PACE urges Belarus to conduct fair election
The PACE Committee of Political Issues made a statement with regard to the upcoming election in Belarus.
It is stated in the document that the PACE Committee calls on the Belarusian authorities to open the political space and to fulfill the obligation before the OSCE with regard to the standards of free and fair elections, electoral reform, freedom of media and preserving of human rights.
The Committee regrets that the Central Elections Committee in Belarus decided in the last moment that there would be no changes in the country's electoral legislation before this parliamentary election. According to the information provided by Radio Liberty, the Committee also expressed serious concern about the arrests of human rights defenders, political opposition activists and journalists in Belarus.
The PACE Committee urges the Belarusian government to facilitate democratic and fair parliamentary election, freedom of opinions, associations and gatherings, and also preserving of political rights for all opposition movements.
