Commission of the Polish Seim on Foreign Affairs unanimously adopted a draft resolution on January 18 on the support of civil society in Belarus, thus condemning the authorities for using force against the opposition on December 19 in Minsk and supporting the initiative of the European Union to impose sanctions against the official Minsk. A similar statement was adopted by Foreign Affairs Committee of the Latvian Seim on January 19.
Members of the commission of the Latvian Seim expressed their negative assessment of «undemocratic» presidential elections in Belarus and also condemned the repressions against political opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko. Latvian parliament demanded from the Belarusian authorities to immediately release all the protesters on December 19, including the arrested ex-presidential candidates and journalists. The parliamentarians called on authorities in Belarus to respect the rights of citizens to freedom of speech, assembly, as well as the European and universal values, IA «REGNUM-Belarus» reports.
Commission of the Polish Seim laid down similar requirements, and also suggested the Polish Seim calling on the official Minsk in Belarus to hold new democratic elections. However, some MPs consider such actions «far-reaching intervention in the internal affairs of Belarus,» Gazeta Wyborcza reports.
«Keeping in mind the joint struggle of the Poles and Belarusians for freedom and democracy, the Polish Seim fully condemns the use of force and political repression of Alexander Lukashenko in respect of the Belarusian society and rigging the presidential elections in Belarus in December 2010,» the draft resolution says. The document is planned for discussion at the next Seim session.
