Back Secretary General meets Belarusian NGOs to discuss human rights, death penalty, work on the ground

Strasbourg , 

The Council of Europe’s Secretary General met on 1 October 2014 in Strasbourg with representatives of civil society, media community and academia from Belarus, including the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, the Human Rights Centre “Viasna” and the Belarusian Association of Journalists. They discussed human rights situation in the country, death penalty, and broader co-operation between the Council of Europe and Belarus.

While Belarus is not a member of the Council of Europe, the organisation interacts with the country’s authorities at various levels, conducts projects for civil society and media, and works on the ground through its Information Point in Minsk www.en.coe.bsu.by/  to raise awareness of the fundamental values, legal instruments, policies and activities of the Council of Europe.

The Belarusian participants of the meeting expressed their appreciation of the work of the Council of Europe and its Information Point in Belarus.

Jagland said the Council of Europe was committed to continuing and expanding the co-operation between Belarus and the organisation through the dialogue with the authorities and practical activities on the ground.