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Federal Human Rights Commissioner on the sentencing of Viktor Babariko
Bärbel Kofler, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Assistance at the Federal Foreign Office, issued the following statement today (6 July) on the sentencing of Viktor Babariko in Belarus:
The arbitrary sentence handed down in the show trial against Viktor Babariko shows once again that the regime in Belarus will stop at nothing in its repression of members of the opposition. Mr Babariko stood firm in the face of considerable intimidation and pleaded not guilty.
The exercise of political rights is not a crime; political prisoners must be released. The rule of law must be established in Belarus and the country must comply with its international obligations