Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on (a) the recent jailing of journalists in Belarus and (b) other reported human rights abuses in that country.

The Government is deeply concerned by the continuing attacks on media freedom in Belarus and has repeatedly called on the Belarusian authorities to release journalists who have been arbitrarily detained and hold to account those responsible for attacks on journalists and for other human rights violations. The situation in Belarus features regularly in Ministerial and official level discussions with our partners in the EU. Most recently, on 16 February, the Foreign Secretary discussed Belarus with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Landsbergis. On 17 February, the Foreign Secretary issued a joint statement with his Canadian counterpart in response to detentions and targeted raids by the Belarusian authorities against human rights and media organisations. On 22 February, the Foreign Secretary also drew attention to the human rights crisis in Belarus in his address to the UN Human Rights Council. Our Ambassador to Minsk frequently discusses these issues with her EU counterparts and on 17 February issued a joint local statement with EU, US and Swiss partners against the most recent wave of repression against civil society.