Norway condemns arrests in Belarus

“Norway condemns the arrests of Belarussian demonstrators and opposition members during the past few days and deeply deplores that the Belarussian police have now dispersed the protestors who had set up tents on October Square in Minsk,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. “Norway strongly urges the Belarussian authorities to respect citizens’ democratic rights, including the right of assembly and freedom of speech.”

The Foreign Minister underscored that Norway joins the OSCE and the EU in their sharp criticism of the presidential election in Belarus. “The election was not carried out in accordance with the principles of free and democratic elections,” said Mr Støre. “Norway will actively support the democratic forces in Belarus, and we have therefore decided to increase our support to Belarussian NGOs and the opposition.”

The Foreign Minister emphasised that representatives of the Belarussian opposition are welcome to Norway for talks on the situation.