Council of Europe Launches Action Plan to Support Belarusian Democratic Forces
Council of Europe Launches Action Plan to Support Belarusian Democratic Forces
The action plan was presented to the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers on 1 February, 2023.
The Council of Europe (COE) Secretary General, Marija Pejčinović Burić, has announced a 15-point action plan to support civil society and democracy representatives working towards a future free and democratic Belarus.
Developed jointly in the framework of the Council of Europe Contact Group on Belarus the list covers 15 specific activities including human rights training, workshops on the European Convention on Human Rights, and study visits to bring Belarussian lawyers to the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg.
Other actions include awareness raising on key issues including the abolition of the death penalty, non-discrimination, gender equality and countering violence against women. A workshop for journalists in exile is planned for March.
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“The actions we have agreed in the Council of Europe Contact Group on Belarus for 2023 represent the most tangible and meaningful assistance, and I am proud our Organisation is playing a pioneering role in supporting democratic Belarus,” said the Secretary General. A third meeting of the Contact Group will take place in June 2023.
The action plan was presented to the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers on 1 February, 2023.
Hundreds of Belarusians have been arrested and jailed because they peacefully exercised their rights to freedom of expression and assembly in response to a fraudulent election in August 2020 that allowed President Alexander Lukashenko to retain power.
When the intensity of protests increased, Lukashenko’s regime shut down dozens of independent organizations and media outlets.
