"The release of Siarhii Tsikhanouskiy and 13 other political prisoners in Belarus is excellent news in today's uncertain world," said three general rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in a joint statement. "These releases are the result of unstinting efforts by many, above all Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, but also the United States, and others who made behind-the-scenes efforts."
"We warmly welcome this development," said the three general rapporteurs for the Assembly, Ryszard Petru (Poland, ALDE) who oversees its work towards a democratic Belarus, Azadeh Rojhan (Sweden, SOC) who deals with political prisoners, and Emanuelis Zingeris (Lithuania, EPP/CD) who follows the situation of human rights defenders and whistleblowers.
"However, we should not forget that some 1200 political prisoners are still detained in appalling conditions, some incommunicado for several years, such as Václav Havel Human Rights Prize Laureates Maria Kalesnikava and Ales Bialatski, who was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and lawyer Maksim Znak. They should all be released immediately and unconditionally. Their place was never in prison."
The rapporteurs added: "Today, more than ever, we would like to recall the Parliamentary Assembly's steadfast support for Belarusian democratic forces, the families of political prisoners and civil society. We will continue to work together so that a democratic Belarus eventually joins the European family, where it belongs."
