Statement by High Representative Catherine Ashton on the request of the Belarusian authorities that the EU Head Delegation and Polish Ambassador to Minsk leave the country for consultations

Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security
Policy and Vice President of the Commission, made today the following statement:

"Following today's request by the Belarusian authorities that the Head of  the EU Delegation in Minsk and the Ambassador of Poland to Belarus leave the country for consultations, I have decided, in coordination with Foreign Minister Sikorski, that we will recall for consultations our two ambassadors.

At the same time, I have called a meeting of Member States Ambassadors (PSC) in Brussels today to coordinate our response. In an expression of solidarity and unity, it was  agreed that the ambassadors of the EU Member States in Minsk will all be withdrawn for consultations to their capitals. All EU Member States will also summon Belarusian ambassadors to their foreign ministries. 

We will continue to follow the situation closely."

http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/...

News of Belarus

Ales Bialiatski receives reprimands in prison

The human rights activist told about the pressure he faced in prison. Ales Bialiatski, imprisoned head of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, wrote about it in a letter to human rights activist Valiantsin Stefanovich: 

Supervisory appeal of Ales Bialiatski turned down

As it became known today from a letter of the Head of the Human Rights Center "Viasna", vice-president of the International Federation of Human Rights Ales Bialiatski to his wife, the chairman of the Minsk City Court dismissed the supervisory complaint filed by the human rights activist and his lawyer against the verdict of the Pershamaiski Dstrict Court of Minsk and the ruling of the panel of judges of the Minsk City Court.

Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Belarus

Human Rights Council
Twentieth session
Agenda items 2 and 4
Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner 
for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the 
High Commissioner and the Secretary-General
Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention