Council of Europe reiterates call on Minsk to release all political prisoners

January 25, Pozirk. “I condemn in the strongest terms the latest reported wave of raids and arrests targeting relatives of political prisoners and former political prisoners in Belarus,” Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić said in a statement.

“I am particularly concerned by the deliberate targeting of individuals who have already suffered significant human rights violations because of political repression. The Council of Europe reiterates its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners,” she said.

Pejčinović Burić noted that Europe’s leading human rights body is committed to stronger cooperation with the country’s democratic forces, civil society, and independent media “based on our shared values, and to the benefit of all Belarusian people.” As an example of this cooperation she mentioned the CoE contact group on Belarus.

Also on January 25, Pejčinović Burić and Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja had a meeting in Strasbourg.