Conviction of Belarusian Non-Partisan Election Monitors

The United States condemns today’s conviction of four independent election observers of the monitoring group Partnership. The politically motivated trial continues a disturbing pattern by the authorities to intimidate civil society activists and to further erode the democratic process in Belarus. Their sentences range from six months to two years for allegedly running an unregistered organization that "encroaches" on people’s rights. As we have done in the past, we will take steps to impose appropriate sanctions on those responsible for abusing the rights of these Belarusian citizens’. We call on the Belarusian authorities to free the Partnership civic activists and all those being held on politically motivated charges.

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