Nordic-Baltic FMs censure violence against demo in Belarus
Published : 12 Aug 2020, 01:23
The foreign ministers of the Nordic and Baltic countries on Tuesday expressed concern over the developments that are taking place in Belarus, said the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in a press release.
The foreign ministers of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden in a joint statement expressed their grave concern at the violence used against post-election demonstrations that have occurred in response to reports of widespread electoral fraud.
“We are very troubled by the reports of physical injuries inflicted on the demonstrators,” said the ministers in the written statement.
The presidential elections, which took place in Belarus on 9 August, did not comply with the international commitments of Belarus and globally recognised standards of democracy and rule of law, and they were not free and fair.
“We urge the Belarusian authorities to stop persecution of political opponents, to immediately release all those detained unfairly, and to respect human rights and freedoms. We call upon the Belarusian government to immediately engage in a genuine political dialogue with the opposition in order to avoid further use of violence,” the ministers said.