site.btaBulgarian Foreign Ministry Joins Support for Belarusian People's Desire for Change, Democratic Future

Sofia, February 7 (BTA) - "We support the desire of the Belarusian people for change and democratic future and categorically condemn the ongoing attacks against human rights and media freedom in Belarus," the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on its website on Sunday.

The statement responds to a call by opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya to all non-indifferent people to support Belarusian protesters by joining the Day of Solidarity with Belarus, February 7.

"We are following with concern the ongoing campaign of violence, coercion and intimidation on the part of the Belarusian authorities against their own people," the statement reads. "The list of political prisoners is growing steadily, and more than 220 people have gone into it so far. Peaceful protesters, bloggers, presidential election campaigners, opposition leaders and members of almost all social strata of Belarusian civil society are imprisoned or are forced into exile merely because they refused to be scared to exercise their human rights and freedoms," the Ministry states.

"In the period since the fraudulent presidential elections of August 9, 2020, we have witnessed the arrest of over 30,000 peaceful protesters. Nine hundred of them are subject to politically motivated criminal proceedings, and there are more than 500 cases of documented torture and cruel, degrading or inhuman treatment at the investigative detention facilities," the statement reads, adding that at least eight activists have been killed after violent actions on the part of the security forces.

"Joining the EU Member States and Bulgaria's international partners, we call on the authorities in Belarus to investigate immediately the documented cases of systematic and serious human rights violations," the Ministry states. It calls on Belarus to proceed with peacefully resolving the crisis through an inclusive national dialogue, with the ultimate goal of organizing new free and fair elections in accordance with the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people. NV/LG