UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2020) The US Department of State issued a joint statement in which 29 countries called on the government of Belarus to refrain from internet shutdowns amid the ongoing protests in the country.
"We, the signatories, are deeply troubled by and condemn the recently reported and ongoing use of partial and complete Internet shutdowns, as well as targeted content blocking, by the government of Belarus in the aftermath of the fraudulent 2020 Belarusian presidential elections," the statement said on Thursday. "We call on Belarusian authorities to refrain from Internet shutdowns and blocking or filtering of services and to respect Belarus's international human rights obligations."
The statement said that blocking or hindering Internet connectivity may undermine the rights of peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, limit press freedom, harm social and political order and affect public safety.
"We call on the government of Belarus to respect civic space, including respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law," the statement said.
In addition, the statement also said that all allegations of human rights abuses in the aftermath of the election must be subjected to independent, transparent and impartial investigations.
The statement was signed by the United States, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Ukraine.
On August 9, incumbent leader Alexander Lukashenko won 80.1 percent of the vote and won the presidential elections in Belarus for the sixth time. The opposition has claimed that former presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya won the election.
The opposition organized protests across Belarus and in the first several days law enforcement dispersed them. However, law enforcement has since stopped dispersing the rallies and using force. More than 6,700 people were detained in the first days of protests and three protesters died.
