On July 7, the US Helsinki Commission supported the adoption of the Belarus Democracy and Human Rights Act of 2011. The open letter called for additional support to the Belarusian opposition and denial of international financial assistance “as long as political prisoners remain in jail.” “Now is not the time to throw Belarus’ dictatorship a financial life preserver,” they argued. The open letter looked forward to “Belarus post-Lukashenka” with a democracy, market economy, free elections and “rules-based transparent governance”. A growing number of Ukrainian citizens would also like to look forward to a “Ukraine post-Yanukovych” built on these four factors. Read full story here.
The Jamestown Foundation: The West treats Ukraine differently to Belarus
WASHINGTON, DC - On June 28, an open letter to President Barack Obama was signed by nineteen prominent experts that called for “additional measures” to visa denials and economic sanctions with the aim of “bringing about the immediate release of all political prisoners in Belarus”.
