From: HREA <noreply@hrea.org>

Strasbourg, 09.03.2011 -- At a meeting of the PACE Political Affairs Committee in Paris today, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Rapporteur on the situation in Belarus, Sinikka Hurskainen (Finland, SOC), strongly condemned the continuing repression of civil society, human rights defenders, independent media and political opponents in Belarus.

She expressed her deep concern about unfair and politically motivated trials, allegations of torture in detention, the non-transparent investigation into the events of 19 December and continuing confirmations of death sentences in Belarus.

Mrs Hurskainen also condemned the recent warning issued by the Belarus Ministry of Justice against the Belarussian Helsinki Committee and announced that the Political Affairs Committee had decided to consult the Venice Commission on its compatibility with international human rights standards.

The committee decided to invite representatives of Belarus civil society and independent media for an exchange of views with its members during the April session (Strasbourg, 11-15 April).

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