US Senators Demanded To Release Freedom Day Detainees

The senators of the two leading parties put forward their demands in a letter to Lukashenka.

A group of US senators representing both leading parties have sent a letter to Lukashenka. In this appeal, the senators express "serious concern" over suppressing the citizens’ protest against the controversial tax on "parasitism" and call for the immediate release of detainees, Radio Svaboda reports.

"We remain concerned about the flow of politically motivated detentions and the persecution of peaceful demonstrators, members of opposition parties, journalists, human rights activists and other civil society representatives," – the document says.

In the letter published on April 5, the senators express concern about Russia’s plan to use the Belarusian territory for "provocative military games." Moscow plans to hold joint military maneuvers together with Belarus called "West-2017" in September this year.

The letter is signed by Democrats Richard Durbin and Jean Shahin and Republicans Mark Roubio and John McCain.

A lot of Belarusians protested against the tax imposed by Lukashenka's government. This led to the mass arrests of dozens of demonstrators and activists on March 25 and a series of single arrests in the weeks leading up to this date.