European Commission «dismayed» over arrests of opposition youths in Belarus :: Charter'97 :: News

The European Commission has expressed «dismay» over the recent arrests of opposition youths in Belarus, warning that it could further damage the country`s relations with the European Union.

«We are dismayed at the reports of continued arrests of members of civil society for having asserted their civil and basic rights of expressing themselves,» the Belgian-based newspaper EUobserver quoted spokeswoman Christiane Hohmann as saying.

«The repetition of politically motivated arrests which we have observed over the recent months is not an encouraging sign for Belarus` willingness to re-engage fully with the European Union,» she went on to say.

The European Commission`s spokeswoman stressed that Minsk had to respect democratic standards and values for ensuring closer relations with the EU. «A rapprochement with the EU requires that Belarus takes convincing steps towards democratization and respect for human rights, including the right of people to express their opinion, and the right of NGOs to exist,» Ms. Hohmann was quoted as saying.

Eleven opposition youths were arrested in Salihorsk on September 4 as police moved to abort any protests near the city`s courthouse where the trial of their associate, Ivan Shyla, was held on that day. Two of them were handed down jail sentences after the arrest.