Cichanoŭskaja wants Belarus to join Council of Europe

May 17, BPN. Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja has said she wants her country to join the Council of Europe, an organization comprising 46 member states.

Speaking at the CoE summit in Reykjavik, Iceland, Cichanoŭskaja said Belarus needs to restore democracy, abolish the death penalty and reform its laws to become a full member.

She said joining the CoE would give Belarusians access to the European Court of Human Rights and other legal mechanisms.

Cichanoŭskaja also denounced Alaksandr Łukašenka’s role in the Ukraine conflict and the deportation of Ukrainian children.

She said she met with EU and national leaders to discuss the plight of political prisoners and the threat to Belarus’ independence from Russia.