2007 press releases

Statement on the January 14, 2007 Local Elections

Minsk, Belarus
January 15, 2007

The United States Embassy again deplores Belarus’ flawed electoral process, as most recently demonstrated in the January 14 local elections. As in previous elections, the Government of Belarus denied to its citizens their freedom of assembly, association, and expression. Authorities used intimidation and arbitrary application of registration standards to exclude opposition candidates and severely restricted the access of registered candidates to voters and the mass media. The United States will continue to hold accountable those officials responsible for election fraud and other human rights abuses. We call upon the Belarusian authorities not to harm, threaten or detain persons for their political activities.

The United States congratulates those courageous Belarusians who, despite every obstacle and at great personal risk, struggled to exercise their basic human rights in the course of the local elections. We continue to stand with the people of Belarus and support their aspirations for democracy and freedom.