US Department of State: Belarusian regime created a prevailing climate of fear and repression

The US Department of State has issued the advancing freedom and democracy report.

The document focuses on US efforts to promote democracy and human rights in nondemocratic countries and the countries undergoing democratic transitions worldwide. Belarus is among 106 countries the situation in which is analyzed in the report of the US Department of State, Radio Svaboda reports.

The political situation and the situation with human rights in Belarus are characterized in a usual way. In particular, the report mentions the authoritarian character of the political regime of Belarus and underlines arbitrary arrests and politically motivated persecution continued in 2008.

Despite some positive developments, the country's human rights record remains very poor, the US Department of State notes. The report says “The regime's hostility to democracy and human rights, coupled with its near monopoly over mass media, has created a prevailing climate of fear and repression.”

Aims of the Unites States towards Belarus are grounded on the Advancing Democratic Values Act of 2007. The preface of the report says the US concentrated its efforts on practical ways to strengthen the following core electoral, institutional, and societal elements that are essential to the development of participatory democracies. In particular, the report means measures to secure free and fair electoral processes that include not only a clean casting and honest counting of ballots on election day, but also a run-up to the voting that allows for real competition.

The Department of State’s report names the concrete measures taken by the United States to promote democratic changes and respect for human rights in Belarus.

The United States notes its role in developing and strengthening democratic parties and civil society in Belarus. The report says the US provided assistance to improve the organizational and technical capacities of prodemocracy parties and helped parties and organizations better coordinate with each other. The United States continued to increase access to alternative sources of information for the people of Belarus. Noting US participation in education programmes, the Department of State mentions that the US renders financial support for education of 1,800 youths at a distinguished local university currently exiled to a neighboring country. The report may mean European Humanities University in Vilnius.

The report also notes the United States provided assistance to more than 90 local NGOs to promote human rights, the rule of law, civic participation, gender equality, labor rights, civic education, market reforms, and democratic institution-building.

It should be noticed that US actions towards Belarus are part of the Belarus Democracy Act, issued by the US Congress in 2004 and reauthorized in 2006.