May 3, Pozirk. The heads of 15 European diplomatic missions accredited in Minsk have signed and sent letters of solidarity to 35 imprisoned Belarusian journalists and media workers, the German embassy has told Pozirk.
The move was timed to coincide with World Press Freedom Day, May 3. Human rights activists consider these journalists to be political prisoners.
The diplomats closely monitor the situation of the recipients as this is a “central component” of the tasks assigned to them by their governments.
The diplomats emphasized that the “systematic repression” of independent media and their workers is a violation of the international obligations that Belarus has undertaken as a member of the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The diplomats expressed support for political prisoners, their relatives and friends, noting that the Belarusian public misses the voice of each of the unjustly imprisoned media workers.
The letters were signed by the heads of missions of Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
