Press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

VIENNA, 25 February 2011 - The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on 24 February. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States.

Habsburg Douglas Gives Belarus Opposition the floor at Human Rights Committee

VIENNA 24, February 2011 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Activities today put the spotlight on Belarus following the country’s 2010 presidential elections, which resulted in a police crackdown on protestors and numerous political arrests.

“Human rights must remain at the forefront of OSCE priorities. I am glad that our committee today was able to highlight these issues in Belarus and the wider OSCE region,” said Chair Walburga Habsburg Douglas (Sweden).

The final report on the election found the election administration to be politicized, a biased media environment, and a lack of transparency at key stages of the electoral process. Mr. Tony Lloyd (United Kingdom), the Head of the 2010 Election Observation Mission said Belarus was “a long way from” ensuring citizens have access to the democratic process.

“We see across the board a politicization of the judicial process,” Mr. Lloyd said, referring to the jailing of opposition activists.

Mr. Viktor Guminsky, Head of the Belarus Delegation and Deputy Speaker of the Belarusian House of Representatives said that the election process and the post-election developments should be evaluated separately. He called the post-election demonstrations illegal and actions that amounted to “organized rioting” and said police exercised “maximum restraint.”

Aleksander Kazulin, a Belarusian opposition figure who was imprisoned for over two years after the 2006 elections, addressed the committee and described the demonstrations.

“There was merely the expression of public will that was crushed brutally,” Mr. Kazulin said. He recommended the OSCE appoint an independent commission of experts from ministries of internal affairs to investigate the recent actions in Minsk. Mr. Kazulins remarks were the first time in five years an opposition figure has addressed an official meeting of the Assembly.

“I fully support strong economic pressure through the visa ban and economic sanctions following the post-election developments,” said Mr. Chris Smith (United States), author of the Belarus Democracy Act.

The committee also heard from Ms. Uta Zapf, Chair of the PA Ad Hoc Working Group on Belarus who under scored the need for dialogue between Belarus government officials, parliament and civil society to put the country on a path to national reconciliation and democratic progress.