The USA and Europe should not ease pressure on Belarusian and Ukrainian authorities, which take responsibility for political repressions in their countries, US senator and former presidential candidate John McCain stated at the international conference on the role of parliamentarians in strengthening Eastern European democracies taking place in the Parliament of Lithuania on May 3, 2012.
«Lukashenka is under more pressure than its ever been, especially following the latest EU sanctions. We see the effects of this growing pressure on recent release of Andrey Sannikau and Zmitser Bandarenka after two years of political imprisonment. We are pleased that these champions of democracy are free and we will not rest until the same is true for all political prisoners who still languish in Lukashenka’s jails. We know their names, we know their stories, we know their innocence and we will never forget,» the US politician said
According to human rights defenders, 13 political prisoners still remain behind bars. International community urges to immediately release and fully rehabilitate all of them and stop political persecution.
«Now is not the time in my view to reduce the pressure on Lukashenko, instead United States and EU together must increase pressure on Lukashenka to release political prisoners and hold free elections,» John McCain added.
Belsat
