EU assembly urges action against Belarus rulers

The European Parliament urged the European Union yesterday to consider extending sanctions against Belarus in response to what it described as violations of media freedom in the ex-Soviet state.

But Belarus's foreign ministry immediately rejected the allegations, saying authorities were upholding stability at a time when governments should be concentrating on the fight against terror.

In a non-binding resolution, the Strasbourg-based assembly condemned what it called "indiscriminate attacks" on media freedom under the government of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994.

These have included "arbitrary arrests, ill-treatment of detainees, disappearances and politically motivated persecution", the parliament said.

"Members of the European Parliament want the EU to take strong action against the Belarus regime for media persecution, and envisage a possible visa-ban list for implicated Belarus authorities," it said.

The resolution also urged the executive European Commission and EU governments to create a long-term support programme for independent journalists in Belarus, including financial aid, scholarships and traineeships. In Minsk, foreign ministry spokesman Ruslan Yesin said: "When issues of fighting terrorism are centre-stage throughout the world, some parliamentarians still discuss the affairs of a country with a stable political and socio-economic system."

The EU imposed limited sanctions on Belarus last year after alleging Lukashenko's administration had staged fraudulent elections. It froze high-level links and increased to six from four the number of Belarus officials banned from EU territory.

Lukashenko last October won a referendum enabling him to change the constitution and run for a third term in 2006.

Citing Lukashenko's policies, the EU has excluded Belarus from its European Neighbourhood Policy to build closer ties with the bloc's eastern and southern neighbours.