MINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th February, 2021) EU nations, the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland issued a joint statement on Wednesday denouncing recent police raids targeting rights activists, journalists, and trade unionists in Belarus.
On Tuesday morning, police conducted raids targeting the Belarusian Association of Journalists, unregistered human rights center Viasna and the local union of Radio and Electronic Industry Workers. According to the country's investigative committee, the searches were carried out as part of a criminal case to identify sources of funding for post-election riots.
"The Belarusian authorities continue their increased harassment of the country's civil society. This needs to stop ... Yesterday, the homes and offices of at least thirty activists, including those of Human Rights Group Viasna and the Belarusian Association of Journalists, across the country were searched. This is not acceptable," the Western diplomatic missions in Minsk said in the statement.
According to the diplomats, the government is persecuting Belarusians "for exercising their fundamental rights" to peacefully challenge President Alexander Lukashenko's victory in the August election, which was "neither free nor fair."
As a result, hundreds of people have faced politically motivated trials, the countries continued.
They went on to call for releasing all arbitrarily detained persons and vowed to continue coordination in addressing the human rights situation in Belarus.
