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EU condemns sentencing of Sannikaw

Catherine Ashton, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, has “strongly condemned” the sentencing of Andrey Sannikaw, BelaPAN said.

On May 14, a district judge in Minsk sentenced the former presidential candidate to five years in prison, finding him guilty of “organizing mass disorder” in connection with a post-election demonstration staged in the Belarusian capital city on December 19, 2010 in protest against election fraud.

Baroness Ashton, who is also first vice president of the European Commission, says in her statement that she is also “deeply concerned about the harsh sentences handed out over the past days against a number of representatives of civil society and the political opposition.”

“These events are clear reminders of the significant deterioration in the respect for human rights and democratic principles in Belarus since the violations of electoral standards in presidential elections on 19 December 2010,” Ms. Ashton says. “There have been politically motivated harassments, arrests, detentions and trials of representatives of the democratic opposition, civil society and independent media. The High Representative is also seriously concerned about reports of alleged torture and other ill treatment.”

Ms. Ashton has called on the Belarusian authorities “to end at once the ongoing crackdown on the political opposition and civil society, to release all the political prisoners and to discontinue all politically motivated trials, including against the other ex-Presidential candidates which are currently being tried.”

According to Ms. Aston, the EU is ready to consider “further targeted restrictive measures in all areas of cooperation.”