Political Quotes

“I want to take this time to talk about some European issues, especially in eastern Europe. First, I want to talk about the country of Belarus. Three years after the brutal and bloody crackdown on peaceful demonstrators after the December 10 presidential elections, nine political prisoners remain behind bars under deplorable conditions in Belarus. This includes Nikolai Statkevich, who ran against Lukashenko in 2010; Ales Bialiatski, the head of Viasna, a human rights organization; and Mikalai Autukhovich, who sliced open his stomach in September to protest his poor treatment by prison guards. While the regime recently released three political activists--Zmitser Dashkevich, Aliaksandr Frantskevich, and Pavel Seviarynets--it continues to restrict their freedom of movement and activities. The general human rights situation in Belarus also continues to deteriorate. Recent laws passed to regulate demonstrations and political information have greatly curtailed freedom of assembly, and independent journalists and political activists are under a constant threat of intimidation and arbitrary detention. In October, the regime made amendments to the Electoral Code designed to undermine the ability of opposition candidates to receive funding and compete in the 2014 local elections.…”