Finnish MFA: Ice Hockey World Championship shouldn't be held in Belarus

The Belarusian authorities use the international tournament to strengthen their influence.

The statement was made by Finnish foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja, informing.ru reports. He thinks the tournament, which Minsk plans to host in 2014, can be moved to another country.

“The governments that violate human rights mustn't have an opportunity to strengthen their reputation by means of such important sporting events,” Erkki Tuomioja said.

Human rights defenders and international organisations stand against holding the ice hockey world championship in Belarus due to political prisoners and human rights violations by the authorities. The idea to move the championship was supported by many European and American politicians. Some countries threatened to boycott the championship if it is held in Minsk due to repressions by the Belarusian authorities.

The Belarusian authorities recently said that Interpol would help the police detect threats of “hooliganism” during the event. The agreement was reached during a meeting of Belarusian interior minister Ihar Shunevich and Interpol top officials. The Belarusian authorities often use false accusations of hooliganism to jail opposition activists. This practice is widely used ahead of or during mass events.

Lukashenka released a decree imposing restrictions on covering the championship. “The journalists who have not covered sporting events or hockey will not be given accreditatio,” Piotr Rabukhin, a manager of the directorate for the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, explained the sense of the document.

Human rights defenders and international organisations stand against holding the Ice Hockey World Championship in Belarus due to repression organised by the authorities against opposition activists.