PACE President: “Release of all political prisoners is our unfaltering demand”

The release of all political prisoners by the Belarusian authorities is an “unfaltering” demand of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), PACE President Lluis Maria de Puig said in an interview to BelaPAN. The politician stressed that the recent early release of Dzmitry Dashkevich and Artur Finkevich, both members of an unregistered opposition youth group Malady Front, “has not gone unnoticed.” He expressed hope that the release was part of “a pattern of conclusive and consistent signs that the Belarusian leadership is prepared to get closer to Europe.”

“Personally, I am disappointed that the criteria set out by the amnesty which was adopted in November are so restrictive that no political prisoner will be able to benefit from it,” Mr. de Puig noted. “On the other hand, I am convinced that many ways can be found to give freedom back to those who are detained for their political views, amongst whom the most outstanding case is certainly former presidential candidate Alexander Kozulin [Alyaksandr Kazulin].”

PACE won’t shut eyes to problems with democracy in Belarus

The Council of Europe (CE) is not trying to isolate Belarus, it’s Belarus that had chosen the way of isolation, told the Spanish deputy, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Lluís Maria de Puig told in his exclusive interview to BelaPAN agency. It’s to the interest of the Council of Europe to have Belarus among us, he said. Belarus cannot pretend that all 47 democratic states, members of the CE, are wrong, Lluís Maria de Puig said, adding that the PACE won’t shut their eyes to democracy problems and human rights violations in Belarus.

He has noted that the CE is an organization which is engaged in issues of democracy, human rights and rule of law. Relations of the Council of Europe with any country unavoidably focus on these issues primarily, the PACE President underlined.

He also noted that for the first time since 2004 both representatives of Belarusian opposition and of the National Assembly of Belarus had taken part in the session of the political committee in the framework of the PACE winter session. It has given the both sides to speak freely about their vision of the situation in Belarus, and counteract with members of the PACE, the parliamentarian noted.

In the exclusive interview to the BelaPAN agency Lluís Maria de Puig also noted that the PACE should play a more active role in advance of democratic values in Belarus. He told that over the last few years the PACE concentrated its efforts on supporting political groups, associations and people in Belarus who share the values of the Council of Europe But mostly people who can afford to travel abroad know about the PACE appeals to democratization, while majority of the Belarusians are unaware of them.

According to the President of the PACE, the situation could be changed by opening the Informational Bureau of the CE at the premises of the Belarusian State University. It would surely make its contribution in strengthening of political consciousness and awareness among Belarusians.

He underlined that the Informational Bureau should not become simply a storing-place of the CE documents. It should become a dynamic and active structure which trough holding seminars and organizing different events could help Belarusians to contact our organization, to learn about our values, problems and methods of work, Lluís Maria de Puig said.