"Ukraine backs the statement from the European Union on the pre-election situation in Belarus," the ministry said.
Rene van der Linden, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) issued a statement Thursday condemning actions by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, dubbed "Europe's last dictator" by the U.S. State Department, aimed at creating a climate of intimidation against opposition candidates.
The Council of Europe's Web site quoted van der Linden as saying: "Recent weeks have seen continuous episodes of harassment and abuse of justice against the opposition, from the arrest and trial of youth activists to the beating of presidential candidate Alexander Kazulin. The arrest and trial of [another opposition leader] Vincuk Viachorka is further evidence of the unwillingness of the Lukashenko regime to ensure the basic conditions for free and democratic elections, despite the presence of independent international monitors, and of its lack of respect for human rights and the rule of law."
Van der Linden co-chaired a conference on Belarus at the end of February, which discussed the country's democratization.
