Swedish human rights activists call for ousting Belarus from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and barring the country from participating in Eurovision Song Contest.
Making a speech on Swedish Television (SVT) Östgruppen Chairman Martin Uggla put forward a proposal to exclude Belarus’ state TV from the EBU, Swedish public opinion platform Debatt reports. He refers to the value system adopted by the Union last year which inter alia states that its members should guarantee freedom of expression, promote pluralism, never depending on political interests.
In her turn, Eva Hamilton, SVT Head, stressed that she considers the Belarusian state television’s membership in the EBU as a way of preventing an unwanted isolation of the country’s democratic forces.
But this membership fails to prevent Belarusians from being pressurized by the state because state-controlled media do remain a part of the repressive regime as well, human rights defenders say.
“Belarusian State TV’s contributors are not interested in protecting democratic principles. They are working hard to discourage pluralism and freedom of expression. Democratically minded journalists stand no chance of being employed there,” Martin Uggla points out.
Belsat
