2003 press releases

U.S. Embassy Statement on Belarusian Move to Close IREX Office (July 9, 2003)

The United States Embassy strongly supports the statement released July 9 by the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) in response to a decision by the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deny continuation of IREX's accreditation. The Embassy believes the Ministry's decision is not warranted and threatens assistance programs that are welcomed by governments committed to democracy and independent media.

IREX has implemented a variety of assistance programs in Belarus for a number of years, and the Government of Belarus' own documentation demonstrates its official acceptance of these programs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has suddenly reversed this history, basing its recent accreditation decision on an unprecedented and unsupportable investigation by the State Control Committee, and obviously ignoring IREX's convincing refutation of the Committee's "findings."

This latest move sadly supports the conclusion shared in the Embassy's statement of June 27 – that the Government of Belarus has determined to strangle the struggling independent media in Belarus. Moreover, the closure of IREX's office would not only threaten media-related programs, but also could deprive thousands of Belarusians of access to internet and exchange programs implemented by IREX. The United States Government deplores the Ministry's decision and urges the Belarusian authorities to cease its campaign. The Government of Belarus should do so for the benefit of its citizens, if not in deference to the treaty obligations breached through its accreditation decision and its recent Resolution No. 586.