Belarusian Theme to Be Raised At Winter PACE Session :: Charter'97 :: News

During the winter session of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, which will convene in Strasbourg on January 27-31, they will discuss the situation in Belarus. The Belarusian topic will be brought up at the January 28 PACE plenary within the framework of Mrs.Isohookana-Asunmaa’s report (Finnish rapporteur on the freedom of press), who dedicated a special analytical rubric in her report to the situation in Belarus, mentioning such facts as “government’s sway over media, detentions and incarcerations of journalists, economic and legal extortions”. Another important aspect for the country will be the formation of the PACE sub-commission on disappearances in Belarus, to which they invited representatives of the Belarusian opposition – Anatoly Lebedko, Vladimir Nistuk, Valentina Polevikova and Yaroslav Romanchuk.

Moreover, in course of the winter PACE session there will be held emergency hearings on Iraq and there will be considered CoE and EU cooperation in writing the EU Constitution, the state of affairs in Chechnya. Freedom of speech and press in the European mass media, globalization and other related issues.