Austrian Foreign Minister urges to release all political prisoners

• 18.04.2012, 8:54

Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger welcomes release of political prisoners Andrei Sannikov and Zmitser Bandarenka.

However, he demands further progress from Minsk. As said by the head of the Austrian Foreign Ministry, these two prisoners are obviously not enough for improvement of relations with the EU, Radio Svaboda informs.

“We want to see considerable improvement of the overall situation with human rights in Belarus. And the Belarusian regime is far from that still. It is entirely in the hands of the Belarusian leader to prove that the release of political prisoners is not a symbolic act, but the first step in the direction towards breaking out of the present vicious circle,” the Austrian minister noted.

Michael Spindelegger once again urged Belarus to release all political prisoners, as well as to lift all restrictions over their civil and political rights. As said by him, the responsibility for Belarus’ breaking international isolation rests with Lukashenka.