Baroness Ashton ranges herself on side of journalists and opposition of Belarus

Catherine Ashton, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union (EU) has made a statement expressing her concern over the situation in Belarus.

As the statemebt by Catherine Ashton made on March 30 reads, the European Union hopes that the Belarusian authorities would apply best efforts for the local elections on March 25 meet the international standards and the OSCE norms.

It is noted in the statement that recently freedom of assembly, association and expression was limited in Belarus.

"The EU is gravely concerned by pressure on representatives of independent media, civil society and oppositional structures in Belarus. Thus, non-governmental organisations and oppositional parties still face obstacles in registration. These tendencies cause special concern in the run-up to the local elections. It is very important for the EU that they would be held properly," Ashton notes.

The EU High Representative underlines that the united Europe would "follow closely the conduct of the local elections," to which it "attaches great importance," the statement said.

Ashton has also condemned the executions against two Belarusians in Minsk. She called upon the Belarusian authorities to publish the entire information about that and to impose a moratorium on death penalty.

The European official reiterated that the EU readiness to further deepen relations with Belarus, in particular in the framework of the "Eastern Partnership" program. As said by her, it will depend on concrete steps in Belarus towards democracy, human rights and the rule of law" .

We remind that on March 16 in Minsk mass searches took place in the flats of independent journalists and the leader of the civil campaign "European Belarus" Andrei Sannikov who had stated his intention to run for presidency in Belarus. All office ecquipment of the news office of charter97.org website was seized, as well as in the flats of journalists Maryna Koktysh, Iryna Khalip, Svyatlana Kalinkina. The editor of charter97.org website Natallya Radzina was beaten during the search.