Belarus - Political Prisoners

Question: What concrete steps is the State Department engaging in to advance the release of political prisoners and promote human rights in Belarus?

Answer: We take every opportunity to urge the Belarusian authorities to free all persons jailed on politically motivated charges. President Bush reinforced this commitment to the people of Belarus in his 2007 State of the Union message. Within the last year, the United States has taken numerous measures to pressure Belarusian President Lukashenka to release political prisoners.

This week, the Department of State met with a delegation of Belarusian opposition political leaders and civil society activists to discuss further steps that the United States might take to support the defenders of freedom and democracy in Belarus. This delegation included Irina Kozulina, the wife of Belarusian political prisoner Aleksandr Kozulin, and Serhei Matskevich, a former political prisoner.

In January 2007, President Bush signed into law the Belarus Democracy Reauthorization Act, which outlines a series of measures available to promote democracy and rule of law in Belarus. These measures would supplement our existing assistance programs that focus on promoting democracy, human rights, and development of civil society in Belarus.

In December 2006, the United States brought the plight of political prisoners, including Aleksandr Kozulin, and the deplorable human rights situation in Belarus, to the attention of the UN Security Council.

In December 2006, the issue of political prisoners in Belarus figured prominently in a UN resolution cosponsored by the U.S. and adopted by the UN General Assembly.

In a speech in Riga, Latvia on November 28, 2006, President Bush described Belarus as "a place where peaceful protesters are beaten and opposition leaders are 'disappeared' by the agents of a cruel regime. The existence of such oppression in our midst offends the conscience of Europe, and it offends the conscience of America. We have a message for the people of Belarus: The vision of a Europe whole, free, and at peace includes you -- and we stand with you in your struggle for freedom."

In June 2006, President Bush issued an Executive Order, which blocks the U.S. property of certain persons undermining democratic processes or institutions in Belarus. Six additional names were added to the list on February 27, 2007, bringing the total to 16 persons. More names could be added in the future.

In May 2006, President Bush issued a Proclamation suspending the U.S. entry of persons responsible for policies or actions that threaten the transition to democracy in Belarus. We have used the authority under this proclamation to ban the future entry of numerous individuals responsible for suppressing human rights in Belarus.

Taken Question Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC February 28, 2007 Question Taken at the February 28 Daily Press Briefing

Technorati Tags: State Department and Secretary of State or Belarus and Condoleezza Rice, or Political Prisoners and U.S. State Department or Belarusian President Lukashenka and Aleksandr Kozulin or Serhei Matskevich