Belarus
US Senate committee debates sanctions against Belarus
January 28, 2011A U.S. Senate committee on Thursday heard testimony from U.S. and Belarusian rights activists who are demanding sanctions against the repressive regime of Belarus's President Aleksander Lukashenko. David Kramer, a leader of Washington-based group Freedom...
OSCE media freedom representative calls for end to crackdown on independent media in Belarus
January 06, 2011The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic, called today for an end to the attacks on independent media in Belarus and urged authorities to immediately release imprisoned journalists. “I am deeply concerned by the unprecedented...
US, EU, criticize Belarus expulsion of OSCE monitors
January 05, 2011The United States and European Union Tuesday jointly criticized the Belarus government's decision to close the OSCE monitoring mission in Minsk that had called the country's December presidential election badly flawed. The State Department indicated...
First leader of Belarus calls for sanctions against Lukashenko
January 05, 2011The first leader of independent Belarus is calling for sanctions against his successor, Alexander Lukashenko. After Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko jailed political rivals immediately after last month's presidential election, Belarussians started...
Poland waives visa fees for Belarus nationals
December 30, 2010Poland will waive fees charged to Belarusian citizens for processing travel visas beginning next week. The Polish Foreign Ministry described the move Wednesday as "an expression of solidarity with the people of Belarus" and pro-democracy...
Belarus gets new Prime Minister amid growing criticism
December 29, 2010Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday gathered together new political allies in the face of Western criticism of his government's assault on opposition figures and independent journalists. Mr. Lukashenko decided to replace his long-serving...
U.S., EU reviewing ties with Belarus after vote
December 24, 2010The United States and the European Union say they are reviewing their relations with Belarus after police in Minsk cracked down on mass opposition protests against the weekend vote that President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says he won in a landslide. In...
Wikileaks: U.S. diplomats say Lukashenka's regime 'criminal, violent'
December 23, 2010The latest revelations from U.S. diplomatic cables leaked by the WikiLeaks website describe the government in Belarus as a "criminal regime of a violent and authoritarian nature." The assessment was quoted today by the Spanish daily newspaper...
Ukraine 'Concerned' about postelection violence in Belarus
December 23, 2010The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has expressed concern about the use of violence against opposition demonstrators in Belarus following the December 19 presidential election. KYIV -- The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has expressed concern about the use of...
Helsinki commission condemns violence amid elections in Belarus
December 22, 2010Despite some improvements, the violence against opposition demonstrators and journalists in Belarus during Sunday's election shows the long road ahead for democratic progress there, leaders of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U...