dialogue if it is started, the authors of the statement stressed. It should also be included in the plan of actions of the Council of Europe as regards Belarus.
Meeting of Committee on Political Affairs , photo: charter97.org
