The deputy chairman of the House of Representatives has condemned as "anti-Belarusian" the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's most recent resolution on the situation in Belarus.
"I must say that we have heard and seen nothing new in the resolution", Viktar Huminski said at a news conference in Minsk on Wednesday.
"Despite the fact that some leading figures of the OSCE have made statements about the importance of a dialogue, we have seen something completely different in practice."
Mr. Huminski said that much of the resolution had been copied from earlier resolutions adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. He accused the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly of resorting to "ultimatums, dictation, visa restrictions, the confusion of sports and politics," which he said is unacceptable for Belarus.
In the resolution, which was adopted earlier this month, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly called on the Belarusian government to immediately and unconditionally release and exonerate all political prisoners.
The Assembly recommended that the International Ice Hockey Federation suspend its plan to hold the 2014 world championship in Minsk until the Belarusian authorities release all political prisoners.
The resolution also called on the Belarusian government to allow representatives of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to visit political prisoners incarcerated in Belarus; suspend the domiciliary arrest imposed on political prisoners released from prison, including Iryna Khalip and Uladzimir Nyaklyayew; respect freedom of movement of citizens, including political activists, in Belarus and abroad; reconsider registration applications by the Belarusian Christian Democracy party and Vyasna, a human rights organization; stop the harassment and persecution of civil society, trade unions, independent media and human rights defenders; implement the recommendations of the International Labor Organization with regard to trade unions; respect its OSCE commitments, including the 1990 Copenhagen Document, in particular with regard to the upcoming parliamentary elections; annul convictions and pending charges against journalists for activities connected with their profession; and allow an unrestricted public debate on key social and political issues.
The Assembly condemned the executions of Uladzislaw Kavalyow and Dzmitry Kanavalaw, sentenced to death for their alleged involvement in the April 2011 subway bombing in Minsk, "through a trial that fell short of international standards for rule of law".
